Packers QB Jordan Love makes PFF’s list of top 101 players from 2023 season

In his first season as the Packers QB, Jordan Love finished No. 89 on PFF’s top 101 players from the 2023 season.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love made the “PFF 101,” a list from Pro Football Focus of the top NFL players from the 2023 season.

Love, in his first season as the starting quarterback in Green Bay, finished at No. 89 overall.

From Sam Monson of PFF: “Love was one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks over the second half of the season, finishing ninth in PFF passing grade (83.2) overall on the year. When he was dialed in, he was a devastating playmaker, but inconsistency in his game kept him away from the top spots on this list.”

Across the regular and postseason, Love finished with 37 touchdown passes (second) and 37 big-time throws (tied for third) while having just 18 turnover worthy plays (ninth fewest). Counting rushing stats, Love produced almost 5,000 total yards and 41 touchdowns.

A second-half charge powered Love’s ascension. Between Weeks 1-8, Love had zero games with an overall grade of 70.0 or above. Between Weeks 9 and the divisional playoff round, Love had eight, including three elite grades of 90.0 or better..

As of Wednesday, PFF has released only the first 60 players of the list. Love is the only Packers player between No. 101 and 41 and is likely to be the only Packers player on the list when it’s fully released.

Pair of Chargers named to PFF’s top 101 players from 2022

Pro Football Focus released their top 101 players from 2022, and the Chargers had two players make the list.

The Chargers had a few key contributors on both sides of the ball this past season.

Pro Football Focus released their top 101 players from 2022, and Los Angeles had two players make the list.

The first player mentioned was center Corey Linsley, who checked in at No. 95.

Linsley allowed just seven pressures across 15 games this past season, none of which were sacks. His run blocking wasn’t quite at the same level, but he has been arguably the best pass-blocking center in the game for several seasons.

Despite missing two games, Linsley continued to show why the Chargers signed him two offseasons ago. The 31-year-old Linsley was dominant in pass protection, finishing with Pro Football Focus’ best pass block grade in the league and zero sacks allowed.

Next up was safety Derwin James at No. 65 overall.

There may not be a more complete NFL safety than Derwin James, who was able to post his second straight largely injury-free season for the Chargers. James has yet to earn a below-average PFF grade in any facet of play over a season in his NFL career.

James, the do-it-all defender, finished the regular season with 115 tackles, five for loss, four sacks, six passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception in 14 games. He earned his third Pro Bowl nod and was named AP Second-Team All-Pro.

While they didn’t make this list, other players, like quarterback Justin Herbert, running back Austin Ekeler, cornerback Michael Davis and edge defender Khalil Mack were more than deserving of making it from their play this past season.

5 Chargers named to PFF’s top 101 players from 2021

The Chargers were well-represented.

The Chargers had a few key contributors on both sides of the ball this past season.

Pro Football Focus released their top 101 players from 2021, and Los Angeles had five players make the list.

The first player mentioned was safety Derwin James, who checked in at No. 99.

After missing most of 2019 and all of the 2020 season with lower-body injuries, James returned to the action like he never skipped a beat.

Wearing multiple hats, James was impactful in all facets, finishing the season with 118 tackles, seven for loss, five passes defended, and two interceptions.

Next up was edge defender Joey Bosa at No. 50 overall.

A menace off the edge, Bosa posted 68 quarterback pressures, ten sacks, seven strip-sacks. He was named to his fourth Pro Bowl of his career.

Following Bosa was offensive tackle Rashawn Slater at No. 39 overall.

Slater, the No. 13 overall selection of the 2021 NFL draft, allowed only 26 pressures and four sacks while imposing will in the run game. He was also named a Pro Bowler and earned Second-Team All-Pro.

After Slater was center Corey Linsley at No. 37 overall.

The anchor of the offensive line, Linsley surrendered just 10 pressures and zero sacks. Like Slater, Linsley was also named to the Pro Bowl and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors.

Finally, the heart and soul of the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert, checked in at No. 25 overall.

Herbert finished his sophomore season with a 65.9 completion percentage, 5,014 passing yards, 38 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions, 302 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns.

Herbert ranks first among quarterbacks in their first two seasons in NFL history in passing touchdowns (69), passing yards (9,350), and completions (839). He also owns the franchise record for most passing touchdowns.

Eagles have 5 players make PFF’s list of the top 101 players of 2021

The #Philadelphia #Eagles had 5 players make #PFF’s ranking of the top 101 players of the 2021 #NFL season and #AllPro center Jason #Kelce as not one of them

The 2021 NFL season is a wrap after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on Sunday, to secure the first Super Bowl title for Sean McVay, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, Matt Stafford, and a host of other big named players.

As we start to look towards the 2022 NFL season, Pro Football Focus took one last look back at 2021, revealing their top 101 players list.

Philadelphia had five players make the list, but it was a little confusing, with Jordan Mailata landing ahead of All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.

Even more confusing, Eagles’ All-Pro center Jason Kelce was omitted from the list despite making the Pro Bowl as well.

PFF includes four Wisconsin products in their top 101 players from the 2020 NFL season

Wisconsin football products Russell Wilson, T.J. Watt, J.J. Watt and Rob Havenstein were some of the NFL’s best at their position in 2020

The 2020 NFL season is officially in the books with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the end of the season now comes final ranking lists, ones which we are sure to see plenty of former Wisconsin Badgers occupy.

The first list of note comes from ProFootballFocus; their top 101 players from the 2020 NFL season.

🏆 The PFF 101 🏆
5. Davante Adams
6. Deshaun Watson
7. Patrick Mahomes

PFF's top 101 players from the 2020 NFL season ⬇️ https://t.co/3XrhjCQYeg

— PFF (@PFF) February 9, 2021

Four Wisconsin products made the cut, three of which I’m sure you can already guess.

No. 9: EDGE T.J. Watt
No. 14: QB Russell Wilson
No. 49: EDGE J.J. Watt
No. 86: OT Rob Havenstein

Wilson and the Watt brothers have become regulars in these rankings, though the inclusion of Havenstein is a significant one after he had a poor 2019 campaign.

Stay tuned for further round-up of ranking results as other outlets complete their end-of-season evaluations.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Former Chiefs LB Justin Houston makes PFF All-Decade Top-101

Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston came in at No. 46 on PFF’s All-Decade Top-101

A former member and fan favorite of the Kansas City Chiefs made the cut for the Pro Football Focus All-Decade Top-101 list. Former Chiefs and current Indianapolis Colts linebacker Justin Houston came in at No. 46 on PFF’s All-Decade Top-101 list.

Houston was selected by Kansas City in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent eight seasons of his career playing with the Chiefs before his release following the 2018 NFL season.

PFF’s Sam Monson reviewed Houston’s career in Kansas City and last season with Indianapolis. He also focused on Houston’s injury issues over the years.

“Injuries somewhat derailed Houston’s career, and that had an impact on the player he could have become. Still, at his peak, he was a legitimate rival for the best pass-rushers in the NFL and was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Von Miller in the AFC West. Over a three-year span in the middle of the decade, Houston topped 90.0 in overall PFF grade every season, and he came within a sack of breaking the all-time single-season record in 2014. Houston wasn’t the same player after injuries started to take their toll, but last season a reduced role in Indianapolis saw him have his most productive pass-rushing season in years (60 pressures) and his best overall PFF grade (87.2) since 2015.“

Last season with the Colts, Houston recorded 11 sacks starting all sixteen regular-season games. He had 78.5 sacks during his eight-year tenure with the Chiefs. Last season in Week 5, against his former team, Houston recorded four tackles, two of which for losses, and a sack, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

During the 2010s decade, Houston has become a four-time Pro selection and a one-time first-team All-Pro, all while a member of the Chiefs.

Eagles Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks land on the PFF All-Decade Top 101 list

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The Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL for years now and that dominance upfront is evident by the list of accolades received.

In 2019, three Eagles finished the regular season ranked in the top-10 of the highest graded linemen in football.

Earlier this offseason, Lane Johnson joined free agent left tackle, Jason Peters, on the Pro Football Focus All-Decade team for the 2010s and he was also named to the top 101 players of 2019 as well.

After announcing the All-Decade team, Pro Football Focus ranked them accordingly by quarters, with Lane Johnson landing in the first release, at No. 79 on the list.

Now two more Eagles offensive stars have popped up on the list with Jason Kelce and Brandon Brooks landing on the list.

52. C JASON KELCE
Jason Kelce was a sixth-round draft pick back in 2011, and though he played 1,000-plus snaps in his rookie year, he didn’t look likely to develop into the kind of dominant force he has since become. From that point onward, however, he cemented himself as one of the game’s best linemen and the standout run-blocking center in football over the past decade. Kelce’s speed and athleticism for the position have enabled him to make blocks that many centers just don’t have the skill set to execute. And while he can occasionally be overwhelmed by size and strength — particularly as a pass-protector — his down-to-down efficiency has been phenomenal.

70. G BRANDON BROOKS
Brandon Brooks has been one of the best and most underrated offensive linemen in the NFL since he entered the league. Last season, he won PFF’s Matthews Award given to the best offensive lineman in the league, and that marked the fifth season in which he has earned a PFF grade that ranked in the top-10 at his position. Brooks has been a powerful run-blocker throughout his career, but his pass protection has been staggeringly consistent. Only once has he surrendered more than one sack in a season, and he has been beaten for a sack just seven times in eight years.

Jason Kelce played every snap of the Eagles’ 2019 season (1,163), the most of any center in the NFL last season. Kelce is one of the best-run blocking centers in the NFL and ended the year as the top-graded player at his position.

Kelce made his third straight Pro Bowl and cemented himself as the top center in the NFL.

After returning early from an Achilles injury, Brooks had the best season of his career and was the best offensive lineman in football.

Brooks surrendered just one sack and 19 total pressures during the 2019 season, and he earned the best run-blocking grade in the NFL among guards.

Brooks was the highest-graded linemen in the league last season (92.9) and was rewarded with a massive new deal.

Numbers 25-49 of the list will be revealed on Wednesday.

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5 Chiefs among PFF Top 101 players of 2019

A total of five Chiefs made the annual list from PFF celebrating the top 101 players in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus has released its annual list of the top 101 players in the NFL. The list is comprised solely based on player performances during the 2019 season and postseason. They also don’t take into account positional value in their rankings.

In 2018, the Chiefs had seven players rank among the 101 with six in top 40. This time around only five players made it onto the list and three players in the top 40. Let’s go through what PFF had to say about each of the players, and I’ll provide my own take on their rankings.

No. 4 Patrick Mahomes:

“Patrick Mahomes was the reigning league MVP this season, but we really didn’t see that player until the postseason due to a list of injuries he suffered. A dislocated kneecap looked like it could torpedo his year, but he missed just two games and then started to find his best play late in the campaign. Heading into the Super Bowl, his postseason grade was the best we had ever seen from a quarterback, and while he struggled more in the big game, he still made several critical huge plays and was rightfully named the game’s MVP. Mahomes had 32 big-time throws over the season and finished with a PFF grade north of 90.0 for the second straight season.”

I know that PFF only takes the current season into account when creating these rankings, but it feels like Mahomes’ Super Bowl-winning season should be ranked higher than his MVP-winning season. When you consider the adversity he faced with injury and the comebacks that Mahomes had to mount during the postseason, Mahomes should easily be moving up in this list and not down. Of course, I’m not sure those things are accounted for when it comes to PFF’s grading system.

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3 Chargers named to PFF’s top 101 players of 2019

Three players from the Los Angeles Chargers were recognized for their impact throughout the 2019 season.

Even though it wasn’t the season the Los Angeles Chargers were hoping for, there were several players on the team who were bright spots at their perspective position.

This week, Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players for the 2019 season, and it listed three players from L.A. who made an impact throughout the year.

Here’s a look at the trio:

29. Joey Bosa, DE

“The elder Bosa brother makes it a tandem of Bosas inside the top 30 of the PFF Top 101, a feat I’m sure the Watts will have a good chance to emulate going forward. The elder Bosa was back to his best play this season after injury affected his 2018. He notched 71 total pressures and had an overall PFF grade of 89.6, the best mark of his career, while the 49 defensive stops he tallied also set a career-high and were eight clear of the figure he recorded in 2017. Nick Bosa may have taken the league by storm as a rookie, but he’s hasn’t left his brother in the dust just yet.”

43. Austin Ekeler, RB

“Austin Ekeler saw a rare opportunity to carry a load when Melvin Gordon held out to start the year, and while he performed well as a ball-carrier with an expanded load, he excelled all year as a receiver. Only George Kittle ended the year with a higher PFF receiving grade than Ekeler across all positions, and the Charger caught 92 passes, coming up just seven yards short of 1,000 receiving yards while scoring eight times. Ekeler was one of the league’s leaders in yards per reception after the catch, as he gained more than 10 yards after the catch every time the ball arrived in his hands.”

58. Casey Hayward, Jr., CB

“Cornerback is one of the most volatile positions in football in terms of being able to maintain consistently elite play year to year, and it speaks to Hayward’s quality that he has yet to earn a coverage grade lower than 73.0. This season, his 84.4 mark represents just 329 receiving yards surrendered all season and 11 games in which he allowed 25 or fewer yards. Hayward is one of the game’s best corners, and he has been since he first entered the league.”