• Eagles Landon Dickerson was dominant: Dickerson allowed just one rush in 30 pass-blocking snaps and earned an 81.4 pass-blocking grade, the second-best grade of the week. He shined even more in the run game, earning a 90.1 grade in zone runs and finishing with a 91.7 overall grade in run blocking.
• Five Lions made the list: Brian Branch, Christian Mahogany, Penei Sewell, Jamir Gibbs and Amon-Ra St Brown played exceptional football in the divisional round.
• The 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Experience the best in class from PFF Draft mock simulator and learn about Main prospects for 2025 while trading and drafting for his favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
NFL Divisional Round brought out the league’s best stars with groundbreaking performances across the board.
From dominant performances in the trenches to highlights in the passing game, here are the 10 highest-rated players from an action-packed weekend in postseason football. To ensure the most accurate reflection of outstanding play, we focused on players who played 50 or more snaps, ensuring that the estimates weren’t too heavily influenced by one or two big plays in a limited sample.
1. G Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles (94.0)
Dickerson allowed just one rush in 30 pass-blocking snaps and earned an 81.4 pass-blocking grade, the second-best grade of the week. He shined even more in the run game, earning a 90.1 grade in zone runs and finishing with a 91.7 overall grade in run blocking.
Heading into Sunday’s championship game, Dickerson ranks as the highest-rated cornerback in the postseason (90.4) and the only back with a run-blocking grade above 80.0 (89.4).
2. C Brian Branch, Detroit Lions (92.9)
Branch put up an elite all-around performance in the divisional round, leading all defenses with a 93.3 coverage grade and an 85.6 defensive grade. He allowed just five completions for 34 yards and also recorded two run stops and two quarterback hurries. Notably, Branch is the only defender this postseason to earn a 90.0+ grade in both single-coverage schemes (90.2) and zone coverage schemes (93.4).
3. G Christian Mahogany, Detroit Lions (92.3)
In just his second start of the season, replacing Kevin Zeitler, Mahogany shined as a run blocker, earning a division-round best score of 91.9. Even though he allowed three pressures on 47 pass-blocking snaps, his 78.6 pass-blocking grade was good. In two starts, Mahogany has earned an impressive overall grade of 88.1, helped by his dominant run-blocking grade of 88.0.
4. OF Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles (90.3)
Los Angeles had no answer for Carter, who continually destroyed the field with seven total attacks, including two sacks, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble early in the fourth quarter.
Carter’s postseason dominance is reflected in his 81.1 PFF grade, the second-highest among interior defenders.
5. T Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions (90.2)
Sewell dominated the run game, leading all tackles with a 91.9 run blocking grade. He was also impressive in pass protection, allowing just one pressure in 26 sets of accurate passes. In the postseason, Sewell is the team’s leading tackler and the only one to earn over 80.0 grades in both pass blocking and run blocking.
6. VR Nico Collins, Houston Texans (85.5)
Collins caught five of eight targets for 81 yards against Kansas City, with each reception resulting in a first down. Two of his catches were for 15-plus yards in the fourth quarter, and he excelled in the mid-range with four catches for 57 yards.
During his playoff run, Collins earned an impressive 89.9 receiving grade, finishing with 12 receptions for 203 yards, one touchdown and 11 first downs.
7. KB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (85.3)
Stroud suffered a knee injury early in the game but fought until the end, finishing 19 of 28 for 245 yards. He moved the chains 15 times but was under duress all day as Kansas City was able to sack him eight times.
Under no pressure, the Texans signal-caller completed 13 of 17 passes for 166 yards and two excellent throws, earning a 94.6 passing grade.
Despite the injury, he was still able to rush six times for 42 yards and make three first downs, gaining 20 yards after contact.
Stroud finished the playoffs ranked fourth in PFF’s grade (74.0). He completed 41 passes for 527 yards, threw one touchdown against one interception and finished leading both the team in rushing attempts (4) and scoring games (5).
8. KB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (83.9)
Jackson completed 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the divisional round. He earned a 92.1 passing grade from a clean pocket, completing 14 of 16 such attempts.
On the ground, Jackson rushed six times for 39 yards, two fumbles and three first downs, including 38 yards after contact and two runs of 10-plus yards in the second quarter.
In the divisional round, Jackson is the highest-rated quarterback (92.3). He caught 34 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns, with five scoring throws against two turnover-worthy plays. He also led all quarterbacks with 120 yards and eight first downs.
9. RB Jamir Gibbs, Detroit Lions (81.4)
Gibbs was at his best against Washington, rushing 14 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He committed five fumbles, picked up six first downs and led all running backs with five carries for 10-plus yards, including a 33-yard rush. In the passing game, Gibbs caught six of 10 targets for a 70-yard gain.
Gibbs’ speed score of 88.2 is the highest among runners in the divisional round.
10. VR Amon-Ra st. Brown, Detroit Lions (80.4)
St. Brown caught eight passes for 137 yards and moved the chains seven times. He recorded four explosive gains of 15 or more yards, including three catches of 20 or more yards, and averaged 7.8 yards after the catch per reception.
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