Both of the championship games played out completely differently, but both ended up being extremely close and going right to the wire. Take a look at some of the defensive players that made a difference for their team and yours.
Sam Shields was outstanding against the Chicago Bears. The part-time starter managed to generate 4 solo tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 2 passes defended. Shields has only 8 total starts this year, with 2 of them in the playoffs. He has generated a pretty good 7.8 overall PFF rating, with a 2.8 rating in the championship game. Shields played on 75.4% of the snaps this year in games he played in, missing Week 5’s contest.
Defensive stalwart Clay Matthews had a productive day with 5 solo tackles, 6 total tackles, and 0.5 sacks. This pushes his overall PFF rating to 18.3. However, he’s been a pretty disappointing player in real life, with a negative 4.1 playoff rating. On the year, Matthews has barely missed a down, playing 94.1% of snaps this year.
Continuing his outstanding comeback season, Brian Urlacher was able to accumulate 9 solo tackles, 10 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, and 1 pass defended. His 2.3 PFF rating in the championship game allows him to finish with a 24.9 overall PFF rating. Proving he’s not a health risk, Urlacher only missed 16 snaps all year.
David Harris continued his strong play through the playoffs with 7 solo tackles, and 9 total tackles. He finishes the year with a 0.9 overall PFF rating, however he had a counterintuitive negative 6.4 rating during playoffs.
Lawrence Timmons had his usual big game with 9 solo tackles, 10 total tackles, and 1 pass defended. His 1.6 PFF rating in the championship game brings his overall rating back up to 31.6. One of the top fantasy players this year, Timmons was on the field for 93% of the snaps this year.
Turning back the clock again, James Farrior had a strong game with 5 solo tackles, and 8 total tackles. He currently owns a 30.3 overall PFF rating, gaining an additional 2.0 rating during the championship game. Still a big presence on the Steelers' defense, Farrior was on the field for 89.2% of the total snaps this year.
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.