• Rasul Douglas continues his strong season: Douglas earned the highest coverage grade (95.3) at the position in Week 11, notably hauling in two interceptions against the Jets.
• Jalen Ramsey has been a revelation for the Dolphins: Had Ramsey played enough snaps to qualify for the rankings, he’d challenge for the top spot, as he’s been phenomenal since returning from injury. His coverage grade (90.6) ranks third at the position, his SCOE ranks first, and he is giving up an absurd -1.827 EPA per target.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
If quarterback is the most important position on the football field, then limiting the effectiveness of that player is the most important thing a defense can do.
A team can do this in two ways: It can pressure the passer to disrupt his timing, rhythm and accuracy, or it can shut down the opposing receivers.
These rankings will combine PFF coverage grades with our Successful Coverage Over Expected (SCOE) data, which looks at how well each coverage defender performed on non-targeted coverage snaps, as we grade every coverage defender’s ability to prevent separation whether they are targeted on the play or not.
| Week 12 Rank | Change | Player | Team | Grade Rank | SCOE Rank |
| 1 | no change | Darious Williams | Jaguars | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | up 1 | Sauce Gardner | Jets | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | up 2 | Rasul Douglas | Bills | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | no change | Kenny Moore II | Colts | 11 | 1 |
| 5 | down 3 | Kendall Fuller | Commanders | 10 | 4 |
| 6 | new | Ja'Quan McMillian | Broncos | 8 | 11 |
| 7 | up 2 | Charvarius Ward | 49ers | 14 | 10 |
| 8 | up 4 | Jaylon Johnson | Bears | 7 | 23 |
| 9 | up 8 | Devon Witherspoon | Seahawks | 9 | 23 |
| 10 | down 2 | Steven Nelson | Texans | 12 | 22 |
| 11 | down 4 | Joey Porter Jr. | Steelers | 16 | 17 |
| 12 | up 9 | Christian Benford | Bills | 23 | 7 |
| 13 | down 3 | Brian Branch | Lions | 26 | 7 |
| 14 | up 3 | Marcus Peters | Raiders | 19 | 19 |
| 15 | down 2 | Tre Herndon | Jaguars | 21 | 19 |
| 16 | down 10 | Donte Jackson | Panthers | 34 | 2 |
| 17 | down 6 | Taron Johnson | Bills | 27 | 13 |
| 18 | down 4 | Paulson Adebo | Saints | 1 | 60 |
| 19 | down 4 | Michael Carter II | Jets | 33 | 15 |
| 20 | down 1 | A.J. Terrell | Falcons | 30 | 23 |
| 21 | down 5 | Jaylon Jones | Colts | 44 | 3 |
| 22 | up 1 | Tre Brown | Seahawks | 15 | 47 |
| 23 | up 8 | Tariq Woolen | Seahawks | 18 | 43 |
| 24 | down 4 | Trent McDuffie | Chiefs | 13 | 53 |
| 25 | up 7 | Sean Murphy-Bunting | Titans | 20 | 44 |
| 26 | down 2 | D.J. Reed | Jets | 6 | 69 |
| 27 | up 6 | Greg Newsome II | Browns | 21 | 47 |
| 28 | no change | Dane Jackson | Bills | 24 | 46 |
| 29 | down 2 | DaRon Bland | Cowboys | 1 | 83 |
| 30 | down 5 | Shaquill Griffin | Texans | 38 | 29 |
| 31 | down 1 | Pat Surtain II | Broncos | 39 | 30 |
| 32 | up 1 | Tyson Campbell | Jaguars | 40 | 30 |
Highlights from Week 11
Highest-Graded Coverage Defender: Rasul Douglas, Buffalo Bills
Douglas earned the highest coverage grade (95.3) at the position in Week 11, notably hauling in two interceptions against the Jets. Add on his pass stop and a forced incompletion, and Douglas was phenomenal last Sunday, allowing one catch on six targets for just 6 yards.
Most Forced Incompletions: Charvarius Ward, San Francisco 49ers
It was an active day for Ward, as he saw 11 total targets come his way. However, he was able to force three incompletions, getting his hands on two passes and another where his tight coverage prevented a completion.
Top-ranked in SCOE: Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills
Benford has been a mainstay on the rankings all year long. He made life difficult for whoever was behind center for the Jets last Sunday, as he limited separation at an elite level and allowed -0.376 expected points added (EPA) per target.
Benford forced two incompletions, dropped an interception and allowed zero catches into his coverage area en route to an 87.1 coverage grade.
Lowest completion percentage allowed (minimum five targets): Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins
Had Ramsey played enough snaps to qualify for the rankings, he’d challenge for the top spot, as he’s been phenomenal since returning from injury. His coverage grade (90.6) ranks third at the position, his SCOE ranks first, and he is giving up an absurd -1.827 EPA per target. He’s been targeted 16 times and allowed just four catches for 41 yards and two first downs, and he has hauled in three interceptions and made two pass stops.
In week 11, Ramsey was targeted 10 times and allowed one catch (10% completion percentage) for 4 yards, adding two impressive interceptions and a pass stop. Ramsey hit the ground running and looks fully healthy.
Most Impactful Cornerback of the Season: Da’Ron Bland, Dallas Cowboys
Bland is allowing -0.603 EPA per target for the season, boosted by his four pick-sixes, a mark that ties the NFL record for a season — and he still has almost half a season to go.
Bland’s 90.9 coverage grade tops all cornerbacks, and his 10 forced incompletions is tied for ninth with teammate Stephon Gilmore.
Bland is making a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year, even though the award doesn’t typically go to cornerbacks. It last went to a cornerback in 2019 when Gilmore was a New England Patriot. In 2009, Charles Woodson won the award with the Green Bay Packers, and Deion Sanders won it in 1994, his lone season with the San Francisco 49ers.
In 1993, Eric Allen returned four interceptions for touchdowns but didn’t win the award. It went to Rod Woodson, who snagged nine interceptions on the season. So, while Bland’s highlight reel is impressive and he’s the top-graded cornerback for the season, he’s not a shoo-in.
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