• Tua Tagovailoa shows more creativity: The Dolphins quarterback has displayed more ability to create out of the pocket, and it came up big versus the Raiders.
• The Steelers ground down the Ravens: The Steelers earned a big win versus the Ravens with nitty gritty yards and some help from the Ravens.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO A GAME:
WAS@PHI | MIN@TEN | JAX@DET | LV@MIA | IND@NYJ | GB@CHI | BAL@PIT | CLE@NO | LAR@NE | ATL@DEN | SEA@SF | KC@BUF | CIN@LAC | HOU@DAL
Philadelphia Eagles 26, Washington Commanders 18
Why the Eagles won: After a slow and disjointed offensive performance, the Eagles rushing attack came alive in the fourth quarter, with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley combining for three rushing touchdowns. Philly’s offensive line started to dominate up front, and Barkley broke big on 23- and 39-yard touchdown rushes on consecutive drives for the Eagles. The former Giant finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, earning a 73.5 PFF rushing grade.
Why the Commanders lost: The Eagles defense completely shut down the usually efficient Commanders passing game, and held Daniels to an average depth of target of 3.8 yards per attempt while also limiting Terry McLaurin to just one catch for 10 yards. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell played shutdown football on the outside too, permitting zero catches on one target in 42 coverage snaps and earning a 73.0 coverage grade.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Minnesota Vikings 23, Tennessee Titans 13
Why the Vikings won: Sam Darnold and the Vikings utilized play action to great effect against the Titans, with Darnold completing 7-of-9 pass attempts out of play action for 139 yards, two touchdowns, a big-time throw and a 92.9 overall grade.
Why the Titans lost: The Titans' offensive line was beaten up by the Vikings' pass rush all day, allowing 17 pressures, five sacks and three quarterback hits. Will Levis was pressured on 45.9% of his dropbacks, and though he handled the pressure well, the Vikings’ rushers proved too much.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Detroit Lions 52, Jacksonville Jaguars 6
Why the Lions won: The Lions offense went off against the Jaguars, and Jared Goff was dealing from a clean pocket. Goff was kept clean on 78.1% of his dropbacks and completed 21-of-24 pass attempts for 304 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 91.3 overall grade in the blowout win. He also contributed to 18 first downs from the clean pocket and had a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Why the Jaguars lost: Jacksonville’s defense was obliterated by the Lions offense to the tune of 645 total yards and 8.5 yards per play, and 440 of those yards came through the air. Five Jaguars defenders allowed more than 50 yards in coverage, with Foye Oluokun permitting four receptions for 103 yards.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Miami Dolphins 34, Las Vegas Raiders 19
Why the Dolphins won: Tua Tagovailoa showed off his increased ability to make plays off script and out of the pocket against the Raiders. He was only pressured on eight total dropbacks but completed 5-of-6 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.8 yards per attempt. Tagovailoa was sacked on two plays under pressure, but he’s been able to show a little more off-script ability in recent weeks, something that has been missing from his game.
Why the Raiders lost: The Raiders’ offensive line gave up 11 pressures against the Dolphins, but their inability to block in the run game was a nail in the coffin: no starter recorded a run-blocking grade higher than 67.4. Combine that with Raiders running backs failing to create and capitalize on rushing lanes, and it meant the Vegas offense was dead and buried.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Indianapolis Colts 28, New York Jets 27
Why the Colts won: Anthony Richardson was excellent in his first start back for the Colts. Although the Colts utilized play action on 53.1% of his dropbacks, Richardson was excellent in pure dropback situations. He completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 172 yards and one touchdown on non-play-action dropbacks, earning a 92.2 passing grade.
Why the Jets lost: The days of Aaron Rodgers looking like an elite quarterback may be numbered. Rodgers was long one of the great off-script playmakers in the NFL, but he struggled when pressured by the Colts. He was pressured on nine dropbacks, completing 2-of-5 attempts for 11 yards and averaging 2.2 yards per attempt. He was sacked three times and registered one turnover play in such situations, generating a 32.2 overall grade.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Green Bay Packers 20, Chicago Bears 19
Why the Packers won: The Packers' offensive line set the table for a great win in Chicago with excellent pass protection for Jordan Love. The offensive line allowed just seven total pressures on 22 pass-blocking snaps, plus just four pressures on true pass sets. Green Bay didn’t allow a single sack, and Love was hit just once throughout the entire game.
Why the Bears lost: The Packers didn’t pass the ball often, but the Bears’ secondary struggled to contain Green Bay’s receivers. Four Packers receivers combined for 141 yards after the catch on 12 receptions, with the team averaging 10.8 yards after the catch per reception. The Bears' inability to wrap up tacklers after the catch and stop them from turning in big plays hurt.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Pittsburgh Steelers 18, Baltimore Ravens 16
Why the Steelers won: The Steelers' rushing attack was able to ground down the Ravens' defense and consistently earn valuable yards. Najee Harris carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards, and while it wasn’t the most efficient performance, he forced four missed tackles and broke off three rushes of over 10 yards. As a team, the Steelers rushed for 122 total yards and salted away the Ravens' defense to get the win.
Why the Ravens lost: The Ravens offense was held to under 20 points for the first time this season by a stout Steelers defense, but their mistakes cost them the most. The Ravens were penalized 12 times in total for 80 yards on both sides of the ball, costing them precious yards and also allowing the Steelers to get within field goal range on multiple occasions.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
New Orleans Saints 35, Cleveland Browns 14
Why the Saints won: The triple-threat action of Taysom Hill helped put the sword into the Browns, with the hybrid force totaling 208 all-purpose yards and three rushing touchdowns. Hill’s most notable impact came on the ground, where he rushed for 138 yards on seven attempts, averaging 19.7 yards per rush and earning a 90.1 rushing grade. His big plays across the board were vital.
Why the Browns lost: The Browns were carved up on the ground, and poor tackling play helped the Saints rack up even more rushing yards. The Cleveland defense missed eight tackles against the run, with middle linebacker Jordan Hicks recording three missed tackles. Broken tackles led to big plays, and big plays led to touchdowns.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Los Angeles Rams 28, New England Patriots 22
Why the Rams won: Matthew Stafford had the deep ball dialed in against the Patriots on Sunday, completing 4-of-7 passes of over 20 yards for 130 yards and two touchdowns, posting a 90.9 passing grade. Stafford has one of the best arms in the game, and his ability to stretch the field and layer deep throws makes him a treacherous quarterback to stop. The Rams' ability to go deep against the Patriots proved vital when it mattered in a close game.
Why the Patriots lost: Stafford’s ability to sit back in the pocket was aided by the Patriots' lack of pressure in the pocket. The Rams' offensive line allowed just five total pressures, and Stafford was hit only one time in the win. The Patriots’ pass rush struggled to create any chaos in the pocket and make life tough for Stafford.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Denver Broncos 38, Atlanta Falcons 6
Why the Broncos won: Bo Nix was near-perfect in the win versus the Falcons, and even better from a clean pocket. Nix was kept clean on 82.9% of his dropbacks and completed 25-of-28 pass attempts for 276 yards and four touchdowns, earning an 88.9 passing grade and averaging 9.9 yards per attempt. The Broncos quarterback has shown improvement in recent weeks, and this was another strong performance.
Why the Falcons lost: The Falcons' passing game faltered against a strong Broncos defense, as Kirk Cousins was pressured 12 times and sacked three times by the Denver pass rush. Kaleb McGary was the only Falcons offensive lineman to earn a pass-blocking grade above 65.0.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Seattle Seahawks 20, San Francisco 49ers 17
Why the Seahawks won: The Geno Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba connection has flourished in the last two games, and Smith-Njigba was pivotal to the Seahawks' success yet again. Smith-Njigba caught 10 of 11 targets for 110 yards, recording an 87.0 receiving grade. The second-year wideout secured six first downs on his 10 receptions.
Why the 49ers lost: The Seahawks only averaged 4.1 rushing yards per attempt, but the 49ers' defense struggled to stop and wrap up ball carriers. San Francisco amassed seven missed tackles in the run game, as Kenneth Walker III forced eight missed tackles on 14 rushing attempts and averaged 4.29 yards after contact per attempt. The 49ers’ inability to get hands on, and wrap up, ball carriers led to two key Seahawks touchdowns.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Buffalo Bills 30, Kansas City Chiefs 21
Why the Bills won: The Bills were able to shut down the Chiefs' primary playmakers, forcing Patrick Mahomes to spread the ball out. Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins were held to a combined five catches for 37 yards on seven total targets. Isolating the Chiefs’ talented pass-catchers provided dividends in yet another strong performance for the Bills defense.
Why the Chiefs lost: Mahomes struggled against the Bills defense in a pressured pocket and was pressured on 13 of 35 dropbacks in the game. He posted an 89.7 passing grade from a clean pocket, but his grade when pressured dropped to 44.4, completing just 4-of-11 pass attempts for 19 yards while throwing two interceptions.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Los Angeles Chargers 34, Cincinnati Bengals 27
Why the Chargers won: Justin Herbert has been on a tear this season, and his ability to hit on deep balls is uncanny. Herbert earned a 93.9 grade on passes of 20 yards or more, completing 5-of-9 attempts for 134 yards and two touchdowns while accumulating four big-time throws. Only a few quarterbacks have an arm like Herbert.
Why the Bengals lost: The Bengals’ offensive line was porous against the Chargers, allowing 27 total pressures and six quarterback hits, with Joe Burrow also getting sacked three times. Burrow performed well under pressure, recording an 86.6 overall grade under duress, but he shouldn’t have to work in those conditions.
Click here for advanced box-score metrics, snap counts, the player of the game and more.
Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys
Coming soon!
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.