No team is more blitz-happy than the Dolphins, who blitz opposing quarterbacks 43.9% of the time. Injuries have hit Pittsburghs defense hard. Head coach Mike McCarthy will tell you an offense has to scrap its base plan when they fall behind by three or more scores. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The INT ratio regressed to the mean late in the season, and the fumble recoveries will probably do the same soon enough. As talented as their defensive front is, they need more pressure from that group. The Colts zone-heavy approach to defense paid major dividends in 2020, allowing players like Xavier Rhodes to revive his career after an ugly end to his tenure in Minnesota. Donald has 42 total pressures this season and a 91.5 PFF pass-rushing grade, while throwing the ball at Ramsey is generating just a 74.7 passer rating. Only the Jets are allowing more than the 8.3 yards per pass attempt the Lions are giving up this season, and there is no single defender who has played over 100 snaps for the team and earned a 70.0-plus overall PFF grade. 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The secondary needs to figure out life beyond Richard Sherman, who had been a real stabilizing force within Robert Salehs defense but otherwise should remain imposing. They've been gashed on the ground and ineffective at stopping the pass in some games, and then they've looked like the best defense in the NFL in others. Denver has been dominant against first and second-year head coaches this season, going 4-1 SU and ATS, including a perfect 3-0 . They're allowing an explosive pass 15.5% of the time, the 22nd-ranked mark in the league. Sports . The Rams forced eight turnovers, second-most in a playoff game in NFL history, and cruised to a 45-17 win. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Tampa Bay's secondary has been particularly badly decimated by injury. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. A season ago, the Giants' defense felt like it was frequently overachieving and causing opposing offenses problems. Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers. Most Turnovers By A NFL Player In 2021 | StatMuse Trevor Lawrence had the most turnovers in 2021, with 22 turnovers in his rookie season. Slay has three picks and two pass breakups in 2021. Turnover Differential is calculated by subtracting the total number of giveaways (interceptions & fumbles lost) from the total number of takeaways (interceptions & opponent fumble recoveries). Neither Josh Allen nor KLavon Chaisson has yet been that guy in the NFL. The Chargers' defense is a little too reliant on two players right now, and while the Rams have shown that there can be merit to that strategy, it isnt quite working as well for Brandon Staleys new team. While the entire Panthers team ran off the rails after a hot start to the year, the defense looks far closer to its original level than the offense is, even with the addition of Cam Newton at quarterback. NFL Draft Basketball News . . Join our linker program. . The Patriots will give up some plays and yards, but there has been no better defense in the league at limiting points, and they have only been getting better as the season wears on. That belies how good the unit as a whole was for much of the season. There was no better example of that than when they played the Ravens in Week 10 and simply sent the house almost every snap to try and keep Lamar Jackson under constant pressure. The defense's two best-graded players, though, are safeties Kevin Byard who is playing at an All-Pro level and Amani Hooker. Bryce Callahan was one of the best cornerbacks in the league last season but was frequently asked to play out of position to cover for injuries. LAC Chargers Los Angeles Chargers : 5 : 2. The one bright spot for them this season is that second-year corner A.J. See the fumbles statistics by player for the 2021 NFL season. It remains to be seen whether every one of those additions will work out, but if their strike rate is even average it should represent a significant upgrade. Cornerback Anthony Brown got an interception in the first quarter that kept the Eagles out of the end zone and gave the Cowboys the ball on their own 1-yard line. All rights reserved. Baltimores defense was already good, and they made some pretty significant moves to reinforce it in the offseason. I know they give us a headache every day in practice, quarterback Dak Prescott said. A season ago, the Giants' defense felt like it was frequently overachieving and causing opposing offenses problems. Finding an answer to their slot cornerback woes was needed, and the team at least increased their chances by bringing in Justin Coleman, a contingency play in case Noah Igbinoghene doesnt take a step forward in Year 2. Grady Jarrett leads the team in pressures, but he is the only Falcons defender with more than 15 on the season. Basically, those turnovers take on an extra six. See NFL player statistics across every major statistical category. Leonard Williams has been the defenses best player, and his current 62.5 PFF pass-rushing grade would be the lowest mark of his career. Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Injuries have assailed Tampa Bays defense, but it still has some teeth as the Giants discovered on Monday night in Week 11. The Eagles run one of the most vanilla defenses in the NFL, but that lack of diversity all of a sudden has been working as players simply execute the scheme better over the past few weeks. The team also needs one of their former 1st-round pass-rushers to take a big step forward this year and supply the team with a consistent volume of pressure. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Hitting on low-round surprises like LJarius Sneed last season is a huge boost. No NFL defense pressures quarterbacks at a lower rate than the Falcons, who are applying heat on only 23.0% of passing plays. Its a good thing to say when you dont have any. 1, but Butler hasnt earned a PFF coverage grade above 76 since 2016. Turnovers Forced TOV Forced. LEAGUE SEASON GP TOV MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK PF; NBA: 2022-23: 60: 809: 243.8: 118.3: 45.2: 26.5: 6.3: 5.3: 13.5: 42.0: 88.4: . But this long-awaited development has played a key role in the teams 2-1 start. Using this data, I computed the correlation coefficient for each of the drive rate stats mentioned above. Rashan Gary began to put it together as a pass-rusher last season, and a continuation of that performance into this year would give the Packers an imposing edge rush tandem with ZaDarius Smith. You know what that means. If Patrick Queen can take a step forward in development after his baptism by fire as a rookie, this group could be outstanding. Heres why he prefers it that way, Why Stars win over Coyotes came when Dallas needed it most, Are these Rangers good? It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. They were almost five percentage points better than the next-best team, and look ready to run it back again in 2021 with most of the same players on board and potentially even an upgrade opposite T.J. Watt if Melvin Ingram can stay healthy. USA, EltasZone Sportswriters, Sports Analysts, Opinion columnists, editorials and op-eds. It was probably never quite as bad as it looked, but a series of small personnel decisions have helped hugely. Marcus Peters season-ending injury has made that aggressive style riskier than in previous years, though. On top of the new additions, the team will also welcome back Donta Hightower one of the lynchpins of the defense over the past few seasons, after he opted out of 2020. Tennessees defense is working minor miracles given the issues it has with personnel and injuries. Brian Burns and Haason Reddick give the team a pair of edge rushers each with 30 or more total pressures, and the linebacker corps has been outstanding this season after suffering a downturn for a while following Luke Kuechlys retirement. The 2023 NFL combine is here, and player workouts begin in Indianapolis on Thursday. The Cowboys lead the NFL in turnovers forced heading into Week Four of the regular season. The Patriots will give up some plays and yards, but there has been no better defense in the league at limiting points, and they have only been getting better as the season wears on. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. It remains to be seen what impact, The Vikings are getting solid results, but the players they brought in to solve their run defense issues havent been getting the job done both through on-field play and absences due to injury. Many of those same issues remain, but it also shows how high the floor of this unit should be. No defense is better against the pass, and Buffalo is the only one that has surrendered explosive pass plays less than 10% of the time. Baltimores defense is one of the most aggressive in the league. but they forced 28 turnovers, sixth-most in the FBS. Big swings took place since our most recent defensive rankings, but the top remains the same. Hightower is a well-rounded linebacker that adds a positive presence to all facets of the game and can add to the pass-rush as a blitzer, and his return will be a huge boost. The Raiders are still leading the league in pressure rate, applying heat on opposing quarterbacks 40.5% of the time thanks largely to an incredible season from Maxx Crosby. The Rams defense boasts the best single player in football in the shape of Aaron Donald who once again led the league in total pressures with 98 but also elite players like Jalen Ramsey that can change how offenses have to try and attack them. Do you have a blog? Hes really making it easy for guys like me to get to the quarterback.. This defense is still formidable, but it's easier to exploit than in previous years. + Indicates Hall of Famer, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Thursday, March 2, 6:19AM. Chicagos defense still boasts one of the best individual players in football in Khalil Mack, as well as some up-and-coming potential stars like Roquan Smith at linebacker and Jaylon Johnson at corner, but the depth has been eroded in recent years and they arent the force as a group that they once were. Parsons talks about how you cant be hesitant and must be willing to take your shot when it presents itself. Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Kenny Young (41) celebrates with cornerback Jalen Ramsey (20) and defensive end Aaron Donald (99) after scoring on a 70-yard interception return in the second quarter as New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts at SoFi Stadium. Oweh is one of the most gifted athletes in the game and the Ravens do an outstanding job of scheming favorable opportunities for their pass rushers thanks to leading the league in blitz rate (46.3% last season). showing a lack of defense on most nights. Bud Dupree was the teams big free-agent signing brought over to address the pass-rush, but Dupree has had one season in the NFL with a PFF pass-rush grade above 62.0, and benefitted from one of the highest rates of unblocked and clean up pressure in the league in Pittsburgh. Trading away. Robert Quinn is doing a good job as the teams impact pass-rusher in Mack's absence, racking up seven total pressures this past week against the Ravens, but there isnt really any replacing a player of Macks caliber, even if this wasnt his best season. In each of the two conferences - the NFC and the AFC - the four division winners advanced to the playoffs . Rasheem Green leads the team with just 21 total pressures, and the Seahawks' 26.4% pressure rate ranks third-worst in the league. There have also been some major slides, with the, The wheels still have not fallen off the Cardinals' defense, although some may think thats coming. After ranking every teams offense by tiers, its now time to turn attention toward the defensive side of the ball. 2021 NFL Robert Alford hadnt played football since 2018 before this year yet currently boasts a 76.6 PFF coverage grade and is allowing just 8.6 yards per reception not just holding up, but actually excelling at the position. are still very good, but the gaps between them are where the erosion has taken place. The Eagles selected Wentz with the eighth overall choice, believing he had the potential to be a franchise quarterback. Learn how your comment data is processed. David Moore, Cowboys Insider. Cincinnatis defense has begun to undergo a lot of turnover in personnel. The Philadelphia Eagles picked Carson Wentz second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. James Bradberry had a career year at cornerback, looking like one of the best players in the league. However, the last 4-game sweep happened in 2000-2021. . The team switched coach in the offseason to Dan Quinn, and will be running a vastly more simplified defensive scheme. All Rights Reserved. Interpreted as: team with most forced turnovers this regular season.