- The Steelers defense stepped up in a big way: The edge duo of Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt combined for six total pressures — including three sacks — and each forced a fumble, with both earning PFF grades of 85.0 or higher.
- The Buffalo Bills defense held Patrick Mahomes to the lowest completion percentage of his career: The Chiefs quarterback produced four big-time throws but also three turnover-worthy plays, and even after accounting for batted passes and throwaways, his adjusted completion rate was just 55.2%.
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PFF grades are now live for the NFL Week 9.
Each week, we will highlight an interesting grade or stat from every game in the NFL. Click here to dive into PFF Premium Stats for yourself. To dig deeper into every game, including snap counts for every player, subscribe to PFF+.
It’s everything you need to quickly catch up on the action and dive deeper into team and player performance.
Baltimore Ravens 28, Miami Dolphins 6
Lost in the spotlight of Lamar Jackson’s impressive return was the breakout performance of Ravens rookie safety Malaki Starks, who turned in the best game of his young career on Thursday Night Football.
The former Georgia Bulldog intercepted a pass, recorded three tackles that resulted in defensive stops, and allowed just one reception for five yards on three targets in coverage. Starks earned an 89.0 PFF coverage grade and a 75.6 PFF run-defense grade, culminating in a 91.2 overall PFF grade — the highest mark of any defensive player this week.
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Carolina Panthers 16, Green Bay Packers 13
Running back Rico Dowdle handled the bulk of the carries for the Panthers offense and once again delivered an impressive performance. He averaged 3.76 yards after contact per attempt, forced four missed tackles and scored twice, earning a 74.6 PFF grade for the game.
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Los Angeles Chargers 27, Tennessee Titans 20
Edge defender Odafe Oweh has made an immediate impact since joining the Chargers via trade. In their win over the Titans, he earned an 80.7 PFF pass-rushing grade, recording three total pressures — including two sacks — and posting a 26.7% PFF pass-rush win rate.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Indianapolis Colts 20
The Steelers defense has faced plenty of criticism early this season, but it stepped up in a big way during the win over the Colts. The edge duo of Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt combined for six total pressures — including three sacks — and each forced a fumble, with both earning PFF grades of 85.0 or higher.
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Denver Broncos 18, Houston Texans 15
With the Texans defense providing a stiff challenge, the Broncos defense had to step up — and thanks to players like Zach Allen, that’s exactly what happened. Allen earned an 81.3 PFF grade, recording four total pressures, including a sack and two quarterback hits, while posting a 21.4% PFF pass-rush win rate.
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San Francisco 49ers 34, New York Giants 24
The 49ers offense continues to run through Christian McCaffrey — both on the ground and through the air. In the win over the Giants, he averaged 2.68 yards per route run, catching all five of his targets for 67 yards and a touchdown while adding 106 yards and another score on 28 carries.
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Chicago Bears 47, Cincinnati Bengals 42
After a slow start to his NFL career, Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland broke out in Chicago’s win over the Bengals on Sunday. He ran 34 routes, catching six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns — including the game-winner — while averaging 3.47 yards per route run and forcing two missed tackles. Loveland earned an 86.3 PFF grade for his performance.
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Minnesota Vikings 27, Detroit Lions 24
Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy turned in an up-and-down performance in his return to the field this week, completing 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He recorded two big-time throws but also a turnover-worthy play, finishing the game with a 63.5 PFF grade.
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New England Patriots 24, Atlanta Falcons 23
Despite logging just 13 snaps as a receiver, DeMario Douglas provided a much-needed spark for the Patriots offense this week. He averaged 7.69 yards per route run, catching four passes for 100 yards and earning a 95.7 PFF receiving grade. Three of his four receptions went for explosive gains of 15-plus yards, and he posted an average depth of target of 21.8 yards.
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Los Angeles Rams 34, New Orleans Saints 10
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua returned from injury this week and looked sharp before exiting the game with another injury (Rams head coach Sean McVay noted afterward that Nacua could have returned if needed). The second-year receiver earned a 90.9 PFF receiving grade and averaged 4.32 yards per route run, catching all seven of his targets for 97 yards.
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Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Las Vegas Raiders 29
The Jaguars came out on top after a wild fourth quarter and overtime in Las Vegas, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence earning a PFF grade above 65.0 for the fourth straight game. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 220 yards despite three drops, but he also recorded a turnover-worthy play on a poor throw from the Raiders’ two-yard line.
The concern for Lawrence this season is that, while he’s avoided truly poor outings, we’re now nine weeks into the year and he has yet to post a game with a PFF grade above 75.0. His 2.3% big-time throw rate is tied for the fourth-lowest mark among qualified quarterbacks.
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Buffalo Bills 28, Kansas City Chiefs 21
The story of this game was how the Buffalo Bills defense held Patrick Mahomes to the lowest completion percentage of his career. The Chiefs quarterback produced four big-time throws but also three turnover-worthy plays, and even after accounting for batted passes and throwaways, his adjusted completion rate was just 55.2%.
A major factor was Buffalo’s consistent pressure — the Bills hurried Mahomes on 46.2% of his dropbacks, limiting him to just three completions on 15 attempts under pressure compared to 12-of-19 when kept clean.
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Seattle Seahawks 38, Washington Commanders 14
With another week in the books, Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to build what’s shaping up to be one of the best seasons ever by a wide receiver. He averaged 5.61 yards per route run in the win over the Commanders, extending his season average to 4.41 — 0.89 more than any other receiver with at least 20 targets.
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Arizona Cardinals 27, Dallas Cowboys 17
Rookie defensive tackle Walter Nolen impressed in his first regular-season action, earning an 81.7 PFF overall grade. He finished the game with three tackles resulting in a defensive stop, including a sack, while posting an 82.4 PFF run-defense grade and a 65.2 pass-rush grade in the Cardinals’ win on Monday Night Football.
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