20 PFF stats to know after Week 3 of the 2019 NFL regular season
BY BEN COOPER ProFootballFocus.com
SEP 26, 2019
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It was the week of the backup quarterback, but nonetheless, both stellar and subpar efforts popped up all over the field in Week 3. Some came from those aforementioned new signal-callers, while others came from seasoned veterans who have dominated for years.
Here are 20 PFF stats to know after Week 3 of the 2019 NFL regular season.
MARCUS MARIOTA HAS BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE POCKET
Marcus Mariota has stood in the pocket for 2.5 seconds or longer on 69% of his dropbacks so far this season. If he were to maintain that rate, it would be the highest for a qualifying quarterback since 2013. That’s not necessarily something to be proud of, though, as Mariota has been sacked a league-high 14 times. Seven of those came in Week 3, where he stayed in the pocket 2.5 seconds or longer on 75.5% of his dropbacks.
MATT STAFFORD IS SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
T.J. Hockenson was the seventh-highest graded tight end in Week 1 but has failed to reach those heights in each of the past two games. Meanwhile, Kenny Golladay earned the fourth-best grade among wideouts in Week 2 (89.4) and Marvin Jones Jr. notched the third-best mark in Week 3 (90.0). After Golladay nearly doubled the number of targets the next highest Lions wideout saw in 2018, Stafford is making the most of his plethora of weapons thus far in 2019.
JAVON HARGRAVE MADE HIS PRESENCE FELT IN WEEK 3
After failing to record a run stop in two weeks of action, Javon Hargrave notched five in Week 3 — tied for the most among interior defenders. That led to a 22.7 run stop percentage, ranking third among players with 15 or more run-defense snaps at the position last week. Hargrave is understandably overshadowed by Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward on a consistent basis, but his 82.7 overall grade last year is already proving to be no fluke.
THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS HAVE SOME TACKLING PROBLEMS
After posting a league-high 19 missed tackles in Week 3, the Seahawks lead the NFL in missed tackle rate through three weeks (19%). That’s two percentage points higher than the worst team in 2018 (the Cleveland Browns), as well as two percentage points higher than the next worst team in 2019. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks leads the team with six.
THE USUALLY-DOMINANT PASS-RUSHERS FLEXED THEIR MUSCLES
The top four pass-rushers in Week 3 by total pressures were Cameron Jordan, J.J. Watt, Calais Campbell and Khalil Mack. That is quite a group, to say the least. All four earned 90.0-plus grades in 2018, and it’s clear that their dominance hasn’t wavered in 2019. The group combined for eight sacks, five quarterback hits and 22 hurries in Week 3.
DESHAUN WATSON WAS LIGHTS OUT ON LONGER THROWS
The majority of NFL quarterbacks have three or fewer big-time throws so far this season. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson had four alone just last week, with all of them coming on throws targeted 10 or more yards downfield. On those passes, he went 8-of-14 for 215 yards and three touchdowns, accumulating a grade of 89.7 in those situations. While his offensive line remains shaky, Watson continues to impress.
WITH SAQUON BARKLEY OUT, THE GIANTS’ RUSHING ATTACK COULD BE IN TROUBLE
Believe it or not, the Giants lead the league in explosive run-play rate through three weeks, with 21.4% of their attempts going for 10 or more yards. And perhaps a bit more believable, Saquon Barkley accounted for 75% of those runs before going down with what is expected to be a multi-week injury. Daniel Jones could continue to impress, but the New York rushing attack will almost certainly be less potent moving forward.
IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD OF CARLTON DAVIS, GET FAMILIAR
Second-year cornerback Carlton Davis has been putting on a show through three weeks. He’s faced 25 targets, allowing just seven of them to be completed into his coverage. And while 12 of those targets have been deemed uncatchable or drops, Davis has allowed his defender to get more than a step of separation on just five of the 25 passes thrown his way. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have something special in the 22-year-old Auburn product.
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