My goal for this week was to find one player on each team who leads the league in some statistic at his position. I was successful, so each statistic mentioned in this piece is one that leads the league.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills: Cornerback Corey Graham has five passes defended. The second most for any cornerback is three.
Miami Dolphins: Defensive end Derrick Shelby has a Run Stop Percentage of 17.6. He has three stops on 17 run snaps.
New England Patriots: Several linebackers have yet to miss a tackle, but Jerod Mayo is the only one with more than 12 tackles and no misses. He has 15 solo tackles on the season.
New York Jets: Wide receiver Eric Decker has 114 yards after the catch. He only had 440 last year.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: Wide receiver Steve Smith has had 10 players miss tackles on him. The next most that any other wide receiver has is five.
Cincinnati Bengals: Safety Reggie Nelson has rushed the passer 19 times this season, and on those plays has earned two sacks, two hits and three hurries. No other defensive back has more than two pressures.
Cleveland Browns: Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins is one of three receivers with 14 catches and no drops. The other two players are Dez Bryant and Julio Jones.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Running back Le’Veon Bell has had seven or more yards after contact on five of his 32 carries. The total of five is tied for the lead, and his rate of 7 or more yards after contact on 15% of his carries is the best in the league.
AFC South
Houston Texans: When Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown to DeAndre Hopkins, he has an NFL Passer Rating of 157.6. That is the best for a quarterback/ wide receiver duo. He has seven catches on nine targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Indianapolis Colts: Center A.Q. Shipley has a perfect Pass Blocking Efficiency on 97 pass blocks. While a few other centers have yet to allow a pressure, Shipley has more pass blocks than those centers.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Defensive tackle Ryan Davis has a Pass Rushing Productivity of 12.1. He has three sacks and one hurry on 31 pass rushes.
Tennessee Titans: Five players have missed tackles on Delanie Walker this season. He is one away from tying his 2013 total.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: Offensive tackle Chris Clark is the only tackle to play more than 20 snaps and not allow a single pressure. He hasn’t allowed a pressure on his 64 pass blocks.
Kansas City Chiefs: Tight end Travis Kelce has run a pass route from the slot just 11 times this season, but he has been targeted on five of those passes and has caught four for 67 yards. His 6.09 Yards Per Route Run from the slot leads the league.
Oakland Raiders: Safety Tyvon Branch has seven run stops when lined up within 8 yards of the line of scrimmage.
San Diego Chargers: There are four 3-4 outside linebackers tied for the lead for most pressures from the position at 10 each. Two of them are Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: Running back DeMarco Murray has 153 yards after contact. Only four other backs have more than 100.
New York Giants: When Robert Ayers has lined up at the left defensive end spot, he has a Pass Rushing Productivity of 21.4. He has three sacks on 14 pass rushes from that position.
Philadelphia Eagles: Although Jeremy Maclin has only lined up in the slot on 32.5% of his pass routes, when he has lined up in the slot he has a Yards Per Route Run of 3.23; the best for slot receivers.
Washington: Tight End Niles Paul has a Yards Per Route Run of 3.85. He has 185 yards on 48 pass routes.
NFC North
Chicago Bears: Defensive end Willie Young has a Pass Rushing Productivity of 17.5. He has three sacks and three hurries on 30 pass rushes.
Detroit Lions: Linebacker Stephen Tulloch has 12 stops on the season, more than any other inside/middle linebacker.
Green Bay Packers: Wide receiver Jordy Nelson has 136 receiving yards on deep passes. Last year he had 439 yards.
Minnesota Vikings: When quarterbacks have thrown Josh Robinson’s way, they have an NFL Passer Rating of 0.0. He has allowed one catch on four targets for 7 yards, and also has an interception. No other cornerback who has been targeted is allowing a rating of 0.0.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Running back Antone Smith has a Yards Per Route Run of 6.08. He has only run 12 routes, but has been targeted on five of those routes for 73 yards. His teammate Devonta Freeman is third best at 3.64 Yards Per Route Run.
Carolina Panthers: Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery has a perfect catch rate. He has caught all nine passes thrown his way. While other wide receivers have a perfect catch rate, they all have fewer targets than Cotchery.
New Orleans Saints: Defensive end Cameron Jordan has batted three passes, the most for a defensive end and tied for the most for all defensive linemen.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: After leading all 4-3 outside linebackers in stops last season at 83, Lavonte David already is tied for the lead at the position this year at 11.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Safety Tony Jefferson has lined up within eight yards of the line of scrimmage on 17 run plays this season. On those plays he has four stops for a Run Stop Percentage of 23.5%.
St. Louis Rams: While Robert Quinn has yet to have a sack, he has four hits and three hurries on 36 pass rushes. His Pass Rushing Productivity of 14.6 is the best for those from the defensive right end spot.
San Francisco 49ers: Punter Andy Lee has been in the Top 5 in Net Yards Per Punt each of the previous three seasons. So far this year he is leading the league at 47.0.
Seattle Seahawks: Safety Kam Chancellor has a Run Stop Percentage of 14.6%. He has seven stops on 48 run snaps.
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