• Here comes the blitz: The Buccaneers lead the league in blitz rate this season at 54.4%, the third-highest mark for a defense through the first four games since 2020.
• Can Garrett Wilson get going in London? Despite having Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback in 2024, Jets receiver Garrett Wilson is off to the slowest start of his career. His 191 receiving yards over the first four games are the lowest he’s posted since 2021, and his 1.26 yards per route run is also a career-low for this point in the season.
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TB@ATL | NYJ@MIN | BUF@HOU | MIA@NE | IND@JAX | BAL@CIN CAR@CHI | CLE@WAS | LV@DEN | ARI@SF | NYG@SEA | GB@LAR | DAL@PIT | NO@KC
The Buccaneers lead the league in blitz rate this season at 54.4%, the third-highest mark for a defense through the first four games since 2020.
Kirk Cousins enters the week ranked 25th in passer rating (71.1) against the blitz while also posting the seventh-highest turnover-worthy play rate (5.1%) on those same plays.
Despite having Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback in 2024, Jets receiver Garrett Wilson is off to the slowest start of his career. His 191 receiving yards over the first four games are the lowest he’s posted since 2021, and his 1.26 yards per route run is also a career-low for this point in the season.
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, no defensive backs have rushed the passer more frequently than Josh Metellus (136 snaps) and Harrison Smith (115). Metellus leads all defensive backs with 30 total pressures on those pass-rush snaps.
Diontae Johnson‘s 25 targets in single coverage lead all wide receivers in 2024, largely thanks to the change to Andy Dalton at quarterback. Over the past two weeks alone, Johnson has seen 17 targets in single coverage, including two touchdown receptions.
D.J. Moore is on pace for single-season lows in average depth of target (8.4 yards) and yards per reception (8.4). His 1.20 yards per route run is also currently on track to be a career-worst mark, well below his 1.74 from 2022.
Derrick Henry continues to excel in creating yards after contact, currently ranking second among running backs with 267 yards after contact — a total that would place him 14th overall in rushing yards for the position.
Among 49 running backs with at least 25 rushing attempts this season, Chase Brown leads the pack with an impressive 4.5 yards after contact per attempt.
Christian Benford is allowing a league-best 14.6 passer rating when targeted in this season. Aside from giving up 25 yards on four receptions in Buffalo’s Week 2 game against Miami, Benford has surrendered just one catch on five targets across his other three games.
Nico Collins is PFF’s highest-graded wide receiver (91.2) through the first four weeks of the 2024 season. He leads the league with 17 explosive receptions — he is the only pass-catcher in the NFL with double digits in that category.
E.J. Speed leads the NFL in defensive stops this season with 21. The last Colts defender to finish in the top five in this category was Anthony Walker, who recorded 53 stops in 2019.
A bright spot for Jacksonville this season has been rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who ranks second in yards per route run (2.35) among all receivers from the 2024 draft class.
Since entering the NFL in 2020, Jordyn Brooks has amassed 185 defensive stops, ranking 10th among linebackers during that span. This season, his 13 stops lead the Miami Dolphins.
Keion White has emerged as a standout for New England this season, showcasing elite pass-rushing ability. White has improved dramatically after finishing last season with a 52.3 pass-rush grade, ranking 104th out of 114 qualifying edge rushers. Through four games in 2024, he boasts a 90.0 pass-rush grade, ranking the fifth-best at the position. Of White’s team-leading 17 total pressures, 14 have been classified as “quick pressures,” recorded in 2.5 seconds or less.
Jayden Daniels has made an impressive start to his NFL career, leading the league with an 82% completion rate through four weeks. His performance is even more remarkable on intermediate throws (10-19 yards downfield), where his completion percentage climbs to a league-best 83%, coupled with a third-ranked 91.9 PFF passing grade. However, he faces a tough test against the Browns defense, which has excelled at shutting down intermediate throws, allowing just seven completions for 92 yards and a league-leading 29% completion rate.
On the other side of the ball, a key battle will unfold between two struggling units on third down. The Browns’ offense ranks last in the NFL with a 23% conversion rate on third down, while the Commanders’ defense has allowed a league-worst 55% conversion rate, making third downs a critical factor in this matchup.
The Bo Nix experience has certainly been a roller coaster, but one area where he has excelled is avoiding sacks under pressure.
Nix’s 7% pressure-to-sack rate ranks first among 32 qualifying quarterbacks, and his five scrambling conversions against pressure rank second only to fellow rookie Jayden Daniels. He’ll face a challenge this week against a Raiders defense that generates unblocked pressure on 12% of snaps (fifth-best in the league) and has recorded six sacks on such plays (tied for most).
The Raiders haven’t seen much red-zone action this season, with just 27 total red-zone plays (ahead of only the Browns). However, they’ve been efficient, scoring touchdowns on 7 of their 10 red-zone drives (70%), ranking fifth-best in the NFL.
The Broncos defense has been equally impressive in the red zone, allowing only 25 total red-zone plays (the fifth-fewest) and holding opponents to a 29% touchdown rate (the third-best).
Kyler Murray has already matched his total number of deep touchdown passes (20-plus yards) from 2023 with three already this season. His six big-time throws at this distance are tied for the most in the NFL in 2024.
Brock Purdy currently ranks second among quarterbacks with a 74.6% air-yard percentage, a significant leap from his 14th-place finish last season (54.4%). Since Kyle Shanahan became head coach of the 49ers, the team’s highest single-season air yards percentage was 55.6% in 2017.
The Packers have dominated the ground this season, producing 464 rushing yards after contact (second-most in the league) and forcing 27 missed tackles (tied for fifth-most). The Rams defense has struggled in these areas, allowing 353 yards after contact (fourth-worst) and missing 30 tackles (second-worst).
Matthew Stafford has had issues with downfield throws this season, posting a 44.3 PFF passing grade on passes of 15-plus yards, the third-worst among qualifying quarterbacks. His five turnover-worthy plays on those throws are tied for the second most in the league. With Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who leads the league with four interceptions on downfield passes, in the secondary, Stafford will need to be extra cautious.
Malik Nabers has quickly made a name for himself as one of the NFL’s top young receivers, and his separation skills are a major factor. He ranks tenth among wide receivers this season with a 68% separation rate according to PFF’s new metric, and his 24 open targets lead the league. The potential matchups between Nabers and Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen will be worth watching, as Woolen has yet to allow an open target in 136 coverage snaps this season — a stat no other defender with 100+ coverage snaps can match.
Geno Smith has faced the blitz more than any other quarterback this season, with 73 blitzed snaps, yet he’s handled the pressure impressively. Among qualifying quarterbacks, Smith ranks fifth in completion percentage (75%) and fourth in first down or touchdown rate (47%) when blitzed. He’s likely to see more of the same against a Giants defense that ranks tenth in blitz rate (34%) and third in sacks off blitzes with nine.
Steelers center Zach Frazier has quickly made an impact, as his 80.1 run-blocking grade leads all rookie offensive linemen. The Steelers have made him a focal point of their run game, as they are tied for fifth in the NFL with 34 carries directed right or left of the center.
On the other side, the big question for the Cowboys is which version of their interior run defense will show up. In Weeks 1-3, their defensive line ranked last in the league with a 25.7 PFF run-defense grade. The group bounced back in Week 4, earning a 72.3 grade against the Giants.
CeeDee Lamb has thrived in creating explosive plays on the outside this season. Four of his five explosive plays (15-plus yards) have come on targets outside the numbers, where his 200 receiving yards rank fourth in the NFL. However, he faces a stiff challenge this week against a Steelers defense that has allowed just 205 total receiving yards on outside targets, the best mark in the league so far.
Travis Kelce has seen just 22 targets through the first four weeks, marking the lowest total of his career at this point in the season. However, with Chiefs leading receiver Rashee Rice out, Kelce has a prime opportunity to reclaim his role as the focal point of the passing game. He’ll face a favorable matchup against a Saints defense that has allowed a league-high 12.8 yards per catch to tight ends.
On the ground, the Saints have relied heavily on zone runs under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. They lead the NFL with 89 attempts, 406 rushing yards, and five touchdowns from zone schemes. They’ll face a challenge this week against a Chiefs defense that has been stout against zone runs, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry, the fourth-best mark in the league.
