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Tag: Pro Football Focus

  • Detroit Lions Players Rip Into PFF’s Controversial Player Grades

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    If you’ve ever tuned into an NFL broadcast and seen those bright, shiny Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades pop up next to players’ names, you’re not alone, and neither are the players rolling their eyes at them.

    This week, the debate around how players are graded by PFF has taken center stage, with several Detroit Lions players firing back at the popular analytics site for what they see as misleading evaluations.

    Lions Players Sound Off: “They Don’t Even Know the Scheme”

    Inside the Lions locker room, frustration with PFF seems universal. Cornerback Terrion Arnold didn’t hold back, saying he’ll never accept the site’s grading system because “they don’t even know what plays are being called.”

    “I stopped checking when there was a play where I was in Cover 2 and it said I was actually in man-to-man,” Arnold said as quoted by Lions OnSI. “They don’t really know the scheme. Then I saw another one where I supposedly gave up a touchdown — but I wasn’t even the guy in coverage. They just see who’s closest to the ball.”

    Amik Robertson echoed that sentiment, saying he tuned out PFF completely after his second year in the league.

    “PFF is just guys who never played the game. They don’t even know what defense we’re in,” Robertson said. “I don’t care about rankings. The eye in the sky don’t lie.”

    Meanwhile, linebacker Grant Stuard took a more diplomatic approach, saying he only checks PFF to see how many snaps he played.

    “I can understand why fans look at it,” Stuard said. “But they don’t really know what we’re running. Nobody does but us.”

    The Bottom Line

    Whether you love PFF or hate it, one thing’s clear: NFL players don’t think the grades tell the full story. Schemes, assignments, and film room context matter far more than a number next to their name, and for Detroit’s defenders, that’s what really defines performance.

    Or as Amik Robertson put it: “The eye in the sky don’t lie.”

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    Jeff Bilbrey

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  • Detroit Lions Pro Football Focus Grades Released for Week 5 Win vs. Bengals

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    The Detroit Lions continued their red-hot start to the 2025 season with a 37–24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, marking their fourth straight win. The latest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades highlight which players stood out and which struggled in another dominant team performance.

    Top 5 Offensive Grades

    Rank Player Position Overall Grade
    1 Christian Mahogany LG 85.9
    2 Amon-Ra St. Brown WR 85.6
    3 Penei Sewell RT 84.4
    4 Sam LaPorta TE 82.8
    5 Jahmyr Gibbs HB 76.7

    Top 5 Defensive Grades

    Rank Player Position Overall Grade
    1 Jack Campbell MLB 92.8
    2 Aidan Hutchinson DE 91.6
    3 Al-Quadin Muhammad RE 75.5
    4 Alex Anzalone WLB 74.3
    5 Roy Lopez DT 74.0

    Bottom 5 Offensive Grades

    Rank Player Position Overall Grade
    1 Giovanni Manu LT 42.2
    2 Brock Wright TE 47.8
    3 Ross Dwelley TE 51.3
    4 Jameson Williams WR 56.7
    5 Tate Ratledge RG 62.4

    Bottom 5 Defensive Grades

    Rank Player Position Overall Grade
    1 Trevor Nowaske ROLB 53.3
    2 Tyler Lacy DE 57.6
    3 Terrion Arnold CB 58.2
    4 Derrick Barnes WLB 60.5
    5 DJ Reader DT 62.1

    The Big Picture

    Detroit’s formula for success remains the same: physical dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Jack Campbell and Aidan Hutchinson continue to anchor the defense, while Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown lead a balanced, efficient offense. The Lions now sit at 4–1, with their sights set firmly on the top of the NFC.

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    Jeff Bilbrey

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  • Five Best Houston Texans at Quarter Season Mark, According to PFF – Houston Press

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    It was a rocky first quarter of the season for the Houston Texans, with an 0-3 start that gave us way too many opportunities to reminisce about the 2018 Houston Texans, and their 0-3 start that turned into a playoff berth, the only teams to accomplish that off an 0-3 start this century. 

    Indeed, that’s way too much Bill O’Brien in my life. Thankfully, the Texans were able to close out the quarter-season mark (well, four games out of seventeen, so close to quarter) with a win versus the Titans. That’s made the week more pleasant. We’ll see if they can take advantage of a wounded Ravens squad on Sunday. 

    For now, let’s recognize the big performers four games in, and we will use the very helpful, but sometimes controversial, Pro Football Focus player grades to do so. These are subjective grades from human scorekeepers who watch every player on every play. The five best Houston Texans may not match YOUR eye test, but the PFF scores certainly make for lively debate.

    Without further ado, here are the five best Texans, according to their relative player score at their position on PFF: 

    5. SHELDON RANKINS, Defensive tackle (#16 out of 120 interior defensive linemen)

    Rankins was a stalwart on the 2023 defensive line, and then left for Cincinnati in free agency for the 2024 season. Last season was a nightmare for Rankins, who suffered through multiple illnesses. Since returning to the Texans this season, Rankins has shown up big through four games, with a sack and 11 pressures. 

    4. WILL ANDERSON, Defensive end (#11 out of 116 defensive ends)

    Anderson and Hunter are the best defensive end duo in the league, and it’s not particularly close, with both ranking in the top 11 at the position. Anderson has himself near the top of the odds board for Defensive Player of the Year, with three sacks and a league-leading 25 QB pressures. Meanwhile….

    3. DANIELLE HUNTER, Defensive end (#8 out of 116 defensive ends)

    Hunter is right there with Anderson statistically, and slightly above him in the PFF grade category. Hunter just came off of his biggest game of the year, with two sacks against the Tennessee Titans. On the season, Hunter has four sacks and 18 QB pressures, good for 10th in the league. 

    2. TIM SETTLE, Defensive tackle (#8 out of 120 interior defensive linemen)

    Like Rankins, Settle is a leader in the defensive linemen room, and his impact doesn’t show up in the way of huge numbers. Instead, Settle takes up blockers, and allows the linebackers to make plays. Settle himself, though, had two big pass breakups in the Jaguars game, including one on a fourth quarter fourth down to keep the Texans’ hopes alive. 

    1. ED INGRAM, Guard (#1 out of 77 guards)

    Ingram is in his fourth season in the NFL, and his highest grade for a whole season on PFF was in 2023, when he had a mediocre 59.6 total grade. This season, Ingram’s pass blocking has been just so-so, but he’s been a tank in the running game, with a run blocking grade of over 90. This has been one of NIck Caserio’s best acquisitions this year. 

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

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    Sean Pendergast

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  • Detroit Lions Pro Football Focus Grades Released for Week 1

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    The Detroit Lions’ Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers ended in a disappointing 27-13 loss. Now, the latest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades have been released, giving us a deeper look at how individual players performed on both sides of the ball.

    While there were a few bright spots, including rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa on offense and veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad on defense, much of the roster received middle-of-the-pack or below-average grades, highlighting the struggles that defined Detroit’s season opener.

    Offensive Grades

    The biggest surprise on offense came from Isaac TeSlaa, who earned a 96.2 overall grade thanks to his highlight-reel one-handed touchdown catch in the final minute. On the line, Penei Sewell and Sam LaPorta also graded out well, though the overall performance of the unit left much to be desired. Quarterback Jared Goff, meanwhile, finished with a disappointing 45.5 overall grade after struggling to push the ball downfield.

    Rank Player Snaps Overall Passing Pass Block Run Run Block Penalties
    1 Isaac TeSlaa (WR) 3 96.2 93.6 – – – 0 (0)
    2 Penei Sewell (T) 67 70.8 – 69.7 – 68.4 0 (0)
    3 Sam LaPorta (TE) 61 70.6 69.4 70.2 – 61.9 0 (0)
    4 Amon-Ra St. Brown 63 69.8 69.6 – – 54.7 0 (0)
    5 David Montgomery 25 67.8 72.0 – 65.4 – 0 (0)
    6 Jahmyr Gibbs 44 62.2 67.6 47.5 59.6 60.0 0 (0)
    7 Shane Zylstra (TE) 6 58.1 59.3 – – 59.6 0 (0)
    8 Tate Ratledge (G) 67 57.5 – 39.2 – 64.1 0 (0)
    9 Kalif Raymond 44 56.4 56.2 – – 60.3 0 (0)
    10 Taylor Decker (T) 67 55.2 – 73.5 – 36.6 0 (0)
    11 Christian Mahogany 67 54.4 – 43.9 – 58.1 0 (0)
    12 Jameson Williams 65 53.7 55.5 – 56.6 78.5 1 (0)
    13 Brock Wright (TE) 24 50.5 51.1 56.8 – 55.0 0 (0)
    14 Jared Goff (QB) 67 45.5 45.7 – 60.0 – 0 (0)
    15 Graham Glasgow (C) 67 43.6 – 71.9 – 34.4 0 (0)

    Defensive Grades

    Defensively, Al-Quadin Muhammad led the way with an impressive 85.2 grade, bolstered by strong pass-rushing numbers. Brian Branch was also a standout with an 85.1 overall grade, excelling in coverage with a 91.3 mark. On the flip side, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin posted the lowest grade at just 33.4.

    Rank Player Snaps Overall Run Def Tackling Pass Rush Coverage
    1 Al-Quadin Muhammad 7 85.2 60.2 – 87.6 –
    2 Brian Branch 48 85.1 59.5 79.2 56.8 91.3
    3 Aidan Hutchinson 46 72.0 63.1 69.6 71.3 60.4
    4 Alex Anzalone 48 70.9 70.0 80.0 50.5 68.6
    5 Amik Robertson 17 70.7 66.4 74.8 – 69.1
    6 Derrick Barnes 43 69.1 64.9 76.7 68.3 62.8
    7 Jack Campbell 48 67.6 67.6 82.8 50.8 64.0
    8 Kerby Joseph 48 67.5 64.8 72.6 – 64.2
    9 Terrion Arnold 23 62.7 78.4 80.0 – 54.5
    10 Khalil Dorsey 3 61.3 60.0 – – 60.0
    11 Roy Lopez 17 57.6 54.9 66.8 – 62.8
    12 Patrick O’Connor 14 57.1 61.3 – 53.5 –
    13 Marcus Davenport 33 55.1 61.2 72.0 62.0 60.0
    14 DJ Reader 37 50.8 54.3 26.1 51.4 –
    15 Tyleik Williams 32 48.7 56.9 69.6 57.7 –
    16 D.J. Reed 48 38.0 66.9 78.9 – 30.5
    17 Rock Ya-Sin 2 33.4 60.0 – – 60.0

    Bottom Line

    Week 1 showed just how far the Lions need to go to return to their 2024 form. A handful of players — like TeSlaa, Branch, and Muhammad — stood out, but overall consistency was lacking across the board. For Detroit to get back on track, they’ll need better efficiency on offense and more pressure from their defensive front.

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    Jeff Bilbrey

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