Tag: Missed Tackles

Alontae Taylor has been one of the worst tacklers in the NFL

Alontae Taylor has more missed tackles than any cornerback this season, with the highest miss rate of any defender. He must clean it up if he’s going to be someone they can rely on:

You never want to be on the wrong side of this stat. Alontae Taylor has been one of the worst tacklers in the NFL this year, and the New Orleans Saints have felt the impact in both the running and passing game.

The cornerback has a 22 missed tackles, for a missed tackle rate of 20.2%. His 22 missed tackles are the most for any cornerback. His missed tackle rate, however, is higher than any defender with at least 100 tackling attempts.

When you think about a bad run defense, you typically think about the defensive lineman not getting push or linebackers not filling the gap efficiently.

While that’s at play as well, Taylor is a physical player who spent about half of the season in the slot. That put him in the run game more than his snaps at outside corner. Missed tackles on the perimeter can easily lead to a runner getting the edge and gives more of an opportunity for a big play.

In the passing game, that adds more yards after catch. Tackling has been one of the bigger issues for the New Orleans Saints. In Taylor’s case, both are prone to lead to big plays. We all know that’s another issue that has plagued the Saints. He must clean it up if he’s going to be someone they can rely on in a starting role.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Once-proud Saints run defense hit a new low vs. Raiders

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles stopping the Las Vegas Raiders’ rushing attack is a perfect depiction of how far their once-proud run defense has fallen:

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles stopping the Las Vegas Raiders’ rush attack is a perfect depiction of how far the Saints run defense has fallen.

New Orleans is a long way from holding on to a yearslong streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher. Now, they’re allowing Ameer Abdullah to break the century mark for the first time in his 10-year career. Coming into the game, the Las Begas running back had a total of 196 rushing yards and nearly matched that total in a single game against the Saints.

Aidan O’Connell took two kneel downs, and Brock Bowers ran the ball for a loss of one. Even with that, the Raiders averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Abdullah, their lead back, averaged 5.8 per rush. He left the field with 115 rushing yards on the afternoon.

The Saints entered as the third-worst run defense, and the Raiders had the worst run offense in the league. Someone had to break, and that someone was the Saints.

A lot of the issues come down to poor tackling. This has troubled the Saints throughout the year. It’s one thing to be a bad run defense. It’s another thing to be bad against one of the league’s least-productive rushing offenses. Whoever is coaching them in 2025 must make fixing this a top priority.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Dennis Allen says Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles

Dennis Allen says the Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles. If he can’t teach them fundamentals, he won’t be their coach for much longer:

It’s no secret what ails thee New Orleans Saints defense. They just gave up 1,000 yards in the space of a week between a Monday night game with the Kansas City Chiefs and a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following Sunday, and head coach Dennis Allen didn’t hesitate to point to the source of their problems.

“We didn’t tackle,” Allen said matter-of-factly after the Bucs game. “When you don’t tackle you give up explosive plays and you give up plays, and it kind of snowballed on us a little bit. It was not good enough.”

Those missed tackles were Allen’s first takeaway from the game. He said strong defense has been something the team has leaned on, but that wasn’t the case Sunday: “That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job with our guys. I’ve got to make sure we understand what we’re doing, we’ve got to do more tackling drills, whatever the case may be. It was not a good defensive performance at all.”

Allen has been the architect of the defense for nearly a decade, having drafted, developed, and recruited many of the players on the field. To see that unit’s fundamentals collapse was a gut punch, especially after he and his staff had made tackling drills a point of emphasis at practice during the week. So what’s causing all these missed tackles from normally sure-handed players like Demario Davis and Paulson Adebo?

“Part of it’s angles, it’s technique, it’s wrapping up. A lot of fundamental things that we’re not good enough with the tackling. And I think it starts with leverage and angles. That’s where it starts, and then the fundamental of actually making a tackle. Got to do a better job of wrapping up. But that’s two weeks in a row we haven’t done a good job tackling, and that’s our biggest concern,” Allen said.

It’s a major problem and it’s only gotten worse. And the Saints don’t have time on their side. They kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. When asked if these missed tackles are something the team can clean  up in  just four days, Allen’s response was succinct.

“It’s something we’d better fix in four days,” Allen said gravelly. It might be overdramatic to say his job is on the line if it doesn’t get better, but this is how those situations develop. If he can’t get his team playing fundamental football, he won’t be their coach for much longer.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff loss to the 49ers

Here are the Detroit Lions Studs and Duds as they fall one game short with the their loss to the San Francisco 49ers

The Detroit Lions’ remarkable season concludes on a heartbreaking note as they surrender a 17-point lead in a 34-31 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

In the first half, the Lions asserted control with a commanding 24-7 lead, showcasing an unstoppable offense and a defense that made crucial stops at opportune moments. However, the narrative took a sharp turn in the second half, as everything that could go wrong for the Lions seemingly did, creating a deficit they couldn’t overcome by the game’s end.

While the Lions’ season exceeded expectations, their inexperience and missed opportunities became evident in this critical game, leaving them just one step shy of a Super Bowl berth.

As we bid farewell to the season, let’s reflect on the Studs and Duds in the Lions’ loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

Missed tackles and porous run defense return for Packers in loss to Steelers

The Packers struggled to make tackles and got gashed in the run game against the Steelers. Sound familiar?

The Green Bay Packers run defense was gashed again in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and missed tackles — among other issues — were at the root of the problem.

“Defensively,” said coach Matt LaFleur when discussing what went wrong against the Steelers, “stopping the run, we had way too many missed tackles.”

As a team, the Steelers rushed for 205 rushing yards. They became the third team this season to rush for over 200 rushing yards against Green Bay. Najee Harris averaged 5.1 yards per carry and Jaylen Warren 6.7. Keep in mind, this has not been a dynamic rushing offense this season. Pittsburgh entered Week 10 averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.

Even when the Packers were positioned well to have the opportunity to make a play on the ball carrier, missed tackles were too often a part of the equation. According to PFF, Green Bay missed 16 tackles, a new season high. The Packers tackling had been improved in recent weeks, with just nine missed tackles over the last two games. Not coincidentally, they were also holding up much better against the run as well, allowing just 2.3 yards per rush in their last two games.

“A lot of missed tackles,” added LaFleur. “We knew they were going to try to run the football and they did it better than we did. They went out there and executed better than we did.”

Pittsburgh’s ability to move the ball on the ground was a key contributor behind their scoring drives and allowed them to control the clock for stretches of this game. Whether it was due to a rare stop in the run game by Green Bay, a penalty on the Steelers, or Pittsburgh deciding to pass the ball on early downs, where the Packers defense did find success was when the offense was behind the sticks and the onus to move the ball was on Kenny Pickett and the passing game.

On the flip side, when an offense can live in short down-and-distance situations, the defense is forced to play on its heels, having to worry about defending both the run and the pass.

In addition to the missed tackles, this Green Bay defensive front was blown off the ball by the Pittsburgh offensive line. The Packers allowed on average 3.6 yards per rush before contact in Sunday’s game. Add in the missed tackles and you can see why the Steelers found so much success on the ground.

In part, the play of those on the field simply wasn’t good enough even when the right play call was dialed up, but there were also a number of instances where Joe Barry didn’t do his defense any favors either, by playing with light fronts against a team that as LaFleur mentioned, Green Bay knew wanted to run the ball. A compounding effect from the issues up front was that other defenders were out of position with the Packers linebackers were left on an island, at times, and the safeties were tasked with having to take on offensive linemen in the run game, rather than being kept clean to make plays.

“We had a lot of calls designed to stop the run and they were still gashing us,” said LaFleur. “It certainly wasn’t good enough. Any time, I want to say it was 5.5 yards per carry, roughly. You can’t give up almost 200 yards rushing in this league and expect to win football games.”

After early season struggles to stop the run, it looked like over the last few games that this unit was at least heading in the right direction. However, as has been the case throughout the years, that proved to be a fluke with the Packers dominated on the ground once again.

Packers miss season-high 16 tackles in loss to Steelers

The Packers missed a season-high 16 tackles in a loss to the Steelers on Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers hit a new low for tackling on Sunday against Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to data collected by Pro Football Focus, the Packers missed 16 total tackles against the Steelers, setting a new season high in 2023.

The team’s previous high was 13 misses, which most recently happened in Denver during a loss to the Broncos.

The majority of the damage was done against the run, where the Packers missed 10 tackles. Overall, the Steelers gained 119 yards after first contact and averaged 3.5 yards after first contact per rush. Warren forced a game-high nine missed tackles as a runner, three more as a receiver and had five runs of 10 or more yards.

The Packers had six players miss two or more tackles and nine total players miss at least one. Safety Rudy Ford was the worst offender with three misses, but edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, cornerback Corey Ballentine, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, safety Jonathan Owens and defensive lineman Kenny Clark all missed two.

Of the players who played at least 15 snaps for the Packers defense, only five didn’t have a missed tackle against the Steelers.

Tackling has been hit or miss for the Packers all season. Last week, the defense had just two misses against the Los Angeles Rams. But the defense also struggled mightily in the tackle department during losses to the Broncos and Detroit Lions.

It doesn’t get any easier in terms of tackling this week. The Packers will welcome dynamic Chargers running back Austin Eckler to Lambeau Field in Week 11.

Packers miss season-high 13 tackles on defense vs. Broncos

The Packers missed 13 tackle attempts on defense vs. the Broncos.

According to charting from Pro Football Focus, the Green Bay Packers missed 13 tackles — tying a season-high — during Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Of the 13 missed tackles, eight came from the secondary, including three from nickel corner Keisean Nixon and two each from cornerback Rasul Douglas and safety Darnell Savage.

The Packers previously missed 13 tackles against the Detroit Lions in Week 4.

Nixon missed two key tackle attempts. He swung and missed badly on Russell Wilson in the open field during a 21-yard scramble in the first half, and he missed a tackle for loss in the backfield on Javonte Williams on a run that eventually gained 21 yards in the second half.

Both of Douglas’ missed tackles came against the run, including one that — if made — would have resulted in no gain or a short gain near the line of scrimmage.

Overall, Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin forced eight missed tackles, and the Broncos gained 99 yards after contact in the run game. Denver finished with six runs over 10 yards and 145 total rushing yards.

The Packers also missed five tackles against the pass. Samaje Perine and Jerry Jeudy both forced two missed tackles and gained 43 combined yards after the catch. Perine forced a big miss from Quay Walker on a 19-yard catch during a scoring drive in the first quarter.

By PFF’s overall tackle grade, Sunday’s loss in Denver was the worst of the season for the Packers.

Tackling has become another inconsistency for Matt LaFleur’s team.

Packers missed tackles on defense by week

Week 1: 10
Week 2: 8
Week 3: 4
Week 4: 13
Week 5: 4
Week 7: 13

Missed tackles were huge problem for Raiders in blowout loss to Bears

Missed tackles were huge problem for Raiders in blowout loss to Bears

Watching the Raiders get run through by the Bears offense looked pretty bad in real time. With the benefit of hindsight, it looks epically bad.

No stat encapsulates how poorly the Raiders defense played Sunday in Chicago quite like missed tackles. There seemed like a lot and hoo buddy were there a lot.

Missing tackles is tied pretty closely to wins and losses here. They won the previous two games thanks to the play of the defense and missing an average of four tackles per game. Then they put up more than three times that in one game and get destroyed. That’s no coincidence.

“I don’t think we tackled well and it’s not a mystery,” McDaniels said Monday morning. “Gave up too many yards after we had an opportunity to contact the runner. So, we’re going to need to work on that and try to shore that up.”

Before going back through the game tape, I can’t say exactly which players had those missed tackles, but Marcus Peters leading the way in that category is not the least bit surprising. There were a couple of glaringly obvious ones in the game.

On the drive following the first Hoyer interception, Peters was in position to make the stop on a short pass out right. But…no.

That play went for six yards on third and short to give the Bears a first down at the 19-yard-line and they punched it in three plays later.

And that wasn’t even the missed tackle on the D’Onta Foreman TD catch here.

I don’t want to pile on Peters too much here. After all, there’s still nine other missed tackles by Raiders defenders not named Peters. And much of the 177 rushing yards the Bears put up was the result of those missed tackles.

Foreman alone had 120 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

Chiefs are forcing missed tackles at an exceptionally high rate

Check out where the #Chiefs rank in missed tackles forced through six weeks of the 2023 regular season.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense has struggled to find consistency through six weeks of their 2023 season. Patrick Mahomes seems to have taken a step back after his MVP campaign last year, and his receivers aren’t producing at the same prolific rate that has come to define the Chiefs’ identity in recent seasons.

One thing that Kansas City is doing exceptionally well, though, is forcing missed tackles against opposing defenses. To this point in the season, Chiefs ballcarriers have made defenders miss 69 times, which adds up to the second-highest mark in the league.

Mahomes’ production may have dipped since the regular season kicked off back in September, but Kansas City’s ability to make big plays happen in the running game and with yards after the catch has remained a constant.

Expect Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense to continue leveraging their ability to make opposing players miss in their next matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7.

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs led the NFL in forced missed tackles in Week 1

Gibbs wound up breaking more tackles than any other player in Week 1 despite getting just 9 touches

Jahmyr Gibbs proved worthy of the excitement and playmaking hype in his first NFL game. The Lions first-round running back didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but he still wound up breaking more tackles than any other player in the entire league in Week 1.

On just nine touches (7 carries, 2 receptions), Gibbs managed to force six missed tackles, per PFF. That’s one more than a group of other players that includes 49ers star Christian McCaffrey and the Chargers’ versatile Austin Ekeler. It helped key the Lions’ 21-20 win in Kansas City.

Gibbs accomplished the feat by using his quick feet, excellent contact balance and his ability to bounce off contact. It’s why head coach Dan Campbell indicated Gibbs will get more opportunities to show what he can do in upcoming games.