• A battle between two stars: Thursday night’s divisional matchup between Cincinnati and Baltimore will showcase the two highest-rated quarterbacks under pressure this season. Joe Burrow leads with a 111.6 passer rating under pressure, just ahead of Lamar Jackson’s 109.6 — the only two QBs with ratings above 100.0 in such situations.

• Has Bryce Young turned a corner? Young excelled at quick releases against the Saints last week. He posted career highs in yards per attempt (9.1), completion percentage (85%) and passer rating (130.1) on throws released in 2.5 seconds or less.

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Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

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Thursday night’s divisional matchup between Cincinnati and Baltimore will showcase the two highest-rated quarterbacks under pressure this season. Joe Burrow leads with a 111.6 passer rating under pressure, just ahead of Lamar Jackson’s 109.6—the only two QBs with ratings above 100 in such situations. Jackson has thrown eight touchdowns under pressure, leading the NFL, while Burrow’s seven touchdowns rank second.

Both defenses have struggled to contain big pass plays. Baltimore has allowed a league-high 73 explosive passes of 15 or more yards, while Cincinnati has given up 45, the 12th most through Week 9.

Daniel Jones leads the league in dropbacks while playing from behind, with 239 this season. He has completed 64% of his passes in those situations, putting him 16th among quarterbacks.

However, his receivers have recorded a 10% drop rate in those situations, the third-highest in the league. The Giants’ 16 drops while trailing are the most in the NFL this season.

In one of his best performances as a pro, Bryce Young excelled at quick releases against the Saints last week. He posted career highs in yards per attempt (9.1), completion percentage (85%) and passer rating (130.1) on throws released in 2.5 seconds or less.

Jonathan Greenard continues to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, with a league-leading 48 pressures in 2024. His 18.8% pressure rate is a career-high for the fifth-year edge rusher.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Devin Lloyd has posted a 91.9 run-defense grade, the second-highest among off-ball linebackers, trailing only Bobby Wagner (93.2). Lloyd has played 168 snaps against the run without a missed tackle this season, the most at the position.

Russell Wilson has significantly boosted the Steelers’ deep passing game, completing 5-of-7 attempts (71%) on throws of 20 or more yards downfield, compared to Justin Fields’ 6-of-18 (33%) on similar attempts.

However, the Commanders’ defense has been strong against deep passes, allowing the fifth-lowest completion rate at 28%.

Terry McLaurin has been a challenge to cover 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 face a tough matchup against Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who has yet to allow a touchdown in single coverage on 47 targets since entering the NFL in 2023.

If Christian McCaffrey returns 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 a rate of just 49%, tied for 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 snap in 2024.

Tristan Wirfs is having an elite season in pass protection, with a 92.2 pass-blocking grade that ranks first among left tackles. He has yet to allow a sack or QB hit, and his 1.7% pressure rate allowed is the lowest at the position. This week, Wirfs is set to face San Francisco’s edge rusher Leonard Floyd, a familiar opponent. In their 89 career pass-blocking matchups, Wirfs has yet to allow a single pressure from Floyd.

Bijan Robinson has established himself as one of the league’s top dual-threat running backs this season. His 90.6 PFF rushing grade ranks second among 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 earn a 90.0-plus grade in both rushing and receiving.

A cornerstone of Saints OC Klint Kubiak’s offense is the outside zone run. This season, the Saints rank third in outside-zone run rate (51.4%), trailing only the 49ers (55.4%) and this week’s opponent, the Falcons (62.1%). When the Saints do run outside zone, they rank sixth in EPA per play on these runs.

The Patriots are sending defensive backs on third-down pass blitzes at a league-high rate of 31% this season.

Conversely, Caleb Williams has struggled against the blitz on third down for the Bears, posting a 53.9 passer rating — the fifth-lowest among 32 qualifying quarterbacks.

The Broncos have been utilizing standout pass-rusher Zach Allen across the defensive front, but he’s been most effective when lined up directly over left tackle, generating 25 pressures from that alignment — 10 more than any other player in the league. Left tackle has been a weak spot for the Chiefs, whether with Wanya Morris or Kingsley Suamataia in the lineup. Collectively, the Chiefs’ left tackles have posted a 53.8 pass-blocking grade, the fifth lowest in the NFL.

The Chiefs’ pass rush has excelled at pressuring opposing quarterbacks quickly, with a league-best 2.25-second average time to pressure and 101 pressures occurring within 2.5 seconds or less, the third most in the NFL.

The Broncos have effectively limited quick pressure, allowing the sixth-lowest quick pressure rate at 19%. However, when quick pressure does get through, it has been challenging for Bo Nix, whose 28.0 passing grade against quick pressure ranks second-lowest among qualifying quarterbacks.

Khalil Shakir‘s 359 yards after the catch ranks first at the position, while his 159 yards after contact rank fourth. Since entering the league in 2022, Shakir’s 7.9 yards after the catch per reception average is the third-highest among 97 receivers with at least 90 regular-season receptions.

The Colts’ run game has been explosive this year, largely thanks to Jonathan Taylor. His explosive run rate of 15.2% ranks fifth among 47 running backs with a minimum of 50 carries.

Jeffery Simmons has been highly productive in run defense this season. His eight tackles for loss or no gain rank tied for second among interior defensive linemen, while his 13 run stops are tied for ninth.

The Chargers have shifted away from the run-heavy approach they started with. In Weeks 1-5, they ran the ball on 57.6% of early downs (first and second downs), the highest rate in the NFL. Since Week 6, that number has dropped to 44.7%, ranking 18th over that span. Justin Herbert has capitalized on the increased passing volume, ranking second in both PFF pass grade (90.6) and big-time throws (11) since Week 6.

With Cooper Rush taking over at quarterback, the Cowboys could see an increase in play-action usage — a tactic Rush excelled with when he stepped in as a starter in 2022.

During that season, the Cowboys used play action on 28% of pass plays with Rush under center, averaging 9.1 yards per play. This season, however, they’ve only utilized play action on 16% of pass plays (second-lowest in the league), averaging just 5.8 yards per play. They’ll face a tough test against an Eagles defense that allows only 4.9 yards per play on play-action attempts, the second-best in the NFL.

On the other side of the ball, the battle in the trenches will be key in the run game. The Eagles rank second in generating yards before contact, averaging 1.8 yards before contact per attempt on the ground. Meanwhile, the Cowboys defense has allowed an average of 1.7 yards before contact per attempt, the fourth-highest in the league.

Garrett Wilson’s highlight-reel touchdown catch last Thursday showcased his ability to make plays even when tightly covered. Wilson has recorded at least one contested catch in every game this season, with 12 total, ranking tied for third in the NFL. He’ll be up against a Cardinals defense that has allowed 31 contested catches this season, the second-most in the league.

James Conner has been the NFL’s most elusive player this season, leading all players with 60 missed tackles forced—17 more than the next closest. Missed tackles have been a persistent issue for the Jets’ defense, especially against the run, as they’ve racked up 63 missed tackles on run plays, 13 more than any other team.

C.J. Stroud has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks, largely due to struggles along the interior offensive line. Texans guards and centers have combined for a 52.1 pass-blocking grade, the sixth-lowest in the league, and their 13 sacks allowed leads all teams.

Without Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions’ interior pass rush has stepped up, with Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike both ranking in the top 15 at their position in pressures. The Lions’ 69 total pressures by interior defenders are tied for third in the NFL.

Jahmyr Gibbs has excelled in the Lions’ zone-heavy run scheme, leading all running backs with 6.9 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns on zone runs in 2024. DeMeco Ryans’ Texans defense has consistently defended zone runs well, ranking first in defensive success rate against zone runs last season and sixth this year.

The Miami defense has been one of the more blitz-heavy units this season, with a 42.0% blitz rate, the fourth-highest in the NFL. However, they’ve struggled to capitalize on this aggression, recording sacks on only 3.8% of their blitzes, 29th in the league.

On the other hand, the Rams have been highly effective against the blitz, averaging 6.1 yards per play, the seventh highest in the NFL. With Matthew Stafford under center, the Rams have been able to generate explosive plays against the blitz, with a 19.2% explosive pass rate (15+ yards) that ranks fifth in the league.