A new week and a new edition of the PFF Live Reaction Blog, focusing on all the games from Week 5!
Our analysts have been working around the clock to get the week’s games to you and here’s where you’ll get your first glimpse of the results.
All through the day we’ll be dropping PFF Premium-style nuggets designed to give you information you simply can’t get anywhere else. Naturally you won’t get all of the info you’d get from a Premium subscription, but you’ll still see:
• The highest-graded players from every game – any make it to the PFF Page of Fame?
• Unique Signature Stats that offer more context than any box score number ever could.
• Snap numbers including routes run, pressured passes, slot coverage, and more.
• Analysis with a PFF twist on all the breaking news.
So bookmark the page and check back every half hour to be in the know.
17.00 – Panthers at Cardinals Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Calais Campbell (+5.7), Luke Kuechly (+3.9) and Kawann Short (+3.4)
– The three lowest graded players were Rob Housler (-5.1), Karlos Dansby (-2.9) and John Abraham (-2.6)
– What could Daryl Washington do on his first game back? Well the team wasn’t shy about blitzing him, and those 13 blitzes produced a very healthy two sacks, two hits and one hurry.
– Patrick Peterson added another four snaps to his growing offensive snaps collection.
– The Panthers struggled to cope with the aggressive Cardinals blitz, with pressure getting through on 21 of 47 dropbacks.
16.30 – All Games Up
For premium users, the site is loaded full of Week 5 action. The blog will be back shortly with out last Game Notes.
16.00 – Texans at 49ers Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were J.J. Watt (+7.2), Tarell Brown (+4.1) and Joe Staley (+3.7)
– The three lowest graded players were Matt Schaub (-8.9), Derek Newton (-3.0) and Anthony Davis (-2.8)
– What can you say about the game Schaub had? You’d like to blame it on the pressure he had, but all of his picks came without any pressure and on those 24 dropbacks he managed a terrible 35.4 QB rating.
– Stepping in for Patrick Willis for the second straight game Michael Wilhoite (+0.3) handled himself reasonably well. Four of his 11 tackles were defensive stops whilst he broke up one pass and only allowed 24 total yards on the five balls into his coverage.
– For the 49ers only three receivers ran routes. Anquan Boldin led the team with 16, Jonathan Baldwin was second with 10 and Kyle Williams finished with 10.
15.30 – Ravens at Dolphins Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Randy Starks (+7.7), Philip Wheeler (+5.6) and Ryan Tannehill (+4.7)
– The three lowest graded players were A.Q. Shipley (-6.6), Bryant McKinnie (-5.9) and Mike Pouncey (-3.9)
– In giving up two hits and four hurries McKinnie didn’t exactly slow down the progression of Eugene Monroe into the starting lineup. He was inactive in this one but won’t be for much longer.
– The stats put up by Tannehill would have looked a lot better if he wasn’t the victim of six dropped passes. With those treating as completions and accounting for spikes, throw aways and batted passes he had an adjusted accuracy percentage of 75%.
– Back to his best? Lardarius Webbb allowed 4-of-9 balls into his coverage for 33 yards with a nice pass break up.
15.00 – Chargers at Raiders Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were D.J. Fluker and Mike Brisiel (+3.2) as well as Vance Walker (+3.0)
– The three lowest graded players were Jason Hunter (-3.3), Kendall Reyes (-2.8) and Cam Thomas (-2.5)
– Are the Raiders a 3-4 defense now? It’s something we’ll look to reflect in our rankings going forward but they were in a 3-4 defense in all of their base formations (36 of them).
– Efficient if nothing else. With one throwaway Terrelle Pryor completed 18-of-22 aimed passes though only seven of those passes were aimed over 10 yards in the air.
– With Dwight Freeney out it was Larry English who saw the majority of snaps. He got on the field for 56 plays and while he delivered a sack, hit and three hurries he had some issues against the run.
14.30 – Signature Stat Snap Shot – Yards Per Snap In Coverage
Adding another layer to stats is what we do. So it's not just about how many yards a cornerback has allowed, but how many snaps they've been in coverage for. For the season so far the three cornerbacks (150 snaps in coverage minimum) with the lowest are;
1. Orlando Scandrick, DAL: 0.58
2. Sean Smith, KC: 0.61
=2. Darrelle Revis, TB: 0.61
14.00 – Signature Stat Snap Shot – Run Stop Percentage
What is in a tackle stat? Sometimes the quality of tackles and where they're coming are far more important. So our run stop percentage signature stat is excellent in letting you know which players are making tackles for defensive wins in the run game. Who has the most this week?
1. Brandon Spikes, NE: 8
2. Marcell Dareus, BUF: 7
3. Jerrell Freeman, IND: 6
13.30 – Chiefs at Titans Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Dontari Poe (+4.6), Bernard Pollard (+3.3) and both Eric Berry and Bradon Flowers (+3.1)
– The three lowest graded players were Donald Stephenson (-6.2), Robert Turner (-3.2) and Michael Roos (-2.8)
– So how did Ryan Fitzpatrick fare? Well not so well. The big problem was going deep where he completed no passes over 20 yards in the air, and just four over 10 yards. He wasn’t helped by five drops but it’s telling his rushing grade was better than his passing one.
– A big day for Poe who finished not just with a sack and three hurries, but also three defensive stops in the run game. His development this year has been huge to their winning streak.
– Interestingly it was the Chiefs who missed eight tackles, and the Titans just two.
13.00 – Signature Stat Snap Shot – Pass Blocking Efficiency
It's not just about giving up sacks. And pass protection isn't just on the offensive line. So our offensive line pass blocking efficiency ratings take into account all pressure a team gives up, where it comes from and how many snaps a unit is in pass protection for. The results are the best numerical evaluation (outside of our grades) per unit. Here are the top three from this week;
1) Broncos: 89.3
2) Saints: 85.1
3) Cowboys: 84.1
12.30 – Signature Stat Snap Shot – Adjusted Accuracy %
Completion percentage is often used to describe how accurate a passer is. But what if he is the victim of a boatload of drops? Or if he spikes the ball a number of times or is forced to throw it away? Our Adjust Accuracy Signature Stat takes into account these things to give a more accurate reflection of … well accuracy. With 8 games up here are the most accurate of the week.
1) Drew Brees, NO: 91.2%
2) Peyton Manning, IND: 87.5%
3) Andy Dalton, CIN: 81.5%
12.00 – Jaguars at Rams Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Robert Quinn (+6.8), Joe Barksdale (+3.8) and Cecil Shorts (+3.4)
– The three lowest graded players were Blaine Gabbert (-5.8), Cameron Bradfield (-5.2) and Jason Babin (-4.7)
– In the battle for routes to run for the Rams receivers Tavon Austin finished with just 18. That was two more than Brian Quick but significantly less than Austin Pettis (24) and Chris Givens (35)
– Where did Gabbert struggle the most? Surprisingly when he wasn’t blitzed. There he completed just 8-of-15 with two picks to earn a -4.8 grade in that regard.
– Before going down hurt, Luke Joeckel allowed one pressure on his six snaps in pass protection. His replacement, Bradfield would give up a hit and three hurries on 33 snaps in pass pro.
11.30 – Signature Stat Snap Shot: YPRR
What does YPRR stand for? Why Yards Per Route Run of course. Rather than comparing receivers based on yards, this unique number to PFF looks at how many routes a receiver has (and thus what opportunity they've had to pick up those yards) to see who the most productive are. Anyway with 8-of-14 games from this week up on the site the most productive so far are;
1) Alshon Jeffery: 6.06
2) T.Y. Hilton: 5.38
3) Terrance Williams: 4.08
11.00 – Broncos at Cowboys Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Tony Romo (+8.9), Peyton Manning (+3.2) and Jason Witten (+3.0)
– The three lowest graded players were Ernie Sims (-4.5), Kevin Vickerson (-3.3) and Derek Wolfe (-3.1)
– The Denver offensive line gave up just six hurries on 42 dropbacks.
– Two contrasting quarterbacks. 67.5% of dropbacks from Tony Romo saw him hold onto the ball longer than 2.6 seconds (leaving him with an average time to throw of 3.48 seconds). Meanwhile Peyton Manning got rid of the ball within 2.5 seconds on 73.8% of plays, for average time to throw of 2.19 seconds.
– Of all of the Dallas cornerbacks Orlando Scandrick gave up the fewest yards per snap in coverage (1.07). The most belonged to Morris Claiborne (1.56), followed by Brandon Carr (1.55).
10.30 – The Freeman File
It's been an interesting week for Josh Freeman. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer seemed front and center on a PR assault that ruined what trade value he had and sped up his exit from Tampa. He's joined a Vikings team with more than a few questions at the quarterback spot. Sure Matt Cassel led the team to victory in London but it could have been a different story had the Steelers held onto a few of his errant throws. With Christian Ponder (-4.5) also struggling it leaves the Vikings with a multitude of options at the quarterback spot, but very little that convinces you they can get back in the NFC North mix.
10.00 – Eagles at Giants Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Cullen Jenkins (+4.2), Kevin Boothe (+4.1) and Jonathan Hankins (+3.7)
– The three lowest graded players were Jason Kelce (-8.9), David Diehl (-3.4) and Antrel Rolle (-3.2)
– A nice outing from Nick Foles. He completed 16-of-22 aimed passes with two dropped passes. That gave Foles a very healthy 81.8 adjusted accuracy percentage.
– Just 21 snaps for Brandon Graham who is so far averaging just 18.8 snaps on the season.
– It wasn’t the tackling of the Giants that let them down. They missed just the one tackle all day.
09.30 – Lions at Packers Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Mike Neal (+4.6), Aaron Rodgers (+4.1) and Nick Perry (+3.2)
– The three lowest graded players were Willie Young (-4.0), Rob Sims (-3.8) and Stephen Tulloch (-3.4)
– Heading into this game Ndamukong Suh had managed 28 quarterback disruptions in four games. He mustered up just one against a Packers passing attack that got rid of the ball in under 2.5 seconds on 60.6% of dropbacks.
– The Lions blitzed Rodgers on just one play. Perhaps going forward it might be something they try to do, with Rodgers completing 20-of-29 passes at 9.4 yards per attempt, achieving a 110.4 quarterback rating in the process.
– With Calvin Johnson out Kris Durham led the receivers with 46 pass routes run. Up next was Patrick Edwards with 41 as Ryan Broyles ran just 15 routes.
09.00 – Saints at Bears Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Alshon Jeffery (+4.8), Cameron Jordan (+3.6) and Drew Brees (+2.5)
– The three lowest graded players were Major Wright (-3.0), Jabari Greer (-2.9) and both James Anderson and Jermon Bushrod (-2.8)
– With the Bears running three receiver sets on 43 of 56 dropbacks, another week has passed where the Saints have spent little time in base, making it hard for us to discern what their favorite formation is. This week the 3-4 was used on one snap, and the 4-3 on three snaps with the most common formation a 4-2-5.
– Injuries have seen the Bears move Corey Wootton to defensive tackle. This week all bar two of his snaps were spent between the tackles. In the first four weeks 158 of 205 snaps were outside them.
– With two hits and three hurries Cameron Jordan is now averaging a very healthy 5.6 quarterback disruptions per game, grading positively in every single game for his pass rush. In 2012 his pass rush graded positively on just five of 16 games.
08.30 – PFF Premium!
Are you enjoying this lovely Monday morning? If it's a no, then brighten it up with a PFF Premium package that gives you access to the unique PFF grading, stats and snaps that are team are busy working on for just $26.99! That gives you a fantastic 365 days of access!
08.00 – Seahawks at Colts Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Andrew Luck (+5.7), Robert Mathis (+5.4) and Cory Redding (+3.3)
– The three lowest graded players were Paul McQuistan (-4.9), J.R. Sweezy (-3.3) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (-2.7)
– Bruce Irvin returned with a couple of splash plays, lining up at his new spot of linebacker. He featured on 37 defensive plays, picking up a sack and two hurries on 14 pass rushes while added three tackles in the run game.
– The Colts got little joy running the ball so it’s no surprise that they leaned on their three receiver sets. On 44 of their 66 dropbacks they had three wideouts on the field, using 21 personnel on 12 occasions and two tight ends just twice. That’s the consequence of having no Dwayne Allen.
– A big part of the success of Luck was his ability against the blitz. 10 times the Seahawks went after him this way and while it brought one sack, it also saw him go 8-of-9 for 139 yards and a touchdown.
07.30 – Patriots at Bengals Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Brandon Spikes (+7.4), Geno Atkins (+5.3) and Andre Smith (+4.9)
– The three lowest graded players were Joe Vellano (-5.6), Logan Mankins (-3.8) and Jermaine Gresham (-3.3)
– With Vince Wilfork out the Patriots shifted to more of a 3-4 defense which will be something to monitor over the coming weeks. They used the formation on 27 defensive downs as opposed to just four for the 4-3.
– A monster day for Spikes who registered a fantastic eight defensive stops in the run game. Or one for every 22.9% of the running plays he was in on. After a slow start to the year this was him at his very best (he also added two more tackles and four more assists playing 51 of 71 snaps).
– A solid day for Andy Dalton. He was let down by two drops but walked away with a very healthy 81.5 adjusted accuracy percentage.
07.00 – Bills at Browns Game Notes
– The three highest graded players were Marcell Dareus and Brandon Weeden (+4.3) and Kiko Alonso (+3.6).
– The three lowest graded players were Erik Pears (-6.7), Shawn Lauvao (-5.8) and Jeff Tuel (-4.9).
– The Browns used a pulling linemen on an incredible 24-of-28 called running back runs.
– What made the performance of Dareus so special? He had an incredible seven defensive stops in the run game. Of all defensive tackles only four had more during the first four weeks of the season.
– Weeden went a very creditable 7-of-10 on passes aimed over 10 yards in the air.
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