NFL News & Analysis

32 NFL observations, Week 8

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 24: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

Another week, another 32 NFL Observations by Nathan Jahnke finding an interesting piece of information about all 32 teams after one week of football.

If you would like to make some observations of your own, you can do so with PFF Elite, where you can find several signature statistics for every offensive and defensive position in football.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills: Safety Micah Hyde has seven combined interceptions and pass breakups which is tied for the best among safeties. Teammate Jordan Poyer has six, which is third-most among safeties.

Miami Dolphins: Center Mike Pouncey has not allowed a pressure in his last five games. That is the longest active streak for centers.

New England Patriots: When defensive end Trey Flowers lines up at nose tackle, he has a pass-rushing productivity of 9.5. That is the second-best rate for defenders with at least 50 pass-rushes from the nose tackle position.

New York Jets: Newly traded for cornerback Rashard Robinson has been thrown at nine times on deep passes. He has one interception and three pass breakups on those passes. The only other cornerbacks with four combined interceptions and pass breakups on deep passes are A.J. Bouye and Malcolm Butler.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens: Defensive linemen Brandon Williams has an average depth of tackle of 0.2 when excluding sacks. That is 0.5 better than any other interior defender with 10 or more tackles this season.

Cincinnati Bengals: Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has had two of his best games of the season the past two weeks with three stops each. Since being drafted in 2010, he has 216 stops total, which is third most for 4-3 defensive ends since that time.

Cleveland Browns: Defensive end Myles Garrett has a pressure on one in every 5.42 pass-rushes. The only defensive linemen with 50 or more pass-rushes and  have a pressure on faster rate are Aaron Donald and Cameron Wake.

Pittsburgh Steelers: This past week JuJu Smith-Schuster had 193 receiving yards. The only other rookie receiver with more than 193 receiving yards on the entire season is Cooper Kupp.

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans: In two games with Houston, outside linebacker Lamarr Houston has seven pressures. Six of those have come in fourth quarters of games. His 21.6 pass-rushing productivity in the fourth quarter is the best for edge defenders with at least 20 fourth quarter pass-rushes.

Indianapolis Colts: Cornerback Rashaan Melvin has a playmaker index of 25 percent, which is the best for starting cornerbacks. He has two interceptions and nine pass breakups on 44 targets.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Safety Tashaun Gipson has nine run stops this season. That is the most run stops for all safeties who have yet to miss a tackle this season.

Tennessee Titans: This past week, Quinton Spain expanded his pass block streak without allowing a sack to over 500. He is now at 522 straight pass blocks without allowing a sack which is the second-longest streak for active left guards.

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos: Outside linebacker Von Miller played his 102nd game including the playoffs this past week, and surpassed 500 career pressures. That is the fastest anyone who has started their career in 2006 or later to reach 500 pressures. The only other defender within 100 pressures of Miller within their first 102 games is Cameron Wake who had 427 pressures in his first 102.

Kansas City Chiefs: Outside linebacker Justin Houston has 18 run stops on the season which is second-most for all edge defenders.

Los Angeles Chargers: After joining the Chargers before the 2016 season season, cornerback Casey Hayward has 23 combined interceptions and pass breakups. He and A.J. Bouye are the only cornerbacks with over 20 combined interceptions and pass breakups, and fewer than five touchdowns allowed.

Oakland Raiders: When Justin Ellis lines up at nose tackle, he has 10 run stops. That is tied for third-most run stops for all defenders when lined up at nose tackle.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys: Linebacker Jaylon Smith has only rushed the passer 12 times so far, but on those plays he has one sack, one hit and two hurries. His pass-rushing productivity of 27.1 is fourth-best among inside linebackers.

New York Giants: In Week 7, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul picked up his 150th regular season run stop. He has the most run stops for all edge defenders since being drafted in 2010.

Philadelphia Eagles: Defensive end Vinny Curry has 12 pressures in the fourth quarter. That is tied for third-most among all edge defenders.

Washington: Cornerback Josh Norman has not lined up in press coverage for 76 of his coverage snaps. On those plays he has only been tested in coverage four times. On those plays he has two pass breakups compared to one catch allowed. His 25 percent catch rate without press coverage is the best rate in the league.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears: Cornerback Prince Amukamara has played 50 coverage snaps in the fourth quarter, and he has yet to be thrown at. His 0.0 yards per coverage snap in the fourth quarter is the best among cornerbacks.

Detroit Lions: When quarterback Matthew Stafford is moved off of his initially intended dropback, he is sacked 25 percent of the time which is fifth-most for quarterbacks who have started the whole season. However, when he gets a pass off, he has a passer rating of 105.1 in these situations, which is second-best for quarterbacks who have started the whole season.

Green Bay Packers: Over the last calendar year, David Bakhtiari has a pass blocking efficiency of 97.1 which is the second-best for left tackles only behind Jason Peters.

Minnesota Vikings:  While Linval Joseph is known for his run defense and rightfully so, he is also having a great season as a pass-rusher for his position. He has nine pressures when lined up at a nose tackle position, which is the second-most for all players when lined up at nose tackle.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons: Safety Keanu Neal has made 10 stops on passing plays, which is tied for second-most among all safeties.

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers as a team have made 82 stops on pass plays, which is second-most for all teams.

New Orleans Saints: Linebacker Craig Robertson has an average depth of tackle of 1.8 yards past the line of scrimmage. That is the lowest for any linebacker with ten or more tackles this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Over the last two weeks, Vernon Hargreaves has allowed just two of 11 passes thrown his way to be caught for 12 yards and has two pass breakups. His 18.2 percent catch rate allowed is the lowest over that span for those who have been thrown at eight or more times.

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals as a team have only missed 38 tackles on defense this season. That is fourth fewest among all teams.

Los Angeles Rams: Defensive linemen Aaron Donald has achieved a pressure on 20.5 percent of his pass-rushes so far this season. He is the only interior defender since the start of the 2006 season with 100 or more pass rushes at Week 8, and a pressure rate above 17.5 percent. J.J. Watt in 2013 and 2014, and Aaron Donald last year round out the top four.

San Francisco 49ers: When DeForest Buckner lines up somewhere between the tackles without shading a tackle, he has 27 pressures. That is the second-most for all defensive linemen when they line up between the tackles.

Seattle Seahawks: When Jarran Reed lines up at nose tackle, he has a run stop percentage of 18.5 percent. That is the best run stop percentage for all defensive players when lined up at nose tackle.

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit