• Battle of two stars: Thursday night’s divisional matchup between Cincinnati and Baltimore will showcase two of the highest-rated quarterbacks under pressure this season. Joe Burrow leads the way with a 111.6 passer rating under pressure, just ahead Lamar Jackson109.6 are the only two QBs rated above 100.0 in these situations.
• Has Bryce Young turned the corner? Young excelled on a quick release last week against the Saints. He posted career-highs in yards per attempt (9.1), completion percentage (85%) and passer rating (130.1) on throws completed in 2.5 seconds or less.
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KIN@BAL | NEW@CAR | MY@JAX | PIT @ WAS | SF@TB | ATL@NO | NE@CHI DEN@KS | BUF@IND | TEN@LAK | FI@DAL | New York @ RI
DET@HOU | MIA@LAR
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Thursday night’s divisional matchup between Cincinnati and Baltimore will showcase two of the highest-rated quarterbacks under pressure this season. Joe Burrow leads the way with a 111.6 passer rating under pressure, just ahead Lamar Jackson109.6 are the only two QBs rated above 100 in these situations. Jackson’s eight touchdowns under pressure lead the NFL, while Burrow’s seven touchdowns rank second.
Both defenses struggled to contain big passes. Baltimore threw a league-high 73 explosive passes of 15 yards or more, while Cincinnati threw 45, 12th-most in Week 9.
New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers
Daniel Jones leads the league in defenders playing from behind with 239 this season. He completed 64% of his passes in those situations, ranking 16th among quarterbacks.
However, his receivers recorded a drop rate of 10% in such situations, the third-highest rate in the league. The Giants’ 16 turnovers while trailing are the most in the NFL this season.
In one of his best performances as a professional, Bryce Young excelled on a quick release last week against the Saints. He posted career-highs in yards per attempt (9.1), completion percentage (85%) and passer rating (130.1) on throws completed in 2.5 seconds or less.
Minnesota Vikings @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Jonathan Greenard continues to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, with a league-leading 48 pressures in 2024. His pressure rate of 18.8% is a career high for a fifth-year starter.
From the start of the 2023 season Devin Lloyd posted a defensive rating of 91.9, second highest among off-ball midfielders, second only to Bobby Wagner (93.2). Lloyd has played 168 snaps against a streak without a missed tackle this season, the most at the position.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington commanders
Russell Wilson significantly improved the Steelers deep passing game, completing 5 of 7 attempts (71%) on throws 20 yards or more downfield, compared to Justin Fields‘ 6 out of 18 (33%) repeated similar attempts.
However, the Commanders defense was strong against deep passes, allowing the fifth-best success rate at 28%.
Terry McLaurin It hasn’t been easy to defend in one-on-one situations this season, ranking second in the NFL with 361 receiving yards against single coverage and tied for first with four touchdowns. He’ll have a tough matchup against the Steelers’ quarterback. Joey Porter youngerwho has yet to allow a single-coverage touchdown on 47 targets since entering the NFL in 2023.
San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If Christian McCaffrey Returning this week, he could provide a much-needed boost to a 49ers offense that has struggled in the red zone this season. San Francisco is converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns at just 49%, ranking 24th in the NFL. Since joining the 49ers in Week 7 of the 2022 season, McCaffrey leads all players with 115 red zone touches despite not playing a single snap in 2024.
Tristan Wirfs is having an elite season in pass protection with a 92.2 pass-blocking grade, which ranks first among left tackles. He has yet to allow a sack or a QB hit, and his 1.7% pressure rate allowed is the lowest at the position. Wirfs will face off against a San Francisco player this week. Leonard Floydfamiliar enemy. In his 89 pass-blocking games, Wirfs never allowed pressure from Floyd.
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
Sesame Robinson has established himself as one of the league’s best dual-threat running backs this season. His 90.6 PFF grade ranks second among the 40 running backs with 200 or more snaps, and his 90.3 PFF receiving grade also ranks second. Robinson is the only running back in the NFL to grade 90.0+ in both rushing and receiving.
The cornerstone of Saints OC Clint Kubiak’s offense is zone running. The Saints rank third this season in outside zone run rate (51.4%), behind only the 49ers (55.4%) and this week’s opponent Falcons (62.1%). When the Saints run zone runs, they rank sixth in EPA per play on those runs.
New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears
The Patriots are blitzing defenders on third down at a league-high 31% rate this season.
Vice versa, Caleb Williams struggled against the blitz, trailing the Bears third with a 53.9 passer rating, fifth-lowest among the 32 quarterbacks who qualified.
Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos have an outstanding pass rusher. Zach Allen on the defensive front, but he was most effective when positioned directly over left tackle, generating 25 pressures from that formation – 10 more than any other player in the league. Left tackle has been a weak spot for the Chiefs despite Vanya Morris or Kingsley Suamatia in the line. Collectively, the Chiefs’ left tackles posted a pass-blocking grade of 53.8, fifth-lowest in the NFL.
The Chiefs’ pass rush excels at getting pressure on opposing defenders quickly, with a league-leading average pressure time of 2.25 seconds and 101 pressures occurring in 2.5 seconds or less, third-highest in the NFL.
The Broncos have effectively limited rushing pressures, allowing them to rank sixth in rushing pressures at 19%. However, when the rapid pressure does pass, it becomes a difficult task for Bo Nixwhose 28.0 passing grade against rushing pressure ranks second among qualifying quarterbacks.
Buffalo Bills @ Indianapolis Colts
Khalil Shakir‘s His 359 yards after the catch ranks first at the position, while his 159 yards after contact ranks fourth. Since entering the league in 2022, Shakir’s average of 7.9 yards after the catch per reception is third-highest among the 97 receivers with at least 90 receptions in the regular season.
The Colts’ play has been explosive this year, thanks in large part to Jonathan Taylor. His explosive run rate (15.2%) ranks fifth among 47 running backs with at least 50 carries.
Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Chargers
Jeffrey Simmons has been very productive in run defense this season. His eight tackles for loss or no gain are tied for second among interior defensive linemen, and his 13 run stops are tied for ninth.
The Chargers have moved away from the approach they started with. During Weeks 1-5, they ran the ball on 57.6% of early downs (first and second), which is the highest in the NFL. Starting in week 6, that number dropped to 44.7%, ranking 18th in that period. Justin Herbert took advantage of the increase in passing numbers, ranking second in both PFF passer rating (90.6) and pass attempts (11) since Week 6.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
WITH Cooper Rush By taking over the quarterback spot, the Cowboys could see an increase in play-action usage, a tactic Rush excelled at when he took over as the starter in 2022.
During this season, the Cowboys used play action on 28% of their passes with Rush under center, averaging 9.1 yards per play. However, they have used play action on just 16% of their passes this season (second-worst in the league), averaging just 5.8 yards per play. They face a tough test against an Eagles defense that is allowing just 4.9 yards per play on play-action attempts, second-best in the NFL.
On the other hand, the battle in the trenches will be key in the running game. The Eagles rank second in yards before contact, averaging 1.8 yards before contact per attempt on the ground. Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ defense is allowing an average of 1.7 yards to contact per attempt, which ranks fourth in the league.
New York Jets @ Arizona Cardinals
Garrett WilsonLast Thursday’s touchdown catch demonstrated his ability to make plays even when covered tight. Wilson has recorded at least one contested catch in every game this season, for a total of 12, which ranks third in the NFL. He’ll be up against a Cardinals defense that has allowed 31 contested catches this season, second-most in the league.
James Conner was the most elusive player in the NFL this season, leading all players with 60 missed tackles, 17 more than the next closest player. Missed tackles have been a constant problem for the Jets defense, especially against the run, as they have racked up 63 missed tackles in run games, 13 more than any other team.
Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud He has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks, largely due to struggles on the interior offensive line. The Texas defensive backs and centers combined for a 52.1 pass-blocking grade, sixth-lowest in the league, and their 13 sacks led all teams.
Without Aidan HutchinsonThe Lions’ passing attack has picked up and Alim McNeil And Leo Onwuzurike both rank in the top 15 at their position in pressure. The Lions’ interior defenders’ total offensive tackle total is 69, which ranks third in the NFL.
Jamir Gibbs excelled in the Lions’ zone running scheme, leading all running backs with 6.9 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns against zone runs in 2024. DeMeco Ryans’ Texans defense has consistently defended zone runs well, ranking first in success rate against zone runs last season and sixth this year.
Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Rams
Miami’s defense has been one of the most active on the blitz this season, with a 42.0% blitz rate, which is fourth-highest in the NFL. However, they struggled to capitalize on that aggression, recording sacks on only 3.8% of their blitzes, 29th in the league.
On the other hand, the Rams are very effective against the blitz, averaging 6.1 yards per play, which ranks seventh in the NFL. WITH Matthew Stafford Under center, the Rams were able to create explosive play against the blitz, with an explosive 19.2% pass rate (15+ yards), which ranked fifth in the league.
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