The Week 5 slate of games is in the books. Russell Wilson had one of the best games of his career, Christian McCaffrey ran wild, Will Fuller V put up over 200 yards receiving and Brandon Graham continued to produce pressure against everyone he faces. Here’s PFF’s NFL Week 5 Team of the Week, highlighting the best single-game performances around the league.
PFF's NFL Team of the Week series features game grades and advanced statistics for the NFL's top players at every position in a given week. All of PFF's ELITE subscribers have access to game grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats. All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this week and every other week this upcoming NFL season are made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.
[Editor's Note: All of PFF's advanced stats and grades for every NFL player are made available in PFF's ELITE subscription. Subscribe today to gain access!]
Offense
QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson lit it up on Thursday Night Football, including one of the most impressive throws of the season. He connected on all five of his attempts 20-plus yards downfield, going for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The highlight was his throw on 1st-and-10 with 00:59 left in the first quarter, though. With his receivers well covered by the Rams' defense, Wilson kept the play alive before finding Tyler Lockett in the back corner of the end zone.
Sideline view of Wilson's TNF TD is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/zFDjpEXaxJ
— Gordon McGuinness (@PFF_Gordon) October 7, 2019
RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
What Christian McCaffrey is doing so far in 2019 is pretty incredible, and he had his best game of the season on Sunday afternoon. He forced seven missed tackles on 19 carries and averaged 4.2 yards after contact per carry. Meanwhile, in the passing game, he added another five missed tackles forced from six receptions.
WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Thielen came into the game with just 179 receiving yards on the year but took himself over the 300-yard mark with by far his best outing of 2019 against the Giants. All seven of his receptions resulted in a first down or touchdown, and he averaged a whopping 4.81 yards per route run from 27 snaps in route.
WR Will Fuller V, Houston Texans
Theilen’s 4.81 yards per route run average was impressive, but even he paled in comparison to Fuller. The Texans wideout averaged a ludicrous 6.20 yards per route run on Sunday. An absolute nightmare to cover, Fuller racked up 217 yards and three scores from 14 receptions.
TE Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams
Everett was quietly one of the stars of an incredible game on Thursday Night Football this past week. He averaged 3.78 yards per route run, picking up 136 yards from 36 receiving snaps. Of his seven receptions on the night, five resulted in a first down, and the former South Alabama Jaguar forced five missed tackles on those receptions.
FLEX O: RB Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
In the home of the highest-paid running back in the NFL, it was the player with a cap hit south of $700k this season that looked like the difference-making running back. Jones averaged 2.5 yards after contact per carry and forced eight missed tackles en route to an impressive 84.3 single-game rushing grade.
LT Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans
The Texans traded for Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins to protect quarterback Deshaun Watson, and that’s exactly what he did on Sunday afternoon. From 38 pass-blocking snaps, he didn’t allow a single sack, hit or hurry, finishing the game with a 100.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating.
LG Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Nelson had Twitter fawning over his performance during Sunday Night Football, and it’s easy to see why. He allowed just one hurry from 37 pass-blocking snaps and has yet to allow a sack on 202 pass-blocking snaps this season, but it was as a run-blocker where he really dominated. His 93.6 run-blocking grade tells the story well in a performance where he moved defenders at will.
C Erik McCoy, New Orleans Saints
The Saints' second-round draft pick produced the best game of his young career so far, as he continues to solidify his spot in the middle of the Saints offensive line. From 42 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed just one hurry, zero hits and zero sacks. He has allowed just four hurries on 207 pass-blocking snaps this season and has yet to surrender a sack or hit.
RG Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles
Brooks showed why he was the highest-graded guard in the NFL going into Week 5 with another impressive performance. He was solid in pass protection, allowing a hit and a hurry from 37 pass-blocking snaps, but he really stood out as a run-blocker, producing an 85.1 PFF run-blocking grade on the day.
RT Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Ramczyk is enjoying another stellar season and delivered once again on Sunday. From 42 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed just one hurry with no sacks or hits. Through five games this season, he has yet to allow a sack on 207 pass-blocking snaps.
Defense
DI Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons
Jarrett continues to be a force up front for the Falcons' defense and made life difficult for the Houston offensive line on Sunday. He was solid as a pass-rusher, registering three hurries from 33 pass-rushing snaps, but it was against the run where he really stood out. Three of his five solo tackles on the day resulted in a defensive stop, including a forced fumble on a tackle for loss.
DI D.J. Reader, Houston Texans
Reader was another standout on the defensive interior in the game between the Texans and Falcons on Sunday, registering a sack and three hurries from 22 pass-rushing snaps. Like Jarrett, though, it was against the run where he really showed up, with all three of his solo tackles resulting in a defensive stop.
Edge Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
The flag-planting was amusing, but the real statement by Bosa was his performance on the field. Rushing the passer just 25 times, he racked up two sacks, three hits and four hurries, adding a forced fumble for good measure.
Edge Uchenna Nwosu, Los Angeles Chargers
Nwosu had one of his best games as a pro on Sunday despite the Chargers coming up short against the Broncos. He racked up a sack, a hit and three hurries from just 23 pass-rushing snaps and finished the game with another three tackles resulting in a defensive stop and adding a forced fumble.
LB Alexander Johnson, Denver Broncos
The Chargers went after Johnson early and often in coverage, as he finished the game with 12 passes thrown into his coverage. While he did allow 10 receptions, they went for just 51 yards and he fought back with an interception. By the end of the game, he had allowed an NFL passer rating of 49.7 on throws into his coverage.
LB Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings
Barr was fantastic for the Vikings and delivered both against the run and in coverage. He finished the game with two of his three tackles resulting in a defensive stop and allowed an NFL passer rating of 32.3 on throws where he was the primary coverage defender. Targeted four times, he allowed just two receptions and came away with an interception.
CB Orlando Scandrick, Philadelphia Eagles
It’s rare that you have to lead with a defensive back’s work as a pass-rusher, but we need to talk about Orlando Scandrick’s work as a pass-rusher. He blitzed five times on Sunday, registering a pair of sacks and a hurry. He forced a fumble on both of those sacks, recovering one of those himself and housing it for an Eagles score.
CB Jason McCourty, New England Patriots
McCourty is enjoying really nice season in his second year in New England, and Sunday marked his best performance of the year so far. Targeted four times in coverage, he allowed three receptions for just 14 yards and registered an interception. All that added up to an NFL passer rating allowed of 39.6 on throws into his coverage.
FLEX D: CB Jonathan Jones, New England Patriots
Speaking of impressive defensive backs in New England, Jonathan Jones had another stellar outing this week. From 30 snaps in coverage, he was targeted just twice and, while he allowed a reception on both targets, they went for just 13 yards and he added a forced fumble. Through five weeks, he has allowed just 12 receptions in coverage.
S Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City Chiefs
This is exactly the type of performance the Chiefs were hoping for when they brought Mathieu to Kansas City. He registered four solo tackles in the game, with three of them resulting in a defensive stop. Targeted twice in coverage, he allowed just one reception for seven yards and snagged an interception on a pass intended for Eric Ebron down the left sideline.
S Kareem Jackson, Denver Broncos,
Jackson has moved between safety and the slot for much of this season, but he was primarily a free safety in the win over the Chargers, with 42 of his 70 defensive snaps coming as a deep safety. He made a huge play for the Broncos at the end of the first half, forcing a fumble as Chargers running back Austin Ekeler tried to dive for the pylon for a touchdown, with the play resulting in a touchback to end the half.
Special Teams
K Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
With the Ravens' offense struggling in Pittsburgh, they needed Justin Tucker to bail them out and he did just that. He connected on all four of his field goal tries in the game, including a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter and a game-winning field goal in overtime.
P Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans
It was a rough afternoon for the Tennessee offense, so Kern got plenty of work, and he was absolutely dealing with his boot. He averaged 49.3 net yards per punt and 4.35 seconds of hangtime per punt, routinely pinning the Bills returners to the sideline.
K/PR Desmond King, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers struggled to get much going on offense against the Broncos on Sunday, but King very nearly dragged them back into the game with a long punt return for a touchdown.
ST Darryl Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Johnson saw 21 snaps across the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage and field goal block units. While he didn’t record a tackle, he did block a field goal, leaving a huge impact on such a low scoring game.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.