32 NFL observations after Week 18: Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson top the pressure leaderboard, while Michael Penix Jr. shows off his arm talent
2YFNE69 Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) reacts after recording a sack during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
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• Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson are peerless in generating pressure: Garrett and Hendrickson ended up tied for the league lead in total pressures.
• Michael Penix Jr. shows off his arm talent: The rookie quarterback tied for the most big-time throws in a single game this year in Week 18.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Each week, we’ve been taking a look at some of the more interesting nuggets readers can find out about teams with our “Premium Stats” product —whether it’s who the best pass-rushers are, who the most productive receivers are, or who grades the best at certain positions. With a little time, we’ve trawled through to see what caught our eye not just from this week’s action but for the season overall.
JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Arizona Cardinals
Of all safeties, Budda Baker led the way in stops against the run (33) and defensive stops in coverage (22).
Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. had an incredible seven big-time throws this week. That wasn’t just the most of the week but tied for most of the entire season (with Geno Smith in Week 9).
Baltimore Ravens
Nobody got open more than Rashod Bateman, as his 77.27% separation percentage was the best of all receivers.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen‘s 7.1% big-time throw percentage was the best score of any quarterback this year. You have to go back to 2022 to see a better score, which just so happens to have been set by Allen.
Carolina Panthers
Since Week 12, Bryce Young has an 85.4 grade, the sixth-best of all quarterbacks in that period.
Chicago Bears
With D’Andre Swift (235) and D.J. Moore (234) finishing second and third in terms of screen yards on the year, the Bears were one of only two teams to have more than one player in the top 10 in this metric.
Cincinnati Bengals
With a strong last week, Trey Hendrickson joined Myles Garrett with 83 total pressures on the year. Those two had more than any other player.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward‘s 17 pass breakups were more than any other defender this season.
Dallas Cowboys
Brandon Aubrey‘s 95.8 grade is the highest grade we have ever awarded to a kicker.
Denver Broncos
Quinn Meinerz‘s 91.9 grade while man blocking in the run game was the highest of any offensive lineman this week.
Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s seven touchdowns from the slot are tied for the most of any receiver this season, along with Brian Thomas Jr.
Green Bay Packers
After ending the season with 88 forced missed tackles, Josh Jacobs (along with Bijan Robinson) had the most of any player during the season.
Houston Texans
Nico Collins may have missed some time, but his 91.6 receiving grade was tied for the second-highest of all wide receivers.
Indianapolis Colts
Zaire Franklin is joined by Quincy Williams at the top of the leaderboard for stops against the run. They both had 41.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Only the Lions’ Levi Onwuzurike could match the total amount of pressure Arik Armstead picked up this week. They both recorded nine.
Kansas City Chiefs
With a 68.52% lockdown percentage, Trent McDuffie had the best score of any player in 2024.
Las Vegas Raiders
Nobody caught more passes this year without dropping a ball than Jakobi Meyers‘ 87.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quentin Johnston‘s 133 yards against zone coverage this week were the most of any wide receiver.
Los Angeles Rams
It was always trending this way, but the Rams had the most pass-rushing production from a rookie edge defender (Jared Verse with 77) and rookie interior defensive lineman (Braden Fiske with 51).
Miami Dolphins
De’Von Achane finished the 2024 season with 291 yards from screen passes, the most of any player.
Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold completed 35 balls on passes thrown over 20 yards in the air, three more than the second-placed Justin Herbert.
New England Patriots
No defensive lineman made as many stops against the run as Anfernee Jennings‘ 37.
New Orleans Saints
He only got on the field for 139 run plays, but in that time, Erik McCoy had the highest grade of all centers this year at 94.5.
New York Giants
Wan’Dale Robinson forced four missed tackles this week. Along with Jerry Jeudy, that was the most of any wide receiver this week.
New York Jets
Quincy Williams‘ six stops against the run this week were the most of any defensive player, pushing him to a 31.6% run-stop percentage, the highest of any defender to play at least 10 snaps defending the run.
Philadelphia Eagles
With an 80.1% score, Jalen Hurts had the highest adjusted accuracy completion rate of all passers this year.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With a 91.4 grade, T.J. Watt had the highest grade of any edge or interior defensive lineman against the run.
San Francisco 49ers
No rookie offensive lineman had a better run-blocking grade than Dominick Puni‘s 81.5 mark.
Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ended the season with 49 first downs when lined up in the slot, 16 more than Ladd McConkey in the second spot.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zyon McCollum led the way this week in terms of pass breakups. He managed four.
Tennessee Titans
Second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat had the highest grade of any rookie interior defensive lineman this year with his 76.2 score.
Washington Commanders
It was close at the end, but Terry McLaurin finished the year with 24 contested catches successfully caught, the most of any receiver.
