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PFF 'Had a Bad Day' Team of Week 16

For all the good that we see in the NFL, there’s an awful lot of bad as well.

An overthrow by a quarterback. A blown assignment by a cornerback. A lineman getting beat quicker than a hiccup for a pressure.

We notice it even when the stat sheet doesn’t. Here’s our ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team of Week 16.

Offense

Quarterback: Brady Quinn, KC (-6.1)

Sometimes when you audition for a job you can do yourself more harm than good. Quinn, who completed 10 of 22 passes proved that.

Running Back: Chris Johnson, TEN (-3.4)

Johnson did very little with the ball in hand, and even less as a pass blocker. He rarely even slowed his guy down in giving up a couple of sacks and another hit.

Full Back: Lex Hilliard, NYJ (-1.9)

It’s been a while since Hilliard has been on this team. However, his blocking gets him back and continues to have me wondering why the Jets felt comfortable going with him.

Tight End: Garrett Graham, HST (-4.5)

Yikes. Sometimes when a tight end gets left one-on-one with a defensive end it just doesn’t go well. Exhibit A. Graham versus the Vikings.

Wide Receivers: Stevie Johnson, BUF (-3.8) and Andre Roberts, ARZ (-2.2)

The stat line says it all for Johnson, who dropped three balls and fumbled another. Roberts caught only 5 of 11 balls thrown his way and hasn’t really proven an acceptable complement for Larry Fitzgerald, regardless of the quarterback play.

Tackles: Donald Stephenson, KC (-4.8) and Bobby Massie, ARZ (-3.5)

An all-rookie lineup. Stephenson was bad enough that Branden Albert was able to strengthen his negotiating position with the Chiefs come free agency. Massie, meanwhile, had an off day after his impressive second half of the year, giving up four hurries and being called for a penalty.

Guards: Mitch Petrus, TEN (-5.3) and David DeCastro, PIT (-5.2)

Petrus was bad enough that after spending 38 snaps being thrown about by B.J. Raji he was sat down for his own good. Meanwhile, DeCastro got a real introduction to life in the AFC North when Geno Atkins said hello. It was not pleasant, and kept Kevin Zeitler and Brandon Fusco out of this team.

Center: Kyle Cook, CIN (-5.3)

It’s always hard reintroducing a guy into a line that was working well. This week at least it didn’t work for the Bengals.

Defense

Defensive Front 4-3

Defensive Ends: Kyle Moore, BUF (-6.8) and Robert Quinn, SL (-5.2)

For as good as Moore has been this year he very nearlyundid it all with an undisciplined display that saw him messed about in the run game. Quinn just couldn’t get any pass rush going, and after promising so much earlier this year is looking like something of a disappointment.

Defensive Tackle: Kyle Williams, BUF (-5.6) and Kevin Vickerson, DEN (-3.5)

That’s about as bad as we’ve ever seen Williams play. Vickerson, on the other hand, just had a rough day against a very good Browns line.

Linebackers: Rocky McIntosh, SL (-4.3), Craig Robertson, CLV (-4.0) and DeMeco Ryans, PHI (-2.3)

McIntosh is one of these guys who rarely manages to impress, looking a bit lost in coverage and too prone to being ushered where linemen want him to go. Not so for Robertson, who finished the day with 12 tackles but just three defensive stops as the Manning-led Broncos identified him as a weak link. I’ve seen worse middle linebacker displays, but the two missed tackles of Ryans pushed him towards selection.

Defensive Front 3-4

Defensive Line: Shaun Cody, HST (-4.8), Stephen Bowen, WAS (-4.2) and Ricardo Mathews, IND (-1.9)

Cody knows what we’ve been saying for a long time now. John Sullivan is a damn good football player. Bowen struggled to get anything going against Evan Mathis and King Dunlap, while Mathews was held in check against KC.

Outside Linebackers: Robert Mathis, IND (-6.7) and Anthony Spencer, DAL (-4.5)

I spend so long talking up at Anthony Spencer, and then when it gets to the money stage of the season he has his worst game of the year. Still, it wasn’t as bad as the day Mathis had. His work in the run game makes a mockery of his statement that he’s expected to be to the Colts, what Jarret Johnson was to the Ravens.

Inside Linebackers: Daryl Sharpton, HST (-3.8) and Alex Albright, DAL (-2.6)

Brian Cushing is sorely missed in Houston, with his replacement having the kind of game that makes you wonder “what if he hadn’t gone down hurt”? The versatile Albright did not respond well to a heavy dose of action.

Cornerbacks: Cassius Vaughn, IND (-4.4) and Jason McCourty, TEN (-3.0)

Vaughn had a nightmare day in the run game, and wasn’t much better in coverage. Better teams than the Chiefs will make Indianapolis pay for such performances. McCourty was one of a number of Titans players who looked unsure of themselves on Sunday. The end result was him giving up 7 of 11 for 67 yards and a touchdown with two missed tackles as well.

Safeties: Donte Whitner, SF (-3.2) and Danieal Manning, HST (-2.6)

Whitner missed a tackle, gave up a touchdown and won’t be happy with how he played on Sunday Night Football. The Texans' Manning won’t be happy to give up a touchdown in a rare bad outing from him.

 

Follow Khaled on Twitter: @PFF_Khaled

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