Another week of the NFL season has come and gone, another 32 Observations by Nathan Jahnke finding an interesting piece of information about all 32 teams after Week 5 of football. This week, the focus is on the rookies and how they’ve performed after five weeks. 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: Linebacker Matt Milano first saw playing time with the defense in Week 4, and followed that up with his first NFL start last week. In that time, he’s had four run stops on 25 run snaps, giving him a 16.0 percent run-stop percentage. That is the fifth-best rate for all linebackers over the last two weeks.
Miami Dolphins: Linebacker Chase Allen has eight run stops on 24 run snaps. That gives him a 33.3 percent run-stop percentage, which is the best for rookie linebackers through five weeks with at least 20 run snaps in the PFF era.
New England Patriots: Defensive end Deatrich Wise has three sacks, six hits and seven hurries on the season. That has led to a pass-rushing productivity of 17.0. That is the third best for rookie edge rushers over the last 12 years within five weeks of the start of the season.
New York Jets: Marcus Maye is one of two starting safeties to be thrown at and not allow a catch over the past three weeks of the season.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens: When opposing quarterbacks have thrown at Marlon Humphrey when he’s lined up in press coverage, they have an NFL passer rating of 56.2 which is the best for rookie cornerbacks this season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Edge defender Carl Lawson has 25 pressures so far this season. That is the most for any defensive rookie through five weeks of the season over the last 12 seasons.
Cleveland Browns: Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi has five run stops on 37 run snaps, giving him a run-stop percentage of 13.5 percent. In the PFF era, the only rookie interior defender after Week 5 with more run stops and a better run-stop percentage was the Colts' Henry Anderson.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Outside linebacker T.J. Watt has eight run stops. The only edge defender with more run stops over the first five weeks as a rookie in the last decade is Khalil Mack.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans: When DeShaun Watson is not under pressure, he has a passer rating of 112.4. The only rookie with a better passer rating without pressure after five weeks in the PFF era is Dak Prescott at 112.9.
Indianapolis Colts: Halfback Marlon Mack has not been tackled on first contact on 37.5 percent of his carries. That is the fourth-best rate for rookie running backs through five weeks over the last five seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Halfback Leonard Fournette has had 20 players miss tackles on his carries so far, which is the second-most for running back this seasons.
Tennessee Titans: Wide receiver Corey Davis has had two defenders miss tackles on his catches so far this season. That is the second-most for rookie wide receivers in 2017.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos: Left tackle Garett Bolles has a run-block grade of 84.5. That is tied for the fourth-best run block grade for tackles this season.
Kansas City Chiefs: Halfback Kareem Hunt has 338 yards after contact which is the most for running backs this year. Only five other running backs have more than 338 total rushing yards this season.
Los Angeles Chargers: The other 31 teams have at least two rookies with at least 45 offensive or defensive snaps. Cornerback Desmond King has 202 snaps for Los Angeles, but every other rookie on the Chargers roster has 30 or fewer offensive and defensive snaps.
Oakland Raiders: Linebacker Marquel Lee has nine run stops on 71 run snaps. His 12.7 percent run-stop percentage is fifth-best for inside linebackers this season.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: Cornerback Xavier Woods has 0.38 yards per coverage snap, which is the best for rookie cornerbacks with at least 40 coverage snaps. Teammate Chidobe Awuzie is at 0.54 which is tied for second-best among rookie cornerbacks.
New York Giants: Tight end Evan Engram has had three defenders miss tackles on his catches this season. That is more than all of the other rookie tight ends this season put together.
Philadelphia Eagles: Defensive end Derek Barnett has been limited to 15-23 pass-rushes in each game this season, but he has consistently achieved two-three pressures in four of his five games.
Washington: Jonathan Allen has three sacks, two hits and seven hurries on 82 pass-rushes. That equates to a pass-rushing productivity of 11.9. That is third best for all interior defenders over the past 12 years.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears: Halfback Tarik Cohen has had 12 players miss tackles on his catches. That is the most for a rookie running back after five weeks in the last 12 seasons.
Detroit Lions: Linebacker Jarrad Davis has five stops on pass plays which is tied for tenth best among linebackers. That is especially impressive considering he has missed two games this season.
Green Bay Packers: Halfback Aaron Jones has not been tackled on first contact on 35.5 percent of his carries. That is the sixth-best rate for rookie running backs through five weeks over the last five seasons.
Minnesota Vikings: Halfback Dalvin Cook has had a defender miss a tackle on him on 16.2 percent of his carries. That is the seven-best rate for backs this season.
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons: Before Vic Beasley’s injury, Takkarist McKinley lined up primarily on the defense's right side. When he has lined up on that side this season, he’s had a pass-rushing productivity of 14.9. That is fourth-best for a rookie through five weeks in the last 12 seasons for any edge defender lining up on the defenses right side.
Carolina Panthers: When running back Christian McCaffrey lines up in the slot, he has 68 receiving yards off of six catches. The only halfbacks to have more receiving yards from the slot after five weeks of the season are Reggie Bush in 2008, LaDainian Tomlinson in 2011, and Darren Sproles in both 2011 and 2013.
New Orleans Saints: Running back Alvin Kamara has 3.67 yards after contact per attempt, which is third-best for all running backs so far this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Wide receiver Chris Godwin has 1.44 yards per route run. That is the best for a rookie wide receiver not on the Rams so far this season.
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals: Linebacker Haason Reddick is one of two linebackers with 60 or more snaps in the run and pass game while not missing a tackle in either category. Reddick has two missed tackles on the season, but both have come as a pass-rusher.
Los Angeles Rams: Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has had five defenders miss tackles on his catches. That is fifth best for rookies in the past 12 years, as well as fifth-best for wide receivers this season.
San Francisco 49ers: Tight end George Kittle has 90 yards after the catch, which is the most for rookie tight ends this season.
Seattle Seahawks: Cornerback Shaquill Griffin has four pass breakups which is third-most for rookie cornerbacks this year.
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