Six weeks into the 2019 regular season, things are taking shape — and getting weird. Backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Teddy Bridgewater are still winning. The one-week rookie sensation Daniel Jones has begun to look like, well, a rookie. And among all of Aaron Rodgers’ receiving options, Allen Lazard — the same player who had one career catch prior to Monday night — proved to be the game-changer in Week 6. Those are just a few of the intriguing storylines from the past slate of games. Here are 20 PFF stats following Week 6 that make those narratives and others all the more clear.
Targets galore for Mike Evans didn’t translate to catches
Jameis Winston endured quite a Sunday in London, one he left his mark on with five picks. But when Winston wasn’t tossing dimes to the Panthers’ defense, he was targeting Mike Evans. A lot. Evans’ 16 targets on Sunday tied for the most a player has seen in a game this season and were his most since 2016. Only nine of them were hauled in, though, with two going down as drops. Interestingly enough, 14 of Evans’ 43 career drops have come in the six career games where he’s been targeted 15 or more times.
When Hunter Henry is on the field, good things happen
The Chargers didn’t win Sunday night, but their premier tight end was back in action. His 152.5 passer rating when targeted — generated from eight catches on nine targets for 100 yards and two touchdowns — was his highest in a game since Week 12 of 2016. Granted, Henry has missed plenty of time between then and now. But his ability to return to elite form despite a myriad of injury issues only further cements him as one of the NFL's top tight ends.
The 49ers defense locked down the Rams
One of the best ways to win a football game is to make big plays while not allowing them. Simple enough, right? The 49ers took that to heart, allowing no pass plays of 15 yards or more in Week 6. And though they only had four of their own on offense, it was easily enough to stymie the Rams.
No A.J. Green? No John Ross? Auden Tate is stepping up
Andy Dalton tossed 10 targets Auden Tate's way in the Bengals' loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a new career-high for the second-year wideout. Among those throws, Tate hauled in 2-of-5 contested targets and notched four plays of 15 or more yards. As such, his 83.0 overall grade in Week 6 ranked fifth among qualifying wide receivers.
Nick Vigil has plagued the Bengals with missed tackles
Nick Vigil's 12 missed tackles through the first six weeks are the second-most by a player in that span since 2016. The Bengals have 50 total missed tackles on the year, meaning Vigil has accounted for nearly a quarter of the entire defense's tackling miscues thus far. Not good.
Allen Lazard is ready to break out
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves — Lazard has a ways to go before he supplants any of the Packers' usual starting wideouts. His Week 6 performance, though, was quite promising — so much so that it earned the highest grade among qualifying wide receivers (91.8). He posted a perfect passer rating when targeted, the only receiver with at least four targets in Week 6 to accomplish the feat. So with injuries hampering Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling entering Week 7, another big day could be in store for the 2018 UDFA out of Iowa State.
Kyle Allen is winning, but his accuracy still needs work
It's hard to root against a backup quarterback who has gone from undrafted NFL hopeful a year ago to 4-0 as a starter in 2019. Kyle Allen is that guy, but while his record is squeaky clean, his accuracy has been shaky — particularly in the past two weeks. In that span, Allen's 50% rate of “accurate” throws ranks 24th among 28 qualifying quarterbacks with at least 30 attempts from Weeks 5 to 6.
Daniel Jones is playing like a rookie after a hot start
After posting adjusted completion percentages above 70% in each of his first two starts, Daniel Jones has since regressed to the worst and second-worst adjusted completion rates in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. With both under 60%, it's concerning, but Jones has plenty of time to right those wrongs in a season that where the Giants are going to have to get creative.
Blocking tight ends get little love, but Luke Stocker is one of the best
You won't find him on the stat sheet in plenty of games, but Luke Stocker — who has just one catch in the past three games — is currently the NFL's best all-around blocking tight end. He hasn't allowed a single quarterback pressure on 30 pass-blocking snaps, and his 83.0 run-blocking grade, on 73 snaps, ranks third at his position. In all, he's the only tight end with run-blocking and pass-blocking grades above 80.0.
Garrett Bradbury is improving after an abysmal start
The NFL life isn't easy for rookie offensive linemen. Garrett Bradbury knows. He allowed 13 quarterback pressures in his first four games. But in the past two weeks, he has kept a clean sheet, not surrendering a single pressure. And in Week 6, he posted an impressive 85.2 pass-blocking grade.
Quinton Dunbar showed out against the Dolphins
With just eight yards allowed on three receptions, Quinton Dunbar was a stud for the Redskins against Miami. He faced seven targets, with the aforementioned completions for a minimal gain, and he even snagged an interception. In all, it earned him PFF's top coverage grade (93.1) for Week 6.
Ronnie Stanley continues to distance himself from the pack
Ronnie Stanley made this list last week for his impressive pass-blocking numbers, and he'll do so again for the same reason. He hasn't allowed a single quarterback pressure in the past two weeks, and his 2019 pass-blocking grade (90.9) now sits more than three full points higher than the next best offensive lineman in the facet.
J.C. Jackson is proving that he wasn't a one-year wonder
Former undrafted free agent J.C. Jackson finished 2018 with the lowest passer rating allowed among qualifying cornerbacks. All signs would point to some regression in 2019. That hasn't been the case, as he again leads all qualifying cornerbacks in the facet, with a mere 15.8 passer rating allowed when targeted through six weeks.
Where has Jared Goff‘s deep ball gone?
The same quarterback who just last year posted the ninth-best adjusted completion rate on balls thrown 15 yards or more downfield (47.7%) and threw the long ball at an average rate of 11.6% has simply abandoned that facet in 2019. Jared Goff has thrown deep on just 6.1% of his passes so far this year, last among qualifying quarterbacks. And his 33.3% adjusted completion rate on such passes slots him at only 27th among qualifying signal-callers.
Even against a frequently stacked box, the Ravens ran all over the Bengals
While the Ravens admittedly had the most running plays of any team during Week 6, with 43, they still faced a box with eight or more defenders often. The Bengals utilized such a set up on 25 of those plays but were gashed for more than 250 yards on the ground, regardless.
Nick Chubb‘s continues to display elusive and tough running
Week 6 was dominated by Chubb's ability to make people miss and power through contact. He led all running backs in missed tackles forced, with nine. He also found himself at the top of the group in average yards after contact, posting a whopping 6.10 per carry.
Speaking of tough running, Duke Johnson Jr. embodies it
Despite having yet to top 60 yards rushing in a game, Duke Johnson is working hard for his yards. He leads the NFL through six weeks in yards after contact per attempt (4.51), and he's racked up 13 missed tackles forced on just 37 attempts.
A brief look into Myles Garrett‘s career day
Myles Garrett has had two-sack games plenty of times in his young career, so Week 6 was nothing new for him. But in terms of pressure, it was the first time he racked up 10 in a game, hounding the Seahawks' offensive line en route to an elite 91.9 pass-rushing grade.
Patrick Mahomes was not himself in Week 6
Through the first five weeks of the 2019 NFL season, Patrick Mahomes had just one turnover-worthy play. In Week 6 alone, he had four. It's hardly a concern — no player is perfect — but its worth nothing just to prove that Mahomes is human after all.
Stefon Diggs wanted the ball. Stefon Diggs got the ball.
After an otherworldly stat line in Week 6, Stefon Diggs finds himself atop the list of NFL wideouts in yards per route run (2.92). He's averaging more than 18 yards per catch and is certainly proving that tossing passes his way will likely result in a positive play.
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