10 worst players from Sunday's Week 9 NFL action

Every Tuesday, PFF will be releasing its Team of the Week, representing the highest-graded players at each NFL position for that week. But Senior Analyst Sam Monson gets a jump on that by picking out the 10 least impressive individual performances from Sunday’s games.

Here are the 10 worst players from Sunday’s Week 9 action:

[Check out the 10 best performances from Sunday of Week 9 right here, or access our Player Grades tool to see how every NFL player measures up through three weeks of the season.]

1. Donald Stephenson, T, Denver Broncos

With Khalil Mack having one of the best games of the week in Oakland's win over Denver, it’s no surprise that his chief victim, Stephenson, takes a place among the worst. Stephenson was beat like a drum all day by Mack, losing 13 clear times in pass protection on only 42 pass-blocking snaps, and having arguably the worst day of any player at any position this week. Stephenson now has the lowest PFF grade of any tackle outside of Minnesota’s T.J. Clemmings, and a score that is among the worst we have ever given a tackle over the past decade of grading.

2. Bradley Roby, CB, Denver Broncos

Denver’s exceptional coverage was tested by the Raiders' passing attack on “Sunday Night Football,” and for one of the few times over the past couple of years, came out second-best. Roby gave up eight catches for 99 yards, 54 of which came against Amari Cooper, compounding his problems with three missed tackles and a pair of penalties in the loss. The Broncos really missed Aqib Talib in this one.

3. Mike Remmers, T, Carolina Panthers

Remmers, who has struggled badly in the past at right tackle (see: last year's Super Bowl versus Von Miller), has been even worse on the left side for the Panthers, and this week it was a combination of Robert Quinn and Eugene Sims that beat up on him, although he found some room to get dominated by Aaron Donald, too. Remmers surrendered a sack and five hurries in the 13-10 win over L.A., as well as being flagged for holding and struggling as a run-blocker.

4. Ronnie Stanley, T, Baltimore Ravens

Stanley’s excellent preseason performance is being overshadowed by the struggles he has had in the regular season, and his return from injury did not go well in the slightest in Baltimore's win over Pittsburgh. He allowed a sack, hit and three hurries on 41 pass-blocking snaps, and if anything, those numbers flattered his performance, because he was also flagged three times and beaten in the run game.

5. Leodis McKelvin, CB, Philadelphia Eagles

Against Odell Beckham Jr. in the Eagles' loss to the Giants, Leodis McKelvin was simply overmatched. He allowed four catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns, allowing a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted over the course of the game. McKelvin just looked on a completely different level compared to Beckham, and was lucky to escape the game with as little damage as he did.

6. Case Keenum, QB, Los Angeles Rams

For the second week running, Rams QB Case Keenum had a day to forget in the Rams' loss to Carolina. His passer rating overall was 76.0, but under pressure it was a dismal 27.6, and he completed just 41.2 percent of his passes on those snaps. The big issue is that those comprised 21 of his 50 dropbacks, and it consigned the Rams to another ugly offensive display while their defense was holding up its end of the bargain. The Rams really need to consider starting No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff.

7. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets

Wilkerson was overpowered in the run game against a Dolphins offense that has discovered its identity as a power-running team. Miami running back Jay Ajayi again went over 100 rushing yards, and Wilkerson simply couldn’t hold up at the point of attack. Typically, his run defense has been the better side of his game, and he added little as a pass-rushing force to offset the struggles in this loss to Miami, recording just two hurries from his 49 snaps.

8. Jared Crick, DE, Denver Broncos

Crick’s season has been punctuated with disastrous performances, and this was by far his worst of the season. He played 80 snaps – a season-high – and recorded not a single pressure of any kind. Against the run he managed just one solo tackle and an assist, but was otherwise demolished by a powerful Raiders offensive line.

9. Julian Stanford, LB, New York Jets

The Jets have had little joy at the linebacker spot this season, but Stanford’s performance this week was a particular low point. In coverage he allowed four catches, missed three tackles in the game, was flagged for roughing the passer and was regularly defeated by offensive linemen making it to the second level with their blocks.

10. Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell, Gs, Carolina Panthers

It seems only fair to include both guards that Aaron Donald destroyed this week, given that he split his time between left and right and both players were conclusively dominated to the point of earning some of the worst grades of the week. As a pair, Norwell and Turner combined to allow nine pressures, were routinely controlled in the run game and surrendered a false start penalty (Turner). In truth, it was more than just Donald, as William Hayes, Ethan Westbrooks and Dominique Easley all had success against this duo.