Overall, this class blends blue-chip defensive playmakers, a deep perimeter talent pool and a more meaningful cluster of quarterbacks worthy of early consideration than last cycle.

Drake Maye threw a fourth-quarter touchdown to Hunter Henry and New England’s defense battered Justin Herbert, sacking him six times in a 16-3 Patriots win over the Chargers in an AFC wild-card game. Andy Borregales kicked three field goals as the Patriots advanced to the divisional round, holding Los Angeles to 207 yards while Herbert fell to 0-3 in the postseason.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 in their wild-card matchup, but lost star tight end George Kittle for the remainder of the playoffs. Christian McCaffrey totaled 114 yards with two receiving touchdowns, while Brock Purdy threw for 262 yards and two scores.

Josh Allen led his first career game-winning drive in the postseason, finishing it himself on back-to-back tush pushes to punch in the winning score with just over a minute remaining. The dramatic finish capped a game with four lead changes on four straight possessions and showcased Buffalo’s toughness as Allen absorbed heavy hits all day before carrying the Bills home.

The Rams survived a back-and-forth wild-card battle by answering Carolina’s go-ahead score with Matthew Stafford’s late touchdown pass toColby Parkinson, the decisive play in a narrow victory. Los Angeles leaned on clutch execution from Stafford and its playmakers in the fourth quarter, while the Panthers’ late surge ultimately fell just short.

Caleb Williams threw a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown to DJ Moore with 1:43 left as the Bears erased an 18-point deficit to beat the Packers 31-27 in a wild-card thriller. Chicago outscored Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth quarter, then sealed its first playoff win in 15 years when Jaquan Brisker deflected Jordan Love’s desperation heave on the final play.

Using PFF grades and stats, these five players have distinguished themselves once the regular season concludes and the stakes elevate.

Below are 10 head-to-head collisions to circle as the 2025 NFL postseason gets underway, including Stefon Diggs vs. Derwin James.

For the 2025 season, PFF’s awards and All-Pro selections were determined through the most rigorous process the company has used to date.

PFF’s media research team has been hard at work this week, preparing for kickoff by pulling data-driven insights and talking points for our broadcast partners around the league. Now, we’re sharing those same nuggets with you.

As the regular season ends, we’ll highlight the highest-graded run-blockers and run defenders from each position.

To no one’s surprise, the Cleveland Browns finished the 2025 season as the NFL’s top defensive line.

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell has been among the NFL’s best offensive linemen, but he took his play to another level in 2025, earning PFF Protector of the Year honors.

Myles Garrett's award season continues with Defensive Player of the Year honors after his record-breaking campaign.

Puka Nacua is on a historic pace after just three NFL seasons, and his dominance in 2025 earns him PFF Offensive Player of the Year honors.

PFF graded every player on every play during the 2025 NFL regular season, and these were the top wide receivers by PFF receiving grade.

Advanced coverage grade uses machine learning to map the separation allowed on a play to the expected PFF coverage grade the player would have earned had they been targeted. This system also takes into account the difficulty of the assignment and the situation when making that assessment.