• Lamar Jackson killed zone looks: Jackson was the league’s best quarterback against Cover 3 and Cover 6.

• Jayden Daniels excelled under pressure: Daniels’ 91.0 PFF passing grade versus Cover 0 was easily the highest in the NFL.

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From Patrick Mahomes to Lamar Jackson to Josh Allen and many more, the NFL is dominated by a wide range of elite quarterbacks. Watching those players’ transcendent performances each week is entertaining enough, but so too is how opposing defensive coordinators plan to slow their rolls. Sometimes, though — as the numbers below indicate — there isn’t much one can do to neutralize a superstar.

Utilizing data from the 2024 season, here are the NFL’s highest-graded quarterbacks by PFF passing grade against every major coverage type. Note that the broad umbrella of a coverage style includes some wrinkles — e.g., Cover 2 encompasses standard Cover 2 as well as Cover 2 man. A minimum of 50 dropbacks was needed to qualify versus the look unless otherwise noted.

Cover 1: Joe Burrow (90.7)

Burrow shredded Cover 1 last season, with his 90.7 PFF passing grade the best by two full grading points ahead of Russell Wilson (88.5). Burrow’s 14 big-time throws against Cover 1 ranked second (trailing only Josh Allen‘s 16), and he registered only two turnover-worthy plays on 182 Cover 1 dropbacks — the third-most in the NFL.

Interestingly enough, Burrow’s ranking isn’t due to his elite receiver tandem succeeding against Cover 1. Neither Tee Higgins nor Ja’Marr Chase recorded a PFF receiving grade above 78.4 against Cover 1, which is a surprise, given how unguardable they are in one-on-one situations.

Cover 2: Joe Burrow (91.2)

Playing two-high safeties didn’t faze the Cincinnati gunslinger much at all, either. The difference between Burrow in first place and Lamar Jackson in second place (86.0) was even bigger this time around. Burrow’s 61 first downs against Cover 2 led the league, while his 75.6% completion percentage ranked seventh.

Burrow’s PFF passing grade against Cover 2 was powered by his league-best 91.6 mark against standard Cover 2, much higher compared to his 73.8 grade against Cover 2 man. The latter was led by Tua Tagovailoa, whose 89.2 PFF passing grade against the rarer Cover 2 man was the league’s best on 13 dropbacks. Of note, Dak Prescott narrowly missed the cut-off, generating a 91.7 PFF passing grade against Cover 2, but on only 41 dropbacks.

Cover 3: Lamar Jackson (91.0)

The NFL’s highest-graded overall passer from last campaign finally makes his way onto the list due to his play against three-deep coverage shells. Jackson’s 91.0 PFF passing grade eked out Justin Herbert‘s 90.7 figure, in part because of his 12 big-time throws (second most) to only three turnover-worthy plays. Jackson’s 115.8 passer rating against Cover 3 looks was also tops.

Cover 3 can include subtleties, which offers other fascinating glimpses into quarterback play against its variations. In the case of Cover 3 cloud, Brock Purdy (84.8) was head and shoulders above any other quarterback, although no player saw more than 10 such snaps last year. Meanwhile, Cover 3 seam was much more common, with C.J. Stroud (93.4) the best passer in such situations.

Cover 4: Matthew Stafford (83.6)

Despite playing at a lower level than we’ve come to expect in 2024 — recording only a 73.3 PFF passing grade — Stafford excelled when teams played Quarters coverage. Stafford’s 83.6 PFF passing grade versus Cover 4 was the NFL’s premier mark, narrowly ahead of Burrow (82.0) and Geno Smith (81.7).

Stafford was tremendous on his own when teams played four deep — amassing a 72.9% completion rate (fifth) and seven big-time throws (tied for first), but Puka Nacua’s play did help. Nacua’s 91.7 PFF receiving grade against Quarters was the fourth best among any receiver or tight end a season ago.

Highest Big-Time Throw Rate During 2024 (Min. 400 Dropbacks)

Cover 6: Lamar Jackson (92.5)

Jackson tormented basically every opposing coverage, but he did his heavy lifting against softer zones. The two-time MVP notched a near-perfect 154.8 passer rating against Cover 6, tossing three big-time throws with zero turnover-worthy plays.

Only 13 quarterbacks faced 50-plus dropbacks involving Cover 6, against which Patrick Mahomes led the league with an 83.2 PFF passing grade. But expanding the cut-off to 40 dropbacks adds nine more players to the list and grants a more representative look against a rarer scheme. Plus, Jackson’s 47 dropbacks were only nine fewer than Mahomes’ 56; it’s not as if Mahomes has a much larger sample size.

Cover 0: Jayden Daniels (91.0)

Daniels put together one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history, regardless of position, and his unflappable nature was a significant reason why. His 91.0 PFF passing grade against looks with no deep defenders was almost eight full grading points ahead of Josh Allen (83.3) in second place. The Commanders star didn’t record a turnover-worthy play on 41 Cover 0 dropbacks, also taking only two sacks — the fewest among the four quarterbacks with 40 or more snaps.

In light of the aforementioned few quarterbacks who dealt with a regular onslaught of Cover 0, a threshold of 15 snaps was used, which spanned 25 players. Daniels and Allen remained Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, among either group.

Highest-Graded Quarterbacks Under Pressure (Min. 100 Dropbacks)

Red Zone: Lamar Jackson (90.0)

Jackson was unstoppable to defend on any blade of grass, and that extended to inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The Baltimore dynamo earned the highest PFF passing grade against red-zone looks by almost a full five points ahead of Justin Herbert (85.1) in second place. It’s not shocking to learn that Jackson wasn’t tagged with a turnover-worthy play against red-zone looks, either.

Just 25 quarterbacks confronted 15 or more “red-zone” coverage looks last season, which was used as the baseline minimum. This coverage type is more amorphous because of safeties and cornerbacks being unable to establish as much depth with their backs closer to the goal line, but it still reveals useful information.