NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1,000 Players from Week 4

We're going to talk a lot about Julio Jones and Ben Roethlisberger in this week's NFL1000, and justifiably so. But there are a few other special players whose Week 4 performances deserve specific mention.

There are some who would prefer to discount the Buffalo Bills' upset win over the New England Patriots on Sunday since Rex Ryan beat up on a rookie quarterback in Jacoby Brissett, and there's some truth to that.

But one Bill really stood out in this week's rankings—linebacker Zach Brown put up a career-high 18 tackles, forced two fumbles, had a sack and a quarterback hit, and compiled an amazing 11 total stops. Not bad against a team that had to focus on the run, and Brown won AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Moreover, this is no fluke, as Brown has been playing at a very high level all year.

Tackle Cordy Glenn and guard Richie Incognito were also standouts for the Bills, and their grades show that.

Another standout for his winning team was Zack Martin of the Cowboys, our highest-graded guard this week. Dallas' usually excellent offensive line has been in flux this season with left tackle Tyron Smith injured and guard La'el Collins on injured reserve, but Martin has been everything expected of him through his stellar NFL career—agile, nasty and technically proficient. Martin allowed no quarterback pressures against the San Francisco 49ers and was an absolute force in the run game.

Just when you thought the Minnesota Vikings defense couldn’t get any scarier, their young cornerbacks are coming of age. Not only did Xavier Rhodes get inside Odell Beckham's head Monday night, he shut Beckham and everybody else down. Rhodes was targeted seven times, allowing three receptions for 23 yards with one interception, one pass defensed and an opposing quarterback rating of 11.9.

We already know how good Aqib Talib is, and the Denver Broncos' star cornerback made life miserable for his ex-team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis Winston had a quarterback rating of 0.0 (cue the Animal House memes) when throwing in Winston's area. Talib has allowed a quarterback rating of 22.9 this season; as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus pointed out, that's more than 15 points worse than just throwing the ball away on every snap (cue the Brandon Weeden memes).

Part of Bleacher Report's NFL1000 player rating methodology that matters is the ability to look at our grades from week to week (as you, dear reader, can) and suss out which patterns are turning into trends and which are flukes in the relatively small sample size of an NFL season.

There are many ways to dissect and learn from what the NFL presents on the field every week, and the NFL1000 goes as deep as any to tell you just what's going on out there.

With a 17-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tape each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are rising and falling in performance and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting, and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask, "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is, and as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Justis Mosqueda, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 4 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Methodology

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional review. Using a grading scale starting at 0 and going up to anywhere from 10 to 40 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player based on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators were given specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise.

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout/centers
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Alex Kirby: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards
• Joe Goodberry: AFC defensive ends
• Justis Mosqueda: NFC defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

Every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles is observed and graded based on a multitiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors to consider.

We'll adjust for opponent based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of guys like J.J. Watt and Michael Bennett on the defensive line—how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil those cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and it needs to be graded accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll work to make it as definitive as possible.

Top 50 Overall from Week 4

The top two players in this week's NFL1000 were easy to anticipate.

Julio Jones absolutely went off on the Carolina Panthers defense, shredding what had been one of the best units in the league for 300 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches in Atlanta's 48-33 win. No matter what the Panthers tried, it didn't work—although the wisdom of covering Jones with linebacker Thomas Davis or various rookie cornerbacks is open to further dissection.

It's also fair to say Jones was in a rhythm no defense could solve. We'll find that out in the next two weeks as the Falcons take on the Broncos and Seahawks—and they'll travel to Denver and Seattle to do so.

Our second-highest graded player, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, was another easy decision. One week after a performance against the Philadelphia Eagles that he'd like to forget, Big Ben displayed the temporary amnesia common to the best signal-callers and went about shredding the Kansas City Chiefs for 22 completions in 27 attempts for 300 yards and five touchdowns.

Why is Roethlisberger ranked so much higher than Matt Ryan when Ryan had 503 yards and four touchdowns of his own? Well, our grades are based on tape study over raw stats, and Roethlisberger was in complete command of receiver distribution and location all over the field. He riddled Kansas City's defense with exceptional velocity and accuracy and took control over an above-average NFL defense. Ryan was obviously zeroed in on one receiver, and he did throw an interception. That's not to dismiss Ryan's performance; it's more to highlight just how great Roethlisberger's day was.

You may also be wondering why a punter (!) is in our top 10. According to Chuck Zodda, our special teams expert, the Oakland Raiders' Marquette King had among the finest punting performances he's ever seen, and Chuck has studied a lot of punter tape! King measured very high in hang time, distance and accuracy—he went above and beyond. When any player does that regardless of position, we want to recognize it.

Here's our Top 50 for Week 4.

Top 50 Overall from Week 4

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Julio Jones	WR	ATL	92	536	↑
2	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	PIT	91	619	↑
3	Trent Williams	LT	WAS	87	15	↑
4	Xavier Rhodes	CB	MIN	84	557	↑
5	Philip Rivers	QB	SD	84	527	↑
6	Zack Martin	OG	DAL	83	35	↑
7	Le'Veon Bell	RB	PIT	83	NR	↑
8	Aqib Talib	CB	DEN	83	783	↑
9	Trumaine Johnson	CB	LA	83	1044	↑
10	Marquette King	P	OAK	83	169	↑
11	Marshal Yanda	OG	BAL	82	166	↑
12	Aaron Donald	DT	LA	82	3	↓
13	Von Miller	3-4 OLB	DEN	82	8	↓
14	D.J. Hayden	CB	OAK	82	1023	↑
15	Russell Wilson	QB	SEA	82	407	↑
16	Reshad Jones	SS	MIA	81	13	↓
17	Richie Incognito	OG	BUF	81	227	↑
18	T.J. Ward	SS	DEN	81	107	↑
19	Geno Atkins	DT	CIN	81	154	↑
20	Chandler Jones	3-4 OLB	ARI	81	277	↑
21	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	81	75	↑
22	Kawann Short	DT	CAR	81	14	↓
23	Luke Kuechly	ILB	CAR	81	47	↑
24	David A. Johnson	RB	ARI	81	74	↑
25	Darius Slay	CB	DET	81	381	↑
26	Cordy Glenn	LT	BUF	81	NR	↑
27	Ndamukong Suh	DT	MIA	81	184	↑
28	Jerry Hughes	3-4 OLB	BUF	81	115	↑
29	Zach Brown	ILB	BUF	81	131	↑
30	Kyle Juszczyk	FB	BAL	81	252	↑
31	Kelechi Osemele	OG	OAK	80	229	↑
32	Vince Williams	ILB	PIT	80	NR	↑
33	Desmond Trufant	CB	ATL	80	64	↑
34	B.J. Finney	OG	PIT	80	NR	↑
35	Linval Joseph	DT	MIN	80	124	↑
36	Chris Harris Jr.	CB	DEN	80	119	↑
37	NaVorro Bowman	ILB	SF	80	298	↑
38	Alex Mack	C	ATL	80	323	↑
39	Justin Pugh	OG	NYG	80	69	↑
40	Zach Orr	ILB	BAL	80	9	↓
41	Marcus Peters	CB	KC	80	5	↓
42	John Kuhn	FB	NO	80	390	↑
43	T.J. McDonald	SS	LA	79	176	↑
44	John Greco	OG	CLE	79	286	↑
45	Bobby Wagner	ILB	SEA	79	46	↑
46	Karl Joseph	SS	OAK	79	236	↑
47	Harrison Smith	FS	MIN	79	186	↑
48	Antoine Bethea	SS	SF	79	355	↑
49	A.J. Green	WR	CIN	79	205	↑
50	Nick Fairley	DT	NO	79	126	↑

Quarterbacks

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota both looked like burgeoning stars during their rookie years. Mariota only needed to stay healthy and prove that he could hit deep throws consistently, whereas Winston needed to avoid mental errors and be more consistent with his accuracy to every level. Both immediately performed like above-average NFL starters. In year two, neither has lived up to expectations.

Winston was a star in Week 1, the second-best quarterback of the week with an 86 overall grade. Since then he has consistently gotten worse to the point that he ranks below Blaine Gabbert this week. It would be a logical assumption to think Winston was only bad this week because he faced the Denver Broncos defense, but his grade would have accounted for that.

Winston's grade this week is so low because he was making unforced errors over and over again while throwing the ball with little regard for where his receivers actually were. Both of his interceptions were thrown straight to defenders, while Bradley Roby dropped a third that should have put an exclamation point on Winston's performance late in the fourth quarter.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith in the offseason to keep Dirk Koetter in charge of the offense. The Tennessee Titans retained Mike Mularkey in a similar fashion this year, but the Titans scheme has completely changed. Mariota has been asked to make deep throws that he doesn't have the arm to make. Half of his passes have been deflected by a defender because the Titans prioritize extra players in pass protection over extra receivers running routes.

Mariota's mechanics aren't where they were last year, highlighted by his awful interception when targeting Delanie Walker this week against the Texans. Walker stopped in his route but did so before Mariota threw the ball. Both Winston and Mariota should rebound over the course of their careers, but right now both are spiraling in the wrong direction.

Derek Carr and Joe Flacco put on a master class in inefficient quarterback play this week. Flacco was constantly dealing with pressure as his offensive line was overwhelmed on every other snap. He couldn't react to that pressure and showed off poor footwork that led to errant passes throughout. Carr didn't deal with any pressure and was repeatedly able to get to his spot and stay there until he wanted to throw the ball. On the few plays he saw pressure, he didn't react well.

The Raiders offense as a whole was extremely cautious in this game, meaning Carr became the sixth quarterback since 1999 to complete at least 70 percent of 35 or more attempts for fewer than 200 yards. That after becoming the only quarterback to ever throw for 300 yards or fewer while completing over 75 percent of 45-plus attempts in Week 2. That wasn't the main reason Carr slid down in the grading though.

He threw for four touchdowns but had two throws that should have been intercepted on bad decisions. One of those throws came immediately before the game-winning touchdown as Eric Weddle dropped a ball that hit him in the hands. Two of Carr's touchdowns came on drives that started at the Ravens' 6- and 29-yard lines. It wasn't a marquee game for him despite an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Similarly, Matt Ryan's huge yardage was indicative of a good day from him and a great day from Julio Jones. Ryan deserves a lot of credit, but he was responsible for the team's pick-six, and he followed that throw up with a pass that went straight to Luke Kuechly deep in Falcons territory.

Ryan consistently played well against pressure and made enough throws to allow for a dominant victory. He appears to have a greater grasp of Kyle Shanahan's scheme this year after struggling last season. Shanahan's scheme can simplify reads and throws for the quarterback. The long touchdown throw to Austin Hooper was a prime example.

Roethlisberger's production was reflective of his performance. Roethlisberger didn't match Aaron Rodgers' display last week, but he was close. The Steelers quarterback showed off complete command of his offense while making precise downfield throws and perfectly timed reads to guide his offense to a dominant victory.

Ever since offensive coordinator Todd Haley arrived in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger has worked his way to the point that he beautifully blends explosive plays with efficiency. Roethlisberger tends to mix great games with awful games over the course of a full season. The Eagles got him when he was missing wide-open receivers; the Chiefs will have felt like they ran face first into a buzz saw.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/run threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Quarterback Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	23	23	16	19	10	91
2	Philip Rivers	SD	19	21	17	17	10	84
3	Russell Wilson	SEA	23	23	12	14	10	82
4	Sam Bradford	MIN	21	21	14	13	10	79
5	Andrew Luck	IND	18	21	15	15	10	79
6	Matt Ryan	ATL	19	20	16	13	10	78
7	Cam Newton	CAR	17	23	15	13	10	78
8	Drew Brees	NO	16	20	15	14	10	75
9	Dak Prescott	DAL	15	20	14	16	10	75
10	Brian Hoyer	CHI	17	19	11	16	10	73
11	Case Keenum	LA	17	18	14	14	10	73
12	Carson Palmer	ARI	17	19	14	13	10	73
13	Derek Carr	OAK	17	23	12	10	10	72
14	Tyrod Taylor	BUF	15	19	15	12	10	71
15	Blake Bortles	JAX	15	19	14	12	10	70
16	Andy Dalton	CIN	16	19	11	13	10	69
17	Matthew Stafford	DET	15	21	12	11	10	69
18	Alex Smith	KC	16	18	12	12	10	68
19	Derek Anderson	CAR	16	18	10	13	10	67
20	Eli Manning	NYG	15	18	12	12	10	67
21	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	16	20	10	10	10	66
22	Trevor Siemian	DEN	16	17	10	12	10	65
23	Paxton Lynch	DEN	15	19	10	10	10	64
24	Brock Osweiler	HOU	13	18	10	13	10	64
25	Marcus Mariota	TEN	13	18	12	10	10	63
26	Kirk Cousins	WAS	16	17	10	10	10	63
27	Cody Kessler	CLE	15	17	10	10	10	62
28	Jacoby Brissett	NE	15	19	9	9	10	62
29	Joe Flacco	BAL	12	19	9	11	10	61
30	Blaine Gabbert	SF	13	17	11	9	10	60
31	Jameis Winston	TB	13	17	10	8	10	58
32	Drew Stanton	ARI	12	17	10	9	10	58
33	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	12	15	9	9	10	55

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tom Brady—suspension
• Jimmy Garoppolo—injury
• Tony Romo—injury

Running Backs

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

This week was headlined by the return of two star backs (Le'Veon Bell and Jamaal Charles) on Sunday Night Football.

Bell's return went as planned—he dominated with 144 yards on the ground, averaging eight yards a carry. He displayed the all-around skills that make him widely considered the best back in the league. There is literally nothing he can't do—he dominates inside the tackles with elite vision and patience and is very productive outside in space. He should help the Steelers take another step and become the most potent offense we see this season.

On the other hand, Charles looked to be a little slowed by the knee injury. While he played sparingly in the Chiefs' blowout loss, he looked rusty and didn't display the elite explosion that makes him one of the most unique players in the game. I would look for him to improve weekly as he gains confidence and his health continues to improve. Luckily the Chiefs have other good backs and won't depend on Charles to carry the run game in 2016.

Another major theme from the weekend is that many star running backs were on the shelf with injuries, which had a negative impact on their teams' ability to win. While Tampa was playing arguably the best defense in the NFL in Denver, its run game was absolutely anemic without Doug Martin—forcing Jameis Winston to attempt a ton of throws that turned into turnovers.

The defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers miss Jonathan Stewart greatly. Fozzy Whittaker is a change-of-pace/receiving back, not a full-time starter—and he is being exposed as the Panthers lean more heavily on him and Cameron Artis-Payne. The Detroit Lions are in major trouble without Ameer Abdullah. Theo Riddick cannot do what he can between the tackles, and the Lions miss Abdullah's explosive playmaking threat on a consistent basis. All these teams will continue to struggle on the ground as long as these players miss time.

Despite their teams' inability to win football games, two guys adding to their great seasons were Isaiah Crowell and David Johnson. Crowell continues to be one of the few shining lights for the Cleveland Browns. He is second in the league in rushing, showing he is not just a power back but a major threat to break off big runs as well. One of the most consistent inside runners in the league, he had his second 100-yard performance of the young season.

While Johnson continues to do it all for the Arizona Cardinals, he might be the most dominant pass-catching running back in the game and is on pace for over 55 catches on the year. For a bigger back, his change of direction was on full display, making the Los Angeles Rams miss him just about every play Sunday.

DeMarco Murray has been outstanding, displaying the all-around game that made him a Pro Bowl-level back in 2014. Like Johnson, Murray is having as complete a season as anyone. LeSean "Shady" McCoy has really regained his mojo in the Bills' two-game winning streak. He's running with much more confidence between the tackles and is not dancing around as much as he did in Week 1 and 2.

The Baltimore Ravens' Terrance West was very solid in his first start of the year against the Raiders, and Jerick McKinnon had a breakout performance for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night against the New York Giants. Both guys should see their carries increase, as they are clearly are the lead backs on squads who now depend on them to contribute.

While his offensive line hasn't been great and his QB has been less than stellar, the Rams' Todd Gurley has not been consistent the last few weeks. I've seen hesitation in his game, and it's led him to not play as fast and physical in between the tackles. He is leaving yards on the field. But he is so talented he still was able to contribute Sunday with a fantastic catch down the sideline. He is just too special of a back to not be more productive.

Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers has also been inconsistent the last several games. He is dancing too much at the line of scrimmage instead of just hitting what little daylight there may be.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Running Back Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	22	19	18	18	6	83
2	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	22	19	17	17	6	81
3	David A. Johnson	ARI	20	19	19	17	6	81
4	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	21	18	17	16	6	78
5	DeMarco Murray	TEN	20	17	17	18	6	78
6	Matt Jones	WAS	20	18	16	17	6	77
7	Lamar Miller	HOU	17	19	17	16	6	75
8	Mark Ingram	NO	18	16	18	17	6	75
9	Todd Gurley	LA	16	16	18	18	6	74
10	LeSean McCoy	BUF	18	18	17	15	6	74
11	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	19	18	16	15	6	74
12	Devonta Freeman	ATL	20	17	15	16	6	74
13	Christine Michael	SEA	19	16	17	16	6	74
14	Terrance West	BAL	18	19	15	15	6	73
15	Jordan Howard	CHI	19	17	15	16	6	73
16	Jeremy Hill	CIN	18	17	16	16	6	73
17	Carlos Hyde	SF	18	18	15	16	6	73
18	James White	NE	15	17	18	16	6	72
19	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	16	16	19	15	6	72
20	Duke Johnson	CLE	16	17	18	15	6	72
21	Spencer Ware	KC	18	15	16	16	6	71
22	Giovani Bernard	CIN	15	16	18	16	6	71
23	Chris Ivory	JAX	18	16	15	16	6	71
24	C.J. Anderson	DEN	17	15	16	17	6	71
25	Bilal Powell	NYJ	17	14	18	16	6	71
26	Alfred Morris	DAL	18	16	15	16	6	71
27	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	17	15	16	16	6	70
28	Paul Perkins	NYG	16	16	18	14	6	70
29	Josh Ferguson	IND	14	15	17	18	6	70
30	Frank Gore	IND	17	14	16	17	6	70
31	Chris D. Johnson	ARI	15	18	15	16	6	70
32	Derrick Henry	TEN	17	16	15	15	6	69
33	Melvin Gordon	SD	15	14	18	16	6	69
34	Theo Riddick	DET	14	16	17	15	6	68
35	Orleans Darkwa	NYG	17	15	14	16	6	68
36	Mike Gillislee	BUF	15	16	16	15	6	68
37	Devontae Booker	DEN	17	15	14	16	6	68
38	Buck Allen	BAL	15	16	17	14	6	68
39	Alfred Blue	HOU	16	15	16	15	6	68
40	Matt Asiata	MIN	15	14	16	16	6	67
41	Jay Ajayi	MIA	17	15	15	14	6	67
42	DeAndre Washington	OAK	15	17	15	14	6	67
43	Chris Thompson	WAS	15	16	16	14	6	67
44	Charles Sims	TB	15	14	15	17	6	67
45	Bobby Rainey	NYG	14	15	18	14	6	67
46	Tevin Coleman	ATL	15	14	16	15	6	66
47	Matt Forte	NYJ	16	14	15	15	6	66
48	LeGarrette Blount	NE	17	14	14	15	6	66
49	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	17	13	15	15	6	66
50	Shaun Draughn	SF	15	13	14	17	6	65
51	Latavius Murray	OAK	14	14	16	15	6	65
52	Lance Dunbar	DAL	14	14	16	15	6	65
53	Kenyon Drake	MIA	14	17	14	14	6	65
54	Jamaal Charles	KC	16	14	15	14	6	65
55	Dwayne Washington	DET	14	14	16	15	6	65
56	Damien Williams	MIA	15	14	15	15	6	65
57	C.J. Spiller	SEA	15	15	15	14	6	65
58	Zach Zenner	DET	13	12	17	16	6	64
59	DeAngelo Williams	PIT	15	14	15	14	6	64
60	Dexter McCluster	SD	14	15	15	14	6	64
61	Robert Turbin	IND	14	14	14	15	6	63
62	Tim Hightower	NO	14	15	14	14	6	63
63	Daniel Lasco	NO	15	14	14	14	6	63
64	Jalen Richard	OAK	13	15	14	14	6	62
65	Cameron Artis-Payne	CAR	14	14	14	14	6	62
67	Joique Bell	CHI	14	13	14	15	6	62
66	Isaiah Pead	MIA	13	13	14	14	6	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Ameer Abdullah—injury
• Arian Foster—injury
• Doug Martin—injury
• Jonathan Stewart—injury

Fullbacks

Rob Carr/Getty Images

While the Ravens lost a tight game Sunday at home, it surely wasn't Kyle Juszczyk's fault. The fullback was dominant in the passing game. He had six catches for 56 yards and was getting open every time Joe Flacco dropped back to pass. As Terrance West made his first start at running back, Juszczyk was lowering his pads and contributing to open holes while the Ravens missed multiple starting offensive linemen. It was a very productive day for the Ravens' new-look running attack.

Another fullback who had a big statistical day was John Kuhn. The former cult hero in Green Bay had three touchdowns (two on the ground and one in the air), helping the New Orleans Saints win their first game of the year in San Diego. He was also very good as a blocker for Mark Ingram, who had a solid game in between the tackles. Kuhn is a master at the goal line at the fullback dive and is as reliable as anyone in the NFL inside the 2-yard line.

A couple of fullbacks who continued to lay the wood Sunday were Patrick DiMarco and Malcolm Johnson. DiMarco helped the Falcons continue to be a physical run team and blocked linebackers while staying connected at the second level. He plays fast and with an excellent edge to his game at the point of contact. Johnson continues to clear big holes in Cleveland for the NFL's second-leading rusher in Crowell. He was excellent Sunday against the Redskins with multiple big blocks and moving linebackers back on contact. He's just an old-school hammer.

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Fullback Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Kyle Juszczyk	BAL	45	18	14	4	81
2	John Kuhn	NO	45	19	12	4	80
3	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	45	16	12	4	77
4	Malcolm Johnson	CLE	46	16	10	4	76
5	Andy Janovich	DEN	45	15	10	4	74
6	Zach Line	MIN	45	16	9	4	74
7	Jerome Felton	BUF	44	15	10	4	73
8	Keith Smith	DAL	43	16	10	4	73
9	Jalston Fowler	TEN	45	15	9	4	73
10	Derek Watt	SD	43	15	10	4	72
11	Jay Prosch	HOU	43	15	9	4	71
12	Mike Tolbert	CAR	42	15	9	4	70
13	Jamize Olawale	OAK	40	14	8	4	66
14	Cory Harkey	LA	40	12	8	4	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Michael Burton—insufficient snaps
• Paul Lasike—insufficient snaps
• Anthony Sherman—insufficient snaps
• James Develin—insufficient snaps

Wide Receivers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

There's no one else to begin with other than Julio Jones. The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver was masterful Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and showed every facet of a true artist. Jones caught 12 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown, and he was dominant in every graded trait in the NFL1000. He ran crisp routes with great releases at the line of scrimmage, was fluid in his cuts and was strong at the catch point. He was impressive after the catch and even as a blocker. Aspiring wide receivers would be wise to find this tape and watch it repeatedly.

Rookie Michael Thomas turned in a solid performance Sunday for the New Orleans Saints in their comeback victory over the San Diego Chargers. The Ohio State product caught four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, running some good routes against press coverage and getting separation on a number of them.

In Chicago, Eddie Royal was the most impressive receiver for the Bears, catching all seven of his targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. His longest play of the day went for 64 yards. He was able to split the coverage on a post route and then almost run away from the secondary before being pushed out of bounds at the 12-yard line.

In their Monday night victory, the four Vikings receivers were solid. Stefon Diggs continues to run impressive routes, erasing cushions and getting separation coming in and out of his cuts. Charles Johnson pulled in two deep balls, including one with a nice over-the-shoulder catch and another with a great release against press coverage. Adam Thielen did not have a spectacular night as a receiver, only recording two receptions, but he was an effective blocker all night (as were Diggs and Johnson). Cordarrelle Patterson saw his most offensive snaps in a game so far this season and was effective in his role on screen passes and on quicker out routes. In particular, he showed good hand strength on one quick out where he absorbed the hit and held on to the football to move the chains.

Odell Beckham Jr. did not turn in his usual level of performance Monday night against the tough Vikings defense. Minnesota limited the talented receiver to only three catches on nine targets, and he struggled to obtain consistent separation on his routes. He kept working throughout the night, however, throwing a great downfield block on a long Paul Perkins catch-and-run to start the fourth quarter. Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz were also limited. Shepard pulled in four passes for 30 yards, while Cruz hauled in five passes for 50 yards. The bulk of Cruz's receptions came in contested catch situations. He showed some good hand strength but wasn't able to gain separation on his routes.

The Arizona Cardinals suffered their second straight loss, falling to 1-3 on the season, and their receivers turned in some up-and-down performances. John Brown seems to be coming back to form after suffering a concussion in training camp. On Sunday against the Rams, he led all Arizona receivers and pulled in 10 passes for 144 yards. He also showed some good route running, as well as his ability at the catch point. On the other end of the spectrum, Michael Floyd had three receptions. He had a touchdown catch but also had a few drops.

Meanwhile, the Raiders and Ravens collided in Baltimore, with a pair of veteran receivers stealing the show. While Michael Crabtree captured the spotlight with his three touchdown catches, the seasoned veteran Steve Smith Sr. had a more complete game as he ran routes all over the field and displayed his athleticism after the catch. Crabtree had a lot of success this past week attacking the deep right half of the Ravens secondary, while Smith continually found ways to get open all over the place against a pair of talented corners in Sean Smith and David Amerson.

Crabtree and Smith both did what the team needed them to do, but the Ravens asked Smith to do more. Smith got the nod as having a better overall game because of his variety of routes and his added physicality while blocking the running game.

Much was made of Bills' dominant 16-0 win in New England, but it would've been a lot harder without Robert Woods' contributions. Though he didn't catch any touchdowns himself, Woods was all over the field as a blocker. He also led Buffalo receivers by catching seven passes for 88 yards, and he played a key role in the game's only touchdown, setting the rub for LeSean McCoy to get open in the flat and tiptoe the sideline into the end zone on a quick throw from Tyrod Taylor. Head coach Rex Ryan's team has previously struggled to move the ball consistently against New England, and Woods was a big reason why Buffalo had success.

Brandon Marshall had a tough but exciting matchup in Week 4, facing none other than Seahawks corner Richard Sherman, who followed him all over the field. While Seattle got the win, the Jets receiver still held his own and then some against the league's best corner, hauling in four passes—including one that went for a touchdown and another for an explosive 41-yard gain. A week after his quarterback threw six interceptions against the Chiefs defense, Marshall helped his offense move the football against another one of the league's most dangerous secondaries.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Julio Jones	ATL	25	24	19	15	9	92
2	A.J. Green	CIN	21	23	15	11	9	79
3	Robert Woods	BUF	20	20	14	15	9	78
4	Steve Smith Sr.	BAL	20	21	14	13	9	77
5	Jarvis Landry	MIA	19	20	16	12	9	76
6	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	20	22	13	11	9	75
7	Stefon Diggs	MIN	19	17	14	14	9	73
8	Michael Thomas	NO	18	19	15	12	9	73
9	Michael Crabtree	OAK	20	20	13	10	9	72
10	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	19	18	13	13	9	72
11	Eddie Royal	CHI	18	18	14	13	9	72
12	Will Fuller V	HOU	19	21	13	10	9	72
13	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	19	21	13	10	9	72
14	Sammie Coates	PIT	20	21	11	11	9	72
15	Dontrelle Inman	SD	19	21	13	10	9	72
16	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	19	20	12	11	9	71
17	Seth Roberts	OAK	17	18	13	14	9	71
18	Terrelle Pryor Sr.	CLE	18	19	13	12	9	71
19	Jeremy Maclin	KC	18	20	13	11	9	71
20	John Brown	ARI	18	18	12	13	9	70
21	Mike Wallace	BAL	20	19	12	10	9	70
22	Terrance Williams	DAL	18	17	12	14	9	70
23	Julian Edelman	NE	17	18	14	12	9	70
24	Amari Cooper	OAK	17	18	14	12	9	70
25	Antonio Brown	PIT	19	20	12	10	9	70
26	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	17	17	12	14	9	69
27	Marvin Jones	DET	18	18	12	12	9	69
28	T.Y. Hilton	IND	18	20	12	10	9	69
29	Tyreek Hill	KC	19	18	11	12	9	69
30	Brian Quick	LA	16	19	15	10	9	69
31	Charles Johnson	MIN	17	18	12	13	9	69
32	Sterling Shepard	NYG	18	17	13	12	9	69
33	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	17	18	12	13	9	69
34	Marqise Lee	JAX	19	19	11	10	9	68
35	Travis Benjamin	SD	16	19	13	11	9	68
36	Doug Baldwin	SEA	17	18	13	11	9	68
37	Jeremy Kerley	SF	16	17	14	12	9	68
38	Rishard Matthews	TEN	18	19	11	11	9	68
39	Aldrick Robinson	ATL	17	17	13	11	9	67
40	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	16	17	14	11	9	67
41	Kevin White	CHI	16	18	12	12	9	67
42	Brandon LaFell	CIN	18	17	11	12	9	67
43	Cole Beasley	DAL	17	17	13	11	9	67
44	Allen Hurns	JAX	16	18	13	11	9	67
45	Allen Robinson	JAX	18	19	11	10	9	67
46	Chris Conley	KC	18	19	11	10	9	67
47	Kenny Stills	MIA	18	16	13	11	9	67
48	Brandin Cooks	NO	16	18	12	12	9	67
49	Willie Snead	NO	15	17	13	13	9	67
50	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	16	17	12	13	9	67
51	Tyrell Williams	SD	17	18	12	11	9	67
52	Mike Evans	TB	17	18	11	12	9	67
53	Jaelen Strong	HOU	18	17	10	12	9	66
54	Phillip Dorsett	IND	17	17	12	11	9	66
55	Albert Wilson	KC	17	18	12	10	9	66
56	Kenny Britt	LA	15	18	13	11	9	66
57	Adam Thielen	MIN	16	16	12	13	9	66
58	Danny Amendola	NE	17	16	13	11	9	66
59	Victor Cruz	NYG	15	18	12	12	9	66
60	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	17	17	13	10	9	66
61	Walter Powell	BUF	16	17	11	12	9	65
62	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	17	17	12	10	9	65
63	Chester Rogers	IND	16	18	11	11	9	65
64	Tavon Austin	LA	17	17	12	10	9	65
65	DeVante Parker	MIA	17	17	13	9	9	65
66	Andre Johnson	TEN	17	17	11	11	9	65
67	Kamar Aiken	BAL	17	17	11	10	9	64
68	Philly Brown	CAR	13	17	14	11	9	64
69	Devin Funchess	CAR	14	17	13	11	9	64
70	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	15	17	12	11	9	64
71	Cameron Meredith	CHI	14	17	11	13	9	64
72	Tyler Boyd	CIN	16	14	11	14	9	64
73	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	17	17	11	10	9	64
74	Brice Butler	DAL	16	17	11	11	9	64
75	Jordan Taylor	DEN	16	17	12	10	9	64
76	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	15	16	13	11	9	64
77	Charone Peake	NYJ	16	17	13	9	9	64
78	Darrius Heyward-Bey	PIT	16	17	11	11	9	64
79	Kendall Wright	TEN	16	18	11	10	9	64
80	Jamison Crowder	WAS	17	16	11	11	9	64
81	Taylor Gabriel	ATL	14	18	11	11	9	63
82	Breshad Perriman	BAL	15	16	12	11	9	63
83	Ricardo Louis	CLE	16	16	12	10	9	63
84	Jordan Norwood	DEN	17	15	12	10	9	63
85	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	16	16	12	10	9	63
86	Jaron Brown	ARI	15	15	11	12	9	62
87	Marquise Goodwin	BUF	15	15	13	10	9	62
88	Arrelious Benn	JAX	15	16	11	11	9	62
89	Andre Holmes	OAK	14	14	12	13	9	62
90	Markus Wheaton	PIT	16	15	11	11	9	62
91	Pierre Garcon	WAS	16	16	11	10	9	62
92	Michael Floyd	ARI	16	13	11	12	9	61
93	Cody Latimer	DEN	14	15	11	12	9	61
94	Anquan Boldin	DET	14	15	11	12	9	61
95	Brandon Coleman	NO	13	17	11	11	9	61
96	Robby Anderson	NYJ	16	15	10	11	9	61
97	Tanner McEvoy	SEA	14	15	11	12	9	61
98	Quinton Patton	SF	15	16	11	10	9	61
99	Ted Ginn Jr.	CAR	14	14	14	9	9	60
100	Keith Mumphery	HOU	15	15	11	10	9	60
101	Tommylee Lewis	NO	13	15	12	11	9	60
102	Tyler Lockett	SEA	15	15	11	10	9	60
103	Vincent Jackson	TB	15	16	10	10	9	60
104	DeSean Jackson	WAS	15	16	10	10	9	60
105	Chris Moore	BAL	14	15	11	10	9	59
106	Johnny Holton	OAK	13	13	12	12	9	59
107	Paul Richardson	SEA	13	15	10	12	9	59
108	Adam Humphries	TB	15	14	11	10	9	59
109	Brandon Tate	BUF	13	14	12	10	9	58
110	Lucky Whitehead	DAL	14	13	10	12	9	58
111	Bennie Fowler	DEN	14	14	11	10	9	58
112	Andre Roberts	DET	14	16	10	9	9	58
113	Quan Bray	IND	14	15	10	10	9	58
114	Bradley Marquez	LA	13	13	10	13	9	58
115	Chris Hogan	NE	13	14	11	11	9	58
116	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	14	14	11	10	9	58
117	Torrey Smith	SF	14	14	10	11	9	58
118	Rashard Higgins	CLE	13	14	11	10	9	57
119	Ryan Grant	WAS	13	13	10	12	9	57
120	Josh Bellamy	CHI	13	13	10	11	9	56
121	Golden Tate	DET	13	14	10	10	9	56
122	Aaron Burbridge	SF	13	14	10	10	9	56
123	Freddie Martino	TB	13	13	10	11	9	56
124	Deonte Thompson	CHI	13	13	10	9	9	54
125	James Wright	CIN	12	12	10	11	9	54
126	Mike Thomas	LA	13	13	10	9	9	54
127	Russell Shepard	TB	13	13	10	8	9	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Donte Moncrief—injury
• Corey Coleman—injury
• Devin Fuller—injury
• Dez Bryant—injury
• Josh Doctson—injury
• Laquon Treadwell—insufficient snaps

Tight Ends

Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

Week 4 of the 2016 NFL season saw some familiar names remain atop the tight end grades in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks traveled east and emerged with a victory over the New York Jets, and tight end Jimmy Graham played a big role, pulling in six catches for 113 yards on his eight targets and showing impressive hands on the afternoon. He pulled in a one-handed catch on a vertical route as well as a nice over-the shoulder grab on a corner route. Graham was also a solid blocker on the afternoon.

Kyle Rudolph turned in a strong effort for the Vikings during their Monday night win over the Giants, pulling in five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. He ran some decent routes and was also impressive as a blocker, both on the edges in the running game and also when split wide blocking for various Minnesota receivers in the quick screen game.

Jordan Reed continues to impress for Washington, as the athletic tight end caught nine passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Reed is impressive after the catch, as he displayed some short-area quickness on a route on Washington's opening drive. He caught a pass in the flat and spun back toward the middle of the field, evading the first defender and picking up additional yardage.

Two other tight ends turned in steady performances. While the Panthers fell to Atlanta, Greg Olsen was effective as a receiver and a blocker, and he showed great hands and concentration on a seam route which went for a touchdown late in the game. Jason Witten is a strong presence for the Cowboys and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, both as an outlet on option routes over the middle or to the flats or as a blocker on the edges in both power and zone schemes.

In that Carolina game against Atlanta, the Falcons' trio of tight ends were all solid in the victory. Jacob Tamme pulled in a short touchdown pass and ran some decent routes on the day, and Levine Toilolo fared well in his role as an extra blocker. Rookie Austin Hooper was effective in both facets of the game, blocking well on the edges and catching a long 42-yard touchdown pass on a creative throwback passing play.

Martellus Bennett came up big for rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett in an otherwise forgettable game for the New England offense. In the first home shutout for the Patriots in decades, Bennett recorded five catches and displayed the athleticism that attracted Bill Belichick and the Patriots to him, as he showed he could adjust to the ball well in the air and use his speed after the catch to break a play wide open.

On the opposite sideline, Charles Clay was a major force up front against the normally stout Patriots defense, giving Tyrod Taylor a reliable complement in the pass game that took some pressure off Robert Woods. Clay's five catches showed how versatile of a player he is, and with a new offensive coordinator and so many Buffalo contributors out for this game, it was all hands on deck. Clay came up big just when his team needed him most.

Cincinnati was forced to start the season without superstar tight end Tyler Eifert due to injury, but on the bright side, it gave second-year man C.J. Uzomah an opportunity to show what he can do with his giant frame. Uzomah has settled into his role and has become more comfortable in this offense, and at 6'6" and 265 pounds, that's great news for Marvin Lewis and his team. The easiest comparison to make would be to a more raw version of Rob Gronkowski, and it's clear that's the direction Cincy wants to go with its young tight end. Uzomah had four catches for 45 yards against Miami on Thursday night, but it was his versatility as a blocker and route-runner that set him apart this week.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Tight End Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Martellus Bennett	NE	17	20	17	18	6	78
2	Jimmy Graham	SEA	16	23	14	19	6	78
3	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	16	19	15	20	6	76
4	Jordan Reed	WAS	16	19	16	19	6	76
5	Charles Clay	BUF	16	20	13	19	6	74
6	C.J. Uzomah	CIN	15	17	14	19	6	71
7	Ryan Griffin	HOU	16	18	13	18	6	71
8	Rob Gronkowski	NE	15	18	14	18	6	71
9	Greg Olsen	CAR	15	20	13	16	6	70
10	Gary Barnidge	CLE	15	20	12	17	6	70
11	Jason Witten	DAL	14	18	12	20	6	70
12	Clive Walford	OAK	16	17	14	17	6	70
13	Dennis Pitta	BAL	16	18	12	16	6	68
14	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	16	19	10	17	6	68
15	Hunter Henry	SD	14	19	12	17	6	68
16	Zach Miller	CHI	14	16	11	20	6	67
17	Travis Kelce	KC	16	18	12	15	6	67
18	Delanie Walker	TEN	16	18	11	16	6	67
19	Coby Fleener	NO	14	18	12	16	6	66
20	Lee Smith	OAK	12	16	11	21	6	66
21	Cameron Brate	TB	14	16	13	17	6	66
22	Austin Hooper	ATL	14	15	13	17	6	65
23	Crockett Gillmore	BAL	14	15	10	19	6	64
24	Dwayne Allen	IND	14	16	12	16	6	64
25	Lance Kendricks	LA	14	17	12	15	6	64
26	Jesse James	PIT	13	16	12	17	6	64
27	Xavier Grimble	PIT	13	16	11	18	6	64
28	Garrett Celek	SF	14	14	13	17	6	64
29	Eric Ebron	DET	13	17	14	13	6	63
30	Dion Sims	MIA	14	14	11	18	6	63
31	David Johnson	PIT	12	15	11	19	6	63
32	Anthony Fasano	TEN	13	16	11	17	6	63
33	Jacob Tamme	ATL	13	16	11	16	6	62
34	Nick O'Leary	BUF	13	15	10	18	6	62
35	Tyler Kroft	CIN	12	15	10	19	6	62
36	Jack Doyle	IND	12	15	11	18	6	62
37	Jeff Heuerman	DEN	13	16	11	15	6	61
38	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	13	15	11	16	6	61
39	Demetrius Harris	KC	13	16	10	16	6	61
40	Vernon Davis	WAS	12	14	11	18	6	61
41	Will Tye	NYG	12	14	11	17	6	60
42	Kellen Davis	NYJ	12	15	11	16	6	60
43	Phillip Supernaw	TEN	12	13	10	19	6	60
44	Ryan Hewitt	CIN	12	14	10	17	6	59
45	Niles Paul	WAS	11	13	10	19	6	59
46	Maxx Williams	BAL	11	14	10	17	6	58
47	Ross Travis	KC	11	14	11	16	6	58
48	Mychal Rivera	OAK	12	14	10	16	6	58
49	Sean McGrath	SD	12	13	11	16	6	58
50	Levine Toilolo	ATL	11	12	10	18	6	57
51	Ed Dickson	CAR	12	14	13	12	6	57
52	Geoff Swaim	DAL	10	13	10	18	6	57
53	John Phillips	DEN	11	14	10	16	6	57
54	MyCole Pruitt	MIN	11	14	10	16	6	57
55	Darren Fells	ARI	11	13	11	15	6	56
56	Randall Telfer	CLE	11	14	10	15	6	56
57	Khari Lee	DET	10	13	10	17	6	56
58	Jerell Adams	NYG	11	13	10	16	6	56
59	Brandon Bostick	NYJ	10	13	10	17	6	56
60	Luke Willson	SEA	11	11	10	18	6	56
61	Logan Paulsen	CHI	11	12	10	16	6	55
62	Rhett Ellison	MIN	10	13	10	16	6	55
63	Chris Manhertz	NO	9	13	10	17	6	55
64	Brandon Williams	SEA	10	13	10	16	6	55
65	Erik Swoope	IND	10	13	10	15	6	54
66	Tyler Higbee	LA	10	13	10	15	6	54
67	Brandon Myers	TB	9	13	10	16	6	54
68	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	10	12	10	14	6	52
69	MarQueis Gray	MIA	12	12	10	12	6	52
70	AJ Derby	NE	10	12	10	13	6	51
71	Larry Donnell	NYG	11	13	10	11	6	51
72	Nick Boyle	BAL	10	12	10	12	6	50
73	Clay Harbor	*NE	10	12	10	12	6	50

*Player has since been cut    

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tyler Eifert—injury
• Julius Thomas—injury
• Nick Vannett—injury
• Josh Hill—injury

Left Tackles

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

For the second week in a row, the big storyline among left tackles is the familiar names who were inactive in Week 4.

Dallas Cowboys All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith was inactive for the second straight week with a back injury. Once again, Chaz Green filled in at left tackle and played well. Green had some struggles in pass protection and picked up a few penalties in Dallas'  24-17 win at San Francisco, though.

The New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead was also inactive for the second straight week, and second-year man Andrus Peat filled in and battled his butt off in the Saints' comeback win over San Diego. The Jacksonville Jaguars took on the Indianapolis Colts in London, and Kelvin Beachum returned to the Jags' starting lineup after being inactive in Week 3.

Last week, the NFL1000 touched on Trent Williams' dominance not only at left tackle, but at left guard after needing to move there. Williams is playing monster football in every aspect of the game. Thus far, he has been the most physically dominant left tackle at the quarter mark of the season. His explosion, physicality and body control give him the perfect combination of traits to succeed no matter what position he plays. Just like last week, if you are a fan of offensive line play, watch Williams against the Cleveland Browns and prepare to entertained.

Cordy Glenn returned to the starting lineup for the Buffalo Bills and turned in a solid performance. Glenn had moments where he flashed physical dominance, but he also showed off his agility when he climbed to the second level and when he needed to cut off B-gap defenders when the run went away.

It's interesting to note the shuffle at left tackle the Chargers couldn't overcome. King Dunlap has missed consecutive weeks, and Chris Hairston has started in his place. Hairston suffered an injury against the Saints, so the Chargers flipped Joe Barksdale to the left side and moved D.J. Fluker out to right tackle. Both players struggled. Barksdale has grades at both left tackle and right tackle.

The Carolina Panthers moved starting right tackle Mike Remmers to the left side for the injured Michael Oher, but Remmers never looked comfortable playing on the left side and had his hands full, especially when matching up against Dwight Freeney. In pass protection, Remmers' set points and landmarks were off, which resulted in ineffective punch timing. (Rule of thumb: Efficient feet allow for effective hand usage.)

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25) 

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Left Tackle Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Trent Williams	WAS	19	20	20	20	8	87
2	Cordy Glenn	BUF	19	20	17	17	8	81
3	Joe Thomas	CLE	20	17	15	17	8	77
4	Russell Okung	DEN	19	18	14	17	8	76
5	Joe Staley	SF	17	20	16	15	8	76
6	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	20	17	15	15	8	75
7	Donald Penn	OAK	19	17	16	15	8	75
8	Taylor Lewan	TEN	19	17	15	15	8	74
9	Jake Matthews	ATL	17	19	15	15	8	74
10	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	17	17	15	17	8	74
11	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	17	17	15	16	8	73
12	Charles Leno	CHI	17	16	15	16	8	72
13	Taylor Decker	DET	17	17	14	16	8	72
14	Nate Solder	NE	16	17	15	15	8	71
15	Eric Fisher	KC	16	16	16	15	8	71
16	Chaz Green	DAL	16	17	14	15	8	70
17	Ereck Flowers	NYG	15	16	16	15	8	70
18	Jared Veldheer	ARI	17	16	14	14	8	69
19	Donovan Smith	TB	15	15	16	15	8	69
20	Alejandro Villanueva	PIT	16	17	13	14	8	68
21	Mike Remmers	CAR	14	16	16	14	8	68
22	Joe Barksdale	SD	15	16	15	13	8	67
23	Andrus Peat	NO	16	15	14	13	8	66
24	T.J. Clemmings	MIN	15	15	15	13	8	66
25	Bradley Sowell	SEA	14	16	13	14	8	65
26	Greg Robinson	LA	13	14	16	13	8	64
27	Ryan Clady	NYJ	15	14	13	13	8	63
28	Anthony Castonzo	IND	13	17	12	13	8	63
29	Chris Hairston	SD	15	15	12	12	8	62
30	Chris Clark	HOU	13	15	13	12	8	61
31	James Hurst	BAL	13	15	12	12	8	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Branden Albert—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Duane Brown—injury
• Ronnie Stanley—injury
• Tyron Smith—injury
• Terron Armstead—injury
• King Dunlap—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Cyrus Kouandjio—insufficient snaps

Right Tackles

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Morgan Moses of Washington was the top performer among right tackles in Week 4. Against the Cleveland Browns, he was solid in pass protection (allowed zero QB pressures) and exceptional in the running game, specifically generating movement at the point of attack.

Austin Pasztor also turned in a good performance during that game, especially as a run-blocker. There were a handful of plays where he was able to combo and secure the line of scrimmage and work up to fit and drive linebackers, creating lanes at the second level.

Pittsburgh Steelers stout right tackle Marcus Gilbert left Sunday night's game against the Chiefs with an injury midway through the contest and was unable to return. Ryan Harris filled in for Gilbert and held up enough for the Steelers to secure the win. Meanwhile, Mitchell Schwartz turned in a steady performance, especially as a pass protector in a Kansas City offense that was playing catch-up the entire second half.

For the fourth week in a row, the Jets split reps between two right tackles, Ben Ijalana and Brent Qvale, although this setup was a bit different. Qvale started the game and looked as if he would stay in with no rotation. But when Jets right guard Brian Winters was injured and unable to return, Qvale slid to right guard, and Ijalana bookended the right edge.

The general public tends to spotlight left tackles, so it often overlooks the importance of right tackles. As any quarterback will tell you, though, right tackles matter. When you factor in guys such as Von Miller, J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack, who all play over the right tackle, left and right tackle cannot have a significant drop-off in talent if a team expects its offense to have success in the NFL.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Right Tackle Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Morgan Moses	WAS	19	19	16	16	7	77
2	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	19	19	16	15	7	76
3	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	19	18	14	17	7	75
4	Derek Newton	HOU	17	19	16	16	7	75
5	Trent Brown	SF	18	18	17	14	7	74
6	Marcus Gilbert	PIT	19	17	16	15	7	74
7	Riley Reiff	DET	17	17	16	16	7	73
8	Doug Free	DAL	17	20	15	14	7	73
9	Zach Strief	NO	17	20	16	13	7	73
10	Demar Dotson	TB	18	16	16	16	7	73
11	Bobby Massie	CHI	18	16	14	17	7	72
12	Austin Pasztor	CLE	17	18	16	14	7	72
13	Bobby Hart	NYG	19	17	14	15	7	72
14	D.J. Humphries	ARI	18	17	14	15	7	71
15	Jordan Mills	BUF	17	18	15	14	7	71
16	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	16	19	15	14	7	71
17	Rob Havenstein	LA	16	16	16	15	7	70
18	Jermey Parnell	JAX	17	16	15	15	7	70
19	Garry Gilliam	SEA	17	16	15	15	7	70
20	Vadal Alexander	OAK	17	16	15	15	7	70
21	Joe Barksdale	SD	17	17	15	13	7	69
22	Marcus Cannon	NE	16	16	15	14	7	68
23	Jack Conklin	TEN	15	17	16	13	7	68
24	Brent Qvale	NYJ	16	16	15	13	7	67
25	Daryl Williams	CAR	16	16	14	13	7	66
26	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	15	15	13	15	7	65
27	Joe Haeg	IND	14	14	14	14	7	63
28	Ty Sambrailo	DEN	15	16	12	12	7	62
29	Ryan Harris	PIT	16	14	13	12	7	62
30	Ricky Wagner	BAL	15	13	13	13	7	61
31	D.J. Fluker	SD	14	14	16	9	7	60
32	Ja'Wuan James	MIA	13	13	12	14	7	59
33	Jeremiah Sirles	MIN	13	14	12	12	7	58

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Joe Reitz—injury
• Marshall Newhouse—injury
• Donald Stephenson—injury
• Breno Giacomini—injury
• Menelik Watson—injury
• Andre Smith—insufficient snaps
• Seantrel Henderson—suspension

Offensive Guards

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Week 4 was interesting in terms of guard play. Several players dominated, and six guards have grades of 80 or above. While perennial Pro Bowlers make up part of that group, a couple of other lesser-known players showed their stuff as well.

One of those lesser-knowns was Steelers second-year left guard B.J. Finney, who filled in for the injured Ramon Foster. Finney set the tone up front early for the Steelers, driving defenders off the ball in the running game while also displaying good leverage in the passing game.

Foster has been a solid starter for a while and is unlikely to be replaced, but right tackle Marcus Gilbert is slated to miss some time, opening a hole in the lineup. Perhaps Foster could slide to the right side while Gilbert is out, allowing Finney a chance to establish himself as a consistent presence up front.

Staying in the AFC North, Browns right guard John Greco also played well this week, opening up huge holes for Isaiah Crowell in the running game. This may be Greco's last week at guard for a while, though. Normal starter Cameron Erving is still week to week, and backup center Austin Reiter is out for the year. Cleveland will slide Greco to center to replace them, with Alvin Bailey the likely candidate to start at right guard.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Offensive Guard Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Zack Martin	DAL	21	22	17	16	7	83
2	Marshal Yanda	BAL	21	22	17	15	7	82
3	Richie Incognito	BUF	20	22	17	15	7	81
4	Kelechi Osemele	OAK	19	22	17	15	7	80
5	B.J. Finney	PIT	18	21	17	17	7	80
6	Justin Pugh	NYG	20	18	17	18	7	80
7	John Greco	CLE	18	21	17	16	7	79
8	Josh Sitton	CHI	20	18	16	17	7	78
9	Jack Mewhort	IND	20	19	17	15	7	78
10	Andy Levitre	ATL	21	17	17	15	7	77
11	Ali Marpet	TB	18	19	17	16	7	77
12	Brandon Scherff	WAS	17	19	18	16	7	77
13	Ronald Leary	DAL	18	20	17	15	7	77
14	Alex Boone	MIN	18	19	17	16	7	77
15	Andrew Norwell	CAR	18	18	17	16	7	76
16	Chris Chester	ATL	17	21	17	14	7	76
17	Gabe Jackson	OAK	19	17	17	14	7	74
18	Mark Glowinski	SEA	16	18	16	17	7	74
19	Clint Boling	CIN	17	17	17	15	7	73
20	Shaq Mason	NE	17	15	17	17	7	73
21	Trai Turner	CAR	16	17	17	16	7	73
22	Mike Iupati	ARI	17	17	17	15	7	73
23	David DeCastro	PIT	16	17	17	16	7	73
24	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	18	16	17	14	7	72
25	Joel Bitonio	CLE	18	16	15	16	7	72
26	John Miller	BUF	14	19	18	14	7	72
27	Laken Tomlinson	DET	19	14	16	16	7	72
28	Brandon Fusco	MIN	17	16	16	15	7	71
29	Jeff Allen	HOU	16	18	17	13	7	71
30	Tim Lelito	NO	15	18	17	14	7	71
31	Ryan Jensen	BAL	17	16	16	14	7	70
32	Kyle Long	CHI	15	17	16	15	7	70
33	Max Garcia	DEN	16	17	17	13	7	70
34	Arie Kouandjio	WAS	16	17	17	13	7	70
35	James Carpenter	NYJ	17	15	17	14	7	70
36	Larry Warford	DET	16	16	17	14	7	70
37	Andrew Tiller	SF	15	17	17	14	7	70
38	Jahri Evans	NO	17	17	17	12	7	70
39	John Jerry	NYG	17	16	16	14	7	70
40	Joe Thuney	NE	17	14	14	17	7	69
41	A.J. Cann	JAX	16	15	17	14	7	69
42	Germain Ifedi	SEA	14	17	17	14	7	69
43	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	16	16	15	15	7	69
44	Rodger Saffold	LA	16	15	15	16	7	69
45	Orlando Franklin	SD	17	15	16	14	7	69
46	Kevin Pamphile	TB	15	16	17	13	7	68
47	Josh Kline	TEN	15	15	16	15	7	68
48	Evan Mathis	ARI	14	18	15	14	7	68
49	Zane Beadles	SF	16	15	15	15	7	68
50	D.J. Fluker	SD	16	15	16	14	7	68
51	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	15	15	15	16	7	68
52	Michael Schofield	DEN	14	15	16	15	7	67
53	Spencer Pulley	SD	13	16	15	16	7	67
54	Patrick Omameh	JAX	15	14	16	14	7	66
55	Brian Winters	NYJ	14	14	15	15	7	65
56	Quinton Spain	TEN	14	16	17	11	7	65
57	Kenny Wiggins	SD	15	14	15	14	7	65
58	Jermon Bushrod	MIA	15	13	15	14	7	64
59	Zach Fulton	KC	14	15	15	12	7	63
60	Billy Turner	MIA	13	12	13	16	7	61
61	Cody Wichmann	LA	14	12	14	14	7	61
62	Austin Blythe	IND	10	15	15	11	7	58
63	Luke Joeckel	JAX	13	11	12	14	7	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• La'el Collins—injury
• Chance Warmack—injury
• Senio Kelemete—insufficient snaps
• Alvin Bailey—insufficient snaps
• Jamon Brown—insufficient snaps
• J'Marcus Webb—insufficient snaps
• Jonathan Cooper—insufficient snaps
• Joshua Garnett—insufficient snaps

Centers

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Through the first two weeks of the 2016 season, the Atlanta Falcons might have hoodwinked themselves. In March, they signed former Cleveland Browns stalwart and three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack to a five-year, $45 million contract with $28.5 million guaranteed. That made Mack the highest-paid center in the NFL in terms of guaranteed money.

And when the Falcons played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders in Weeks 1 and 2, I had serious doubts about Mack’s ability to operate outside a phone booth. He was losing power and agility battles in space and letting defenders slip by him to either side. In Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints defense, he showed some improvement, but I chalked that up to the fact Mack was facing a front seven that wouldn’t scare anybody. 

Then Week 4 happened, and I ate my words in a hurry. Mack is the top center in this week’s NFL1000, and he earned every bit of that honor with a dominant performance against the Carolina Panthers. Yes, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones went off in that 48-33 win, but Mack was the one who held everything together up front. He limited tackle Star Lotulelei to no pressures and no big plays in the run defense and performed some great seal blocks on Luke Kuechly, who’s probably the best linebacker in the NFL. 

People don’t just truck Kuechly around like Mack did, and he did so with consistency and authority. It’s a good indicator of what you often find in an evaluative system that tracks every player though a season—the narratives you thought might stick early in the campaign will often change.

One player whose narrative generally doesn’t change is Travis Frederick of the Dallas Cowboys, the No. 2 center this week. He is renowned for his strength and his agility, and 49ers defensive tackle Mike Purcell found that out on the first offensive snap of the Cowboys’ 24-17 win. Purcell jumped to try to deflect a Dak Prescott pass, and Frederick knocked him right on his butt.

It was the second straight game in which Frederick started by showing his physical dominance; the week before against the Bears, he threw linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski to the ground as if Kwiatkoski were a high school player.

A couple of the more esteemed centers struggled in Week 4, though. The Broncos blew out the Buccaneers, 27-7, but Matt Paradis had a ton of trouble with Tampa Bay defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and gave up a sack to Gerald McCoy before the latter left the game with a calf injury. McDonald gave Paradis fits because the Denver center struggles with power moves at times, and McDonald has a solid combination of power and agility to cross the face of the center and create pressure.

And on Monday night, Weston Richburg of the New York Giants had a nightmare of a game against the Minnesota front line, specifically tackle Linval Joseph. The Viking can come off the snap alarmingly quickly for a man his size (6'4", 329 lbs), and Richburg, for all his skill, struggled to keep pace. Joseph had a quarterback hurry, three tackles and three run stops, but stats don’t tell the full story of what he did to one of the best centers in the game. That’s more a credit to Joseph than a slight to Richburg, but it explains Richburg’s relatively low grade this week.

Conversely, Minnesota’s Joe Berger did his part against the Giants defensive front, especially tackle Damon Harrison. This was the first game of the season Harrison didn't consistently destroy the center in front of him—credit Berger for showing impressive strength and recovery skills even when he was beaten.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Center Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Alex Mack	ATL	19	21	18	16	6	80
2	Travis Frederick	DAL	17	21	18	16	6	78
3	Joe Berger	MIN	19	19	17	15	6	76
4	Brandon Linder	JAX	17	19	16	16	6	74
5	Mitch Morse	KC	17	18	16	17	6	74
6	Ryan Kelly	IND	16	19	17	15	6	73
7	Eric Wood	BUF	17	18	17	14	6	72
8	Rodney Hudson	OAK	19	16	18	13	6	72
9	Justin Britt	SEA	17	18	15	16	6	72
10	Daniel Kilgore	SF	18	15	16	17	6	72
11	Max Unger	NO	19	15	16	15	6	71
12	Ben Jones	TEN	16	20	16	13	6	71
13	Greg Mancz	HOU	17	16	14	16	6	69
14	David Andrews	NE	18	16	14	15	6	69
15	Spencer Long	WAS	17	16	14	16	6	69
16	Cody Whitehair	CHI	17	16	15	14	6	68
17	Russell Bodine	CIN	16	18	16	11	6	67
18	Matt Slauson	SD	15	18	17	11	6	67
19	Austin Reiter	CLE	17	15	12	16	6	66
20	Travis Swanson	DET	15	16	14	15	6	66
21	Tim Barnes	LA	16	17	15	12	6	66
22	Kraig Urbik	MIA	16	17	12	15	6	66
23	Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	14	17	12	17	6	66
24	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	14	17	16	12	6	65
25	Weston Richburg	NYG	17	14	13	15	6	65
26	Nick Mangold	NYJ	16	18	17	8	6	65
27	Ryan Kalil	CAR	16	15	13	14	6	64
28	Jeremy Zuttah	BAL	15	16	12	14	6	63
29	Matt Paradis	DEN	15	15	12	15	6	63
30	Joe Hawley	TB	12	16	14	15	6	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Cameron Erving—injury
• Mike Pouncey—injury

3-4 Defensive Ends

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

It was a huge weeks for the top 3-4 defensive ends, as Pittsburgh's Cameron Heyward and Denver's Derek Wolfe each recorded three sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. The Steelers and Broncos defenses were dominant in their wins, and both of these guys flashed consistently versus the run and the pass. Credit must also go to their teammates Stephon Tuitt and Von Miller, respectively, for creating opportunities for both Heyward and Wolfe to clean up.

Karl Klug is probably a surprise near the top of this week's grades. The Titans defensive end was disruptive and consistently grabbed my attention on film.

Baltimore's Timmy Jernigan suffered a big drop in the rankings, as the Raiders' Gabe Jackson manhandled, bullied and shut him down. Oakland's interior O-line made Jernigan look average after some All-Pro performances to start the season. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Defensive End Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Cameron Heyward	PIT	14	23	18	15	6	76
2	Derek Wolfe	DEN	12	23	21	13	6	75
3	Calais Campbell	ARI	13	19	20	14	6	72
4	Karl Klug	TEN	13	16	19	15	6	69
5	Akiem Hicks	CHI	11	19	19	13	6	68
6	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	12	19	19	11	6	67
7	Jared Crick	DEN	10	17	19	14	6	66
8	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	13	16	17	14	6	66
9	Jaye Howard	KC	12	15	18	15	6	66
10	Corey Liuget	SD	12	16	19	13	6	66
11	DeForest Buckner	SF	9	16	19	14	6	64
12	Arik Armstead	SF	11	18	16	13	6	64
13	Jurrell Casey	TEN	11	17	18	12	6	64
14	Denico Autry	OAK	9	17	17	14	6	63
15	Xavier Cooper	CLE	12	14	17	13	6	62
16	Ziggy Hood	WAS	9	14	18	14	6	61
17	Leger Douzable	BUF	9	16	16	13	6	60
18	Mitch Unrein	CHI	7	17	16	14	6	60
19	Chris L. Baker	WAS	9	14	18	13	6	60
20	Cornelius Washington	CHI	8	17	14	14	6	59
21	Billy Winn	DEN	8	14	18	13	6	59
22	Christian Covington	HOU	9	13	18	13	6	59
23	Kendall Langford	IND	8	15	16	14	6	59
24	Jamie Meder	CLE	7	14	17	14	6	58
25	Quinton Dial	SF	9	12	18	13	6	58
26	DaQuan Jones	TEN	9	12	19	11	6	57
27	Angelo Blackson	TEN	8	11	19	13	6	57
28	Josh Mauro	ARI	9	12	16	13	6	56
29	Devon Still	HOU	8	11	19	12	6	56
30	Henry Anderson	IND	8	14	17	11	6	56
31	Ricardo Mathews	PIT	9	14	16	11	6	56
32	Brent Urban	BAL	8	12	18	11	6	55
33	Chris Jones	KC	9	12	17	11	6	55
34	Darius Philon	SD	8	12	17	12	6	55
35	Ricky Jean Francois	WAS	9	12	16	12	6	55
36	Ed Stinson	ARI	8	12	16	12	6	54
37	Timmy Jernigan	BAL	7	10	16	15	6	54
38	Lawrence Guy	BAL	7	11	17	13	6	54
39	Antonio Smith	HOU	8	13	15	11	6	53
40	Jihad Ward	OAK	6	12	12	12	6	48
41	Kendall Reyes	WAS	7	12	12	11	6	48
42	Allen Bailey	KC	7	12	12	8	6	45

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• J.J. Watt—injury
• Robert Nkemdiche—inactive
• Frostee Rucker—inactive
• Taylor Hart—inactive
• Joey Bosa—inactive
• Adolphus Washington—insufficient snaps

4-3 Defensive Ends

John Grieshop/Getty Images

There are clear haves and have-nots in the NFL at pass-rushing positions. Schemes such as the Seattle Seahawks' demand two to four quality pass-rushers, which is why no soul should be surprised three of the top seven 4-3 defensive ends wore blue this week.

On top of that, the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars have a combined five 4-3 defensive ends in the top 15. It's worth noting Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley are former Seahawks defensive coordinators.

When there's one player who can beat one-on-one blocks, it creates pressure that calls for double-teams. That makes life easier for both defensive-minded coaches and players, who can exploit how offenses block up front. This extends further to non-Seattle-tree teams such as the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

One of the biggest performances of the weekend came from Robert Quinn, even though it doesn't show up in the box score. After notching sacks in back-to-back games, he didn't record a single tackle against the Arizona Cardinals. However, Quinn's ability to be a timer QB Carson Palmer had to set his internal clock to affected the Cardinals' game plan.

Arizona runs a vertical offense that relies on its linemen to hold up at the point of attack while the receivers stretch defenses deep, but Palmer was unable to complete a pass over 30 yards all game, a stark contrast to his style of play the first two weeks. Forcing the Cardinals into quick sets kept Quinn out of highlights—he was just one step away on several near sacks—but it also nullified Arizona's best offensive trait: the long ball.

On Thursday Night Football, Carlos Dunlap put on a show and dominated the Dolphins with two sacks, two batted passes, a forced fumble and a handful of disruptive snaps that helped the Bengals defense have a near-perfect game. Dunlap has finally rounded into a premier edge player in 2016.  

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Defensive End Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	22	16	15	16	7	76
2	Khalil Mack	OAK	21	16	16	16	7	76
3	Robert Quinn	LA	23	15	16	14	7	75
4	Michael Bennett	SEA	18	21	13	16	7	75
5	Cliff Avril	SEA	23	17	16	11	7	74
6	Frank Clark	SEA	21	19	16	11	7	74
7	Everson Griffen	MIN	22	15	16	14	7	74
8	Dante Fowler Jr.	JAX	20	14	17	15	7	73
9	Kerry Hyder	DET	19	19	12	14	7	71
10	Jabaal Sheard	NE	17	16	14	17	7	71
11	Dwight Freeney	ATL	21	15	14	12	7	69
12	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	17	14	15	16	7	69
13	Vic Beasley	ATL	16	15	16	14	7	68
14	Derrick Shelby	ATL	13	17	15	16	7	68
15	Cameron Jordan	NO	21	15	14	11	7	68
16	Devin Taylor	DET	17	19	12	12	7	67
17	Mario Williams	MIA	15	20	12	12	7	66
18	Brian Robison	MIN	15	18	13	13	7	66
19	Jason Pierre-Paul	NYG	17	16	12	14	7	66
20	Olivier Vernon	NYG	17	17	12	13	7	66
21	Noah Spence	TB	18	15	14	12	7	66
22	Danielle Hunter	MIN	17	15	14	12	7	65
23	William Gholston	TB	18	17	12	11	7	65
24	Owa Odighizuwa	NYG	15	15	15	12	7	64
25	Sheldon Richardson	NYJ	15	17	12	13	7	64
26	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	15	14	15	13	7	64
27	Curtis Marsh	SEA	17	15	13	12	7	64
28	Benson Mayowa	DAL	17	15	13	11	7	63
29	Wallace Gilberry	DET	15	15	12	14	7	63
30	Trey Flowers	NE	16	15	12	13	7	63
31	Chris Long	NE	14	17	14	11	7	63
32	Charles Johnson	CAR	17	15	11	12	7	62
33	Will Clarke	CIN	16	16	12	11	7	62
34	Ethan Westbrooks	LA	17	15	12	11	7	62
35	Jason D. Jones	MIA	12	17	11	15	7	62
36	Davonte Lambert	TB	15	16	12	12	7	62
37	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	15	15	12	12	7	61
38	Jack Crawford	DAL	15	15	13	11	7	61
39	Darryl Tapp	NO	17	13	12	12	7	61
40	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	17	13	12	11	7	60
41	Eugene Sims	LA	15	13	11	14	7	60
42	Paul Kruger	NO	15	13	13	12	7	60
43	Kerry Wynn	NYG	15	14	12	12	7	60
44	Shilique Calhoun	OAK	16	11	13	13	7	60
45	Howard Jones	TB	15	14	12	12	7	60
46	Kony Ealy	CAR	15	13	12	12	7	59
47	David Irving	DAL	15	13	12	12	7	59
48	Matt Longacre	LA	11	17	12	12	7	59
49	Andre Branch	MIA	12	15	12	13	7	59
50	Kasim Edebali	NO	15	13	12	12	7	59
51	Romeo Okwara	NYG	14	15	11	12	7	59
52	Brooks Reed	ATL	13	15	11	12	7	58
53	Michael D. Johnson	CIN	14	16	11	10	7	58
54	Cameron Wake	MIA	15	12	13	11	7	58
55	Brandon Copeland	DET	11	15	11	12	7	56
56	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	13	12	13	11	7	56
57	Channing Ward	TB	14	13	11	11	7	56
58	Lavar Edwards	CAR	11	15	11	11	7	55
59	Ryan Davis	DAL	13	11	11	12	7	54
60	Margus Hunt	CIN	13	12	10	11	7	53
61	Mario Addison	CAR	11	11	11	12	7	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Randy Gregory—suspension
• DeMarcus Lawrence—suspension
• Rob Ninkovich—suspension
• Jared Odrick—inactive
• Ezekiel Ansah—inactive
• Robert Ayers—inactive

Defensive Tackles

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Linval Joseph had arguably the most impressive performance among the defensive tackles in Week 4. He dominated the interior against the Giants, consistently swallowing running lanes and doing a solid job of collapsing the pocket.

The top-tier talent in the league shone as well. Los Angeles' Aaron Donald, Miami's Ndamukong Suh, Cincinnati's Geno Atkins and Carolina's Kawann Short also had solid games while affecting both the run and the pass.

The Falcons found a diamond in the rough with second-year nose tackle Grady Jarrett. He gave Ryan Kalil all he could handle and was a key cog for the Falcons defense that limited the Panthers to 3.3 yards per carry.

Clinton McDonald had a fantastic game against the Denver Broncos, playing stout, technically sound, hard-nosed defense. Gerald McCoy left the game with an injury in the first half, so it was nice to see someone fill in for him and pick up where he left off. 

Tyson Alualu had a compelling performance against the Colts. He flashed his athleticism as he was able to make plays versus a young, inexperienced offensive line. Malik Jackson had a nice day rushing the passer (four QB hurries, one QB hit), which is where he's made his impact throughout his first month in Jacksonville.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Defensive Tackle Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Aaron Donald	LA	21	20	20	15	6	82
2	Geno Atkins	CIN	20	21	19	15	6	81
3	Kawann Short	CAR	20	18	22	15	6	81
4	Ndamukong Suh	MIA	19	19	22	15	6	81
5	Linval Joseph	MIN	18	17	24	15	6	80
6	Nick Fairley	NO	19	19	21	14	6	79
7	Grady Jarrett	ATL	20	16	21	14	6	77
8	Gerald McCoy	TB	19	17	20	14	6	76
9	Clinton McDonald	TB	18	16	21	15	6	76
10	Kyle D. Williams	BUF	18	18	19	14	6	75
11	Sheldon Day	JAX	19	17	18	14	6	74
12	Malcom Brown	NE	18	17	19	14	6	74
13	Brandon Mebane	SD	16	16	21	15	6	74
14	Ra'Shede Hageman	ATL	19	17	18	14	6	74
15	Malik Jackson	JAX	18	19	17	13	6	73
16	Tom Johnson	MIN	18	19	17	13	6	73
17	Leonard Williams	NYJ	18	16	20	13	6	73
18	Alan Branch	NE	17	16	20	13	6	72
19	Sylvester Williams	DEN	17	14	21	14	6	72
20	Michael Brockers	LA	16	17	19	13	6	71
21	Vincent Valentine	NE	18	16	17	14	6	71
22	Steve McLendon	NYJ	17	14	19	15	6	71
23	Corbin Bryant	BUF	16	17	18	13	6	70
24	Damon Harrison	NYG	16	17	18	13	6	70
25	Brandon J. Williams	BAL	17	14	20	13	6	70
26	Tyson Alualu	JAX	19	16	17	12	6	70
27	Dominique Easley	LA	18	18	15	12	6	69
28	Adam Gotsis	DEN	15	16	19	13	6	69
29	Domata Peko	CIN	16	16	17	14	6	69
30	Roy Miller	JAX	16	14	20	13	6	69
31	Johnathan Hankins	NYG	18	16	17	12	6	69
32	Akeem Spence	TB	16	15	19	13	6	69
33	Terrell McClain	DAL	16	17	17	12	6	68
34	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	15	14	19	13	6	67
35	D.J. Reader	HOU	16	15	18	12	6	67
36	Dontari Poe	KC	18	17	15	11	6	67
37	Will Sutton	CHI	16	13	18	13	6	66
38	Star Lotulelei	CAR	17	15	16	12	6	66
39	Caraun Reid	SD	15	14	19	12	6	66
40	Tony McDaniel	SEA	16	13	18	12	6	65
41	Cedric Thornton	DAL	16	15	16	12	6	65
42	Vince Wilfork	HOU	15	16	16	12	6	65
43	Tyson Jackson	ATL	14	13	20	12	6	65
44	Jordan Phillips	MIA	16	15	15	13	6	65
45	Pat Sims	CIN	14	13	18	13	6	64
46	Rodney Gunter	ARI	15	14	18	11	6	64
47	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	16	14	16	12	6	64
48	Shamar Stephen	MIN	16	15	16	11	6	64
49	Abry Jones	JAX	14	14	18	11	6	63
50	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	15	14	17	11	6	63
51	David Onyemata	NO	16	14	13	14	6	63
52	Javon Hargrave	PIT	14	16	15	12	6	63
53	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	14	16	13	14	6	63
54	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	14	15	11	6	63
55	Kyle Love	CAR	17	12	17	11	6	63
56	Julius Warmsley	MIA	14	15	16	11	6	62
57	Haloti Ngata	DET	15	14	15	12	6	62
58	Paul Soliai	CAR	16	11	16	12	6	61
59	Danny Shelton	CLE	16	14	15	10	6	61
60	Jay Bromley	NYG	14	16	14	11	6	61
61	Adolphus Washington	BUF	14	13	16	11	6	60
62	Tyeler Davison	NO	14	15	13	12	6	60
63	Jarvis Jenkins	NYJ	14	13	16	11	6	60
64	Michael Pierce	BAL	15	11	16	10	6	58
65	Zach Kerr	IND	15	13	14	10	6	58
66	Al Woods	TEN	15	12	13	10	6	56
67	Tyrunn Walker	DET	15	13	12	10	6	56
68	Stacy McGee	OAK	15	13	12	9	6	55
69	Darius Latham	OAK	14	13	10	10	6	53
70	John Jenkins	NO	13	12	12	10	6	53
71	Justin Ellis	OAK	13	11	13	10	6	53
72	Cullen Jenkins	WAS	14	13	11	9	6	53
73	David Parry	IND	13	11	12	10	6	52
74	Dan Williams	OAK	11	12	10	11	6	50
75	Mike Purcell	SF	14	10	9	8	6	47

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Vernon Butler—injury
• Sharrif Floyd—injury
• Earl Mitchell—injury
• Jarran Reed—injury
• Eddie Goldman—injury
• Marcell Dareus—suspension
• Robert Nkemdiche—inactive

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Three of Week 4's top seven performances at 3-4 outside linebacker belonged to the Broncos, who used relentless waves of pressure and a dominant all-around game against the run to hold the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to just seven points.

Led by the indomitable Von Miller, Denver’s group continues to set the gold standard for outside linebacker play. The Broncos put on a clinic, with Miller and Shaquil Barrett consistently disrupting the run on early downs and Shane Ray joining the pass-rushing party against quarterback Jameis Winston, who was sacked five times.

Miller earned the top overall grade at 3-4 outside linebacker for the third straight week, while Barrett produced his best grade (79) and top finish (No. 4 OLB) of the season. And don’t forget about Ray, who has now finished inside the top 10 at 3-4 outside linebacker during every week to start 2016. 

The Cardinals also had a strong week at the position. Arizona might be 1-3, but trading for Chandler Jones looks like one of the best moves of the offseason. He consistently finds his way into the opponent’s backfield, which helped him earn the second-best grade of the week. Teammate Markus Golden, who is one of only a few outside linebackers with grades of at least 70 during all four weeks in 2016, joined him in the top five.

The Cardinals have problems, but their pass-rushing duo of Jones and Golden—who have combined for eight sacks—isn’t one of them.

Other standouts from Week 4 include Jerry Hughes, who trails only Miller in overall grade this season, and Melvin Ingram, one of the NFL’s most underrated pass-rushers.

Also, it’s probably past due to give a shout-out to James Harrison. He’s 38, but the veteran outside linebacker still flashes big-time pass-rushing ability, and he’s among the best at his position at dropping in coverage. The Steelers would be in trouble on defense without him.

It wasn’t all good. The week featured a season-high 16 grades of 62 or worse. Among those were Robert Mathis, who has started 2016 with four straight games under 62. Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Joe Schobert finished with the week’s worst grade. He’s been bullied to start his first NFL season.

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Von Miller	DEN	23	22	9	21	7	82
2	Chandler Jones	ARI	22	19	11	22	7	81
3	Jerry Hughes	BUF	22	20	10	22	7	81
4	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	20	20	11	21	7	79
5	Markus Golden	ARI	19	20	10	20	7	76
6	Melvin Ingram	SD	18	18	11	22	7	76
7	Shane Ray	DEN	19	18	10	20	7	74
8	James Harrison	PIT	18	17	11	20	7	73
9	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	17	19	10	20	7	73
10	Brian Orakpo	TEN	20	17	9	19	7	72
11	Trent Murphy	WAS	17	18	10	20	7	72
12	Derrick Morgan	TEN	18	17	10	19	7	71
13	Lorenzo Alexander	BUF	17	18	10	17	7	69
14	Akeem Ayers	IND	17	16	11	18	7	69
15	Jarvis Jones	PIT	17	16	10	18	7	68
16	Preston Smith	WAS	16	18	9	18	7	68
17	Erik Walden	IND	17	17	10	17	7	68
18	Dee Ford	KC	18	15	10	18	7	68
19	Willie Young	CHI	16	16	10	18	7	67
20	Terrell Suggs	BAL	15	16	10	18	7	66
21	Jerry Attaochu	SD	18	15	9	17	7	66
22	Dekoda Watson	DEN	16	16	10	17	7	66
23	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	14	17	10	18	7	66
24	Lerentee McCray	BUF	15	16	10	17	7	65
25	Alex Okafor	ARI	16	16	10	16	7	65
26	Arthur Moats	PIT	15	16	10	17	7	65
27	Leonard Floyd	CHI	14	17	11	16	7	65
28	Tamba Hali	KC	16	16	9	16	7	64
29	Tank Carradine	SF	15	16	10	16	7	64
30	Corey Lemonier	CLE	15	16	9	17	7	64
31	Anthony Chickillo	PIT	16	15	9	17	7	64
32	Kevin Dodd	TEN	15	15	9	18	7	64
33	John Simon	HOU	16	14	10	16	7	63
34	Za'Darius Smith	BAL	15	16	9	16	7	63
35	Ahmad Brooks	SF	13	14	10	18	7	62
36	Elvis Dumervil	BAL	14	15	9	17	7	62
37	Cam Johnson	CLE	18	12	9	15	7	61
38	David Bass	TEN	14	16	7	17	7	61
39	Albert McClellan	BAL	13	15	10	16	7	61
40	Curt Maggitt	IND	13	16	9	16	7	61
41	Kyle Emanuel	SD	13	15	9	16	7	60
42	Dadi Nicolas	KC	14	14	10	15	7	60
43	Robert Mathis	IND	14	13	9	17	7	60
44	Houston Bates	WAS	14	14	9	16	7	60
45	Frank Zombo	KC	13	15	8	16	7	59
46	Sam Acho	CHI	10	16	10	16	7	59
47	Tank Carder	CLE	13	15	9	15	7	59
48	Eli Harold	SF	13	13	10	16	7	59
49	Tourek Williams	SD	13	14	9	15	7	58
50	Joe Schobert	CLE	13	13	10	15	7	58

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Matt Judon—inactive
• DeMarcus Ware—injury
• Shaq Lawson—injury
• Pernell McPhee—injury
• Justin Houston—injury
• Ryan Kerrigan—injury
• Armonty Bryant—suspension
• Aaron Lynch—suspension

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

It was not a good week for linebacker play. For the first time this season, no one in this group graded at 80 or above. Nobody even graded out at 75. That doesn't mean there weren't any quality linebacker performances, but none was eye-popping.

Though it was an overall down week, many of the same players found themselves at the top of the rankings—the Anthony Barrs, Lavonte Davids and Thomas Davises, all the names who have become synonymous with discussions about the best 4-3 outside linebackers in the league. A few notable players returned from either injury or suspension as well. 

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict made his first appearance of the season. He missed the first three games of the year with a suspension related to player-safety violations. Playing on a short week against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, Burfict did not have an outstanding game, but he did enough to show his opponents he is back.

He was abnormally sticky in coverage, including when he made a diving play to slap down a pass on a quick slant route. When defending the run, Burfict did not make many impact plays, but he kept gains at a minimum and did his job in keeping the Dolphins rushing game at bay.

Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower returned too after missing a couple of games because of a minor knee injury. He came back with an attitude and ravaged the Bills rushing attack. New England asked him to man the edge often, and he made plenty of plays from there, as well as from a more traditional off-ball position.

He missed a couple of tackles that he should not have, including a possible tackle for loss, but he returned without much rust. It was refreshing to see a player as dominant as Hightower back on the field.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Anthony Barr	MIN	18	20	10	19	6	73
2	K.J. Wright	SEA	17	22	7	20	6	72
3	Dont'a Hightower	NE	18	22	9	17	6	72
4	Lavonte David	TB	17	20	7	20	6	70
5	Bruce Irvin	OAK	15	19	12	18	6	70
6	Thomas Davis	CAR	17	19	9	18	6	69
7	Vontaze Burfict	CIN	21	18	7	17	6	69
8	Karlos Dansby	CIN	19	17	7	20	6	69
9	Vincent Rey	CIN	21	15	7	18	6	67
10	Telvin Smith	JAX	15	19	7	19	6	66
11	Shaq Thompson	CAR	16	20	7	17	6	66
12	Nate Stupar	NO	14	18	7	19	6	64
13	Sean Weatherspoon	ATL	18	16	7	16	6	63
14	Devon Kennard	NYG	15	18	7	16	6	62
15	Shea McClellin	NE	15	16	8	16	6	61
16	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	15	17	7	15	6	60
17	Erin Henderson	NYJ	15	16	8	15	6	60
18	Michael Morgan	SEA	15	16	7	15	6	59
19	Philip Wheeler	ATL	15	16	7	15	6	59
20	Donald Butler	MIA	14	17	7	15	6	59
21	Josh Forrest	LA	15	15	7	15	6	58
22	Chad Greenway	MIN	14	15	7	15	6	57
23	Myles Jack	JAX	16	13	7	15	6	57
24	Sean Lee	DAL	14	16	7	13	6	56
25	Jonathan Freeny	NE	14	14	7	15	6	56
26	Antwione Williams	DET	13	14	7	15	6	55
27	Daren Bates	OAK	13	14	7	15	6	55
28	Mark Barron	LA	18	11	7	12	6	54
29	Malcolm Smith	OAK	12	14	7	15	6	54
30	Justin Durant	DAL	13	14	7	14	6	54
31	Jonathan Casillas	NYG	14	13	7	13	6	53
32	Michael Mauti	NO	13	13	7	14	6	53
33	Keenan Robinson	NYG	14	13	7	12	6	52
34	Daryl Smith	TB	15	12	7	12	6	52
35	Kyle Van Noy	DET	14	13	7	12	6	52
36	Darron Lee	NYJ	12	10	7	15	6	50
37	Neville Hewitt	MIA	14	13	7	10	6	50
38	Spencer Paysinger	MIA	13	11	8	10	6	48

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• DeAndre Levy—injury
• De'Vondre Campbell—injury
• Kao Misi—injury
• Jelani Jenkins—injury

Inside Linebackers

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

A handful of teams suffered injuries throughout Week 4, and it's severely testing roster depth. The most devastating injury was the ruptured Achilles NaVorro Bowman suffered in the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Bowman had been playing well—he's in the top five this week—and will now spend the rest of the year rehabilitating from another serious injury. As a result, the 49ers linebacker group looks like one of the weakest in the league. The 49ers lost their other starter, Ray-Ray Armstrong, to a pectoral injury earlier in the year. With the Thursday night game against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco must overcome a short week and a lack of continuity in the middle of the defense.

Other injuries include San Diego’s Denzel Perryman and New Orleans' James Laurinaitis.

The Chargers replaced Perryman with rookie Joshua Perry, and the difference was obvious, even though it was Perry’s first solid game. The Saints, however, improved with Laurinaitis' absence. As always, injuries are the worst part of sports, but the Saints shuffled outside linebacker Craig Robertson inside and benefited from the increased athleticism on defense in the win. 

Vince Williams saw his first start in 2016 on Sunday Night Football as the Pittsburgh Steelers routed the Kansas City Chiefs. His aggressiveness and energy were an instant upgrade over Ryan Shazier, who has been playing banged up over the last few weeks. If Williams can keep up his performance while Shazier sits to get healthy, the Steelers defense will have no trouble continuing to roll.

The floor of linebacker play rose in Week 4, while the ceiling lowered just a bit. Once again, the guys at the top are able to diagnose and fill downhill toward the line of scrimmage.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Defense (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 35)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Inside Linebacker Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Luke Kuechly	CAR	20	30	12	13	6	81
2	Zach Brown	BUF	19	31	12	13	6	81
3	Vince Williams	PIT	20	30	12	12	6	80
4	NaVorro Bowman	SF	20	29	13	12	6	80
5	Zach Orr	BAL	19	31	12	12	6	80
6	Bobby Wagner	SEA	20	28	13	12	6	79
7	Jerrell Freeman	CHI	22	29	10	12	6	79
8	C.J. (Clint) Mosley	BAL	20	29	11	12	6	78
9	Deone Bucannon	ARI	20	31	11	11	6	79
10	Preston Brown	BUF	18	30	13	12	6	79
11	Craig Robertson	NO	20	30	11	12	6	79
12	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	18	31	11	12	6	78
13	Deion Jones	ATL	19	31	10	12	6	78
14	Kwon Alexander	TB	18	30	12	12	6	78
15	Jamie Collins	NE	20	28	12	11	6	77
16	Brandon M. Marshall	DEN	20	30	10	11	6	77
17	Will Compton	WAS	19	30	11	11	6	77
18	Denzel Perryman	SD	20	31	9	11	6	77
19	Jatavis Brown	SD	20	28	10	12	6	76
20	Lawrence Timmons	PIT	18	30	10	12	6	76
21	Su'a Cravens	WAS	21	26	10	12	6	75
22	Todd Davis	DEN	19	29	10	11	6	75
23	Cory James	OAK	18	28	11	12	6	75
24	Paul Posluszny	JAX	18	30	12	8	6	74
25	D'Qwell Jackson	IND	18	30	8	12	6	74
26	Eric Kendricks	MIN	19	27	10	11	6	73
27	Justin March-Lillard	KC	18	28	10	11	6	73
28	David Harris	NYJ	17	29	9	12	6	73
29	Mason Foster	WAS	18	29	8	12	6	73
30	Michael Wilhoite	SF	19	28	8	12	6	73
31	Kiko Alonso	MIA	18	26	10	12	6	72
32	Avery Williamson	TEN	17	27	11	11	6	72
33	Nick Kwiatkoski	CHI	18	28	10	10	6	72
34	Kevin Minter	ARI	17	30	9	9	6	71
35	Derrick O. Johnson	KC	18	28	9	10	6	71
36	Brian Cushing	HOU	17	27	8	12	6	70
37	Antonio Morrison	IND	18	26	8	12	6	70
38	Chris Kirksey	CLE	18	24	11	11	6	70
39	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	16	27	9	12	6	70
40	John Timu	CHI	19	26	8	10	6	69
41	Joshua Perry	SD	17	26	9	11	6	69
42	Alec Ogletree	LA	20	24	8	11	6	69
43	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	17	26	9	11	6	69
44	Rey Maualuga	CIN	16	30	9	7	6	68
45	Tahir Whitehead	DET	19	25	8	10	6	68
46	Nick Bellore	SF	15	26	8	11	6	67
47	Nick Dzubnar	SD	17	26	9	9	6	67
48	Demario Davis	CLE	16	24	9	11	6	66
49	Kelvin Sheppard	NYG	16	25	8	11	6	66
50	Josh McNary	IND	20	20	8	10	6	64
51	Sio Moore	IND	16	25	8	8	6	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ryan Shazier—injury
• Danny Trevathan—injury
• James Laurinaitis—injury
• Manti Te'o—injury
• Rolando McClain—suspension
• Ben Heeney—insufficient snaps

Cornerbacks

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions star Darius Slay was a breakout player of week 4 after he didn't get beaten in any coverage snap. That's a tough feat to accomplish. Slay was targeted five times, allowed two catches for 12 yards and broke up two passes. He also picked up two stops in the run game and recorded a sack. 

In contrast, the Carolina Panthers' strategy to leave Julio Jones one-on-one was a poor one. The decision not to use their best cornerback against Jones was an even worse idea. They hung Bene Benwikere out to dry, and it went as expected. He gave up eight catches on 10 targets. Against Jones, he surrendered 228 yards. He was beaten six times, and three of them went for over 20 yards. He also gave up four first downs and two touchdowns and had a missed tackle for good measure. If not for a couple of passes defensed, this would have likely been the lowest grade we've seen.

Morris Claiborne is having a solid year for the Dallas Cowboys, and Sunday was no different. Though he didn't face any top-tier receivers, he had an above-average day in coverage, as he hauled in an interception and gave up six yards in coverage. More impressively, he was a factor in the running game, picking up three stops. He sealed the game on the final pass by coming up and sticking the receiver short of a first down, causing a turnover.

The top performance of the week comes from the Vikings' Xavier Rhodes. Few corners in this league have the athleticism to match Odell Beckham Jr.'s explosiveness and change of direction. Rhodes did a phenomenal job erasing arguably the best receiver in the league Monday night. He was targeted seven times, allowed three catches for 23 yards and had an interception while breaking up a pass.

Not many corners have fared well against Beckham this year, but Rhodes has the talent to do so. For him, it's about not getting grabby and staying healthy.

The AFC West boasted many top scores, led by the great performances of Denver Broncos corners Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. Talib forced two interceptions and allowed just one completion in 63 snaps. Harris was solid as well, limiting his assignments to a 50 percent completion rate on eight targets. The Broncos continue to have one of the best and most versatile secondaries in the NFL with these two and Bradley Roby rotating.

A surprising performance came from Oakland Raiders slot specialist D.J. Hayden. He has had more downs than ups throughout his early career, but he was stellar last week. He allowed five completions on 10 targets and forced a contested-catch situation in three of those receptions. He also drew a penalty on a receiver and came up with a big stop late in the game to clinch the Raiders victory.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

React: Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Cornerback Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Xavier Rhodes	MIN	25	26	18	6	9	84
2	Aqib Talib	DEN	25	26	18	5	9	83
3	Trumaine Johnson	LA	24	26	17	7	9	83
4	D.J. Hayden	OAK	24	25	19	5	9	82
5	Darius Slay	DET	25	24	17	6	9	81
6	Desmond Trufant	ATL	25	24	17	5	9	80
7	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	25	23	18	5	9	80
8	Marcus Peters	KC	23	24	18	6	9	80
9	Patrick Peterson	ARI	23	25	17	5	9	79
10	Casey Hayward	SD	22	24	18	5	9	78
11	Morris Claiborne	DAL	22	22	16	8	9	77
12	DeShawn Shead	SEA	23	22	16	7	9	77
13	Vontae Davis	IND	22	23	17	5	9	76
14	Jason Verrett	SD	23	21	17	6	9	76
15	Jason McCourty	TEN	23	22	17	5	9	76
16	Malcolm Butler	NE	23	20	17	6	9	75
17	Rashard Robinson	SF	21	23	16	6	9	75
18	Bradley Roby	DEN	21	23	16	5	9	74
19	Kendall Fuller	WAS	21	21	18	5	9	74
20	Sean Smith	OAK	20	23	16	5	9	73
21	Brent Grimes	TB	23	22	15	4	9	73
22	Robert Alford	ATL	23	19	16	5	9	72
23	Brian Poole	ATL	19	21	17	6	9	72
24	Stephon Gilmore	BUF	21	21	16	5	9	72
25	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	20	21	17	5	9	72
26	A.J. Bouye	HOU	19	20	18	6	9	72
27	Lamarcus Joyner	LA	19	20	17	7	9	72
28	Richard Sherman	SEA	19	22	16	6	9	72
29	James Bradberry	CAR	21	20	16	5	9	71
30	Bryce Callahan	CHI	20	19	16	7	9	71
31	Terence Newman	MIN	21	20	15	6	9	71
32	William Gay	PIT	21	19	17	5	9	71
33	Jimmy Smith	BAL	18	20	17	6	9	70
34	Joe Haden	CLE	18	20	17	6	9	70
35	Kareem Jackson	HOU	19	20	18	4	9	70
36	Josh Johnson	JAX	19	18	19	5	9	70
37	Captain Munnerlyn	MIN	20	19	17	5	9	70
38	Ross Cockrell	PIT	19	20	16	6	9	70
39	Josh Norman	WAS	17	19	17	8	9	70
40	Trae Waynes	MIN	20	19	16	5	9	69
41	Sterling Moore	NO	18	20	16	6	9	69
42	E.J. Gaines	LA	18	19	15	7	9	68
43	Ronald Darby	BUF	18	20	15	5	9	67
44	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	18	17	17	6	9	67
45	David Amerson	OAK	18	17	17	6	9	67
46	Quinton Dunbar	WAS	19	18	15	6	9	67
47	Brandon Carr	DAL	18	18	16	5	9	66
48	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	17	18	16	6	9	66
49	Jude Adjei-Barimah	TB	17	17	16	7	9	66
50	Deiondre Hall	CHI	17	17	16	6	9	65
51	Chris Lewis-Harris	CIN	17	18	16	5	9	65
52	Anthony Brown	DAL	18	17	15	6	9	65
53	Kevin A. Johnson	HOU	18	17	16	5	9	65
54	Janoris Jenkins	NYG	18	18	15	5	9	65
55	Marcus Williams	NYJ	19	17	15	5	9	65
56	Artie Burns	PIT	17	18	16	5	9	65
57	Greg Toler	WAS	18	17	15	6	9	65
58	Adam Jones	CIN	17	17	16	5	9	64
59	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	16	18	15	6	9	64
60	Tyvon Branch	ARI	18	17	15	4	9	63
61	Jacoby Glenn	CHI	17	17	15	5	9	63
62	Nevin Lawson	DET	17	17	15	5	9	63
63	Prince Amukamara	JAX	16	17	16	5	9	63
64	Steven Nelson	KC	16	17	16	5	9	63
65	Tramaine Brock	SF	17	17	14	5	9	62
66	Robert McCain	CAR	17	16	14	5	9	61
67	Josh Shaw	CIN	16	15	16	5	9	61
68	Jamar Taylor	CLE	16	14	15	6	9	60
69	Craig Mager	SD	17	14	15	5	9	60
70	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	15	16	14	5	9	59
71	Patrick Robinson	IND	16	15	15	4	9	59
72	Nickell Robey-Coleman	BUF	16	14	14	5	9	58
73	Cre'Von LeBlanc	CHI	16	14	14	5	9	58
74	Davon House	JAX	14	14	15	6	9	58
75	Bobby McCain	MIA	14	16	15	4	9	58
76	Justin Coleman	NE	16	14	14	5	9	58
77	Buster Skrine	NYJ	16	14	15	4	9	58
78	Jerraud Powers	BAL	14	15	15	4	9	57
79	Xavien Howard	MIA	15	13	13	7	9	57
80	B.W. Webb	NO	15	15	13	5	9	57
81	Juston Burris	NYJ	14	15	14	5	9	57
82	Pierre Desir	SD	14	15	13	6	9	57
83	Chris Davis	SF	15	14	13	6	9	57
84	Cyrus Jones	NE	14	13	15	5	9	56
85	Tracy Porter	CHI	14	15	14	3	9	55
86	Darqueze Dennard	CIN	13	14	14	5	9	55
87	Troy Hill	LA	15	13	13	5	9	55
88	Tavon Young	BAL	13	12	15	5	9	54
89	Jeremy Lane	SEA	14	13	14	4	9	54
90	Brice McCain	TEN	13	14	14	4	9	54
91	Marcus Cooper	ARI	13	13	13	5	9	53
92	Shareece Wright	BAL	11	13	14	6	9	53
93	Rashaan Melvin	IND	14	12	13	5	9	53
94	Tony Lippett	MIA	12	13	13	6	9	53
95	Ken Crawley	NO	14	13	13	4	9	53
96	Leon Hall	NYG	17	17	5	5	9	53
97	Keith Reiser	SF	14	13	13	4	9	53
98	Daryl Worley	CAR	14	12	13	4	9	52
99	Antonio Cromartie	IND	13	11	14	5	9	52
100	Quandre Diggs	DET	13	12	12	5	9	51
101	Logan Ryan	NE	12	11	12	6	9	50
102	Perrish Cox	TEN	12	10	12	5	9	48
103	Bene Benwikere	CAR	13	10	12	3	9	47
104	D.J. White	KC	11	10	11	5	9	46
105	Trevin Wade	NYG	10	11	12	4	9	46

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Bashaud Breeland—injury
• Alterraun Verner—injury
• Brandon Flowers—injury
• Dre Kirkpatrick—injury
• Tramon Williams—injury
• Phillip Gaines—injury
• Darius Butler—injury
• Jimmie Ward—injury
• Byron Maxwell—benched

Free Safeties

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

There wasn't necessarily a standout performer from the free safety group this week.

Harrison Smith of the Vikings graded out at the top of the chart with a 79 overall grade after a solid outing against the Giants on Monday night. He had a few notable moments, such as coming off the edge on a blitz that forced Eli Manning to quickly throw it away before getting hit.

He spent a lot of the time deep or bracketing Odell Beckham Jr. On one play, the Vikings tried to trap the Giants, lining up Smith close to the line of scrimmage, then having him drop after the snap into the passing lane on Beckham's side of the field while the corner played deep, but Manning didn't take the bait.

Dexter McCoil made a few key plays for the Chargers. With Jahleel Addae out injured and Adrian Phillips underperforming, McCoil saw extended playing time and took advantage. He did a good job playing deep, staying over the top of routes and filling in where he could in the run game.

McCoil made one spectacular play. Anticipating a slant route from the slot, he broke on it immediately from the snap and dived at full stretch to get his hand on the ball, knocking it incomplete and nearly coming away with an interception.

Falcons safety Ricardo Allen was a liability this week. He missed four tackles, going for a big hit on three despite being listed as 5'9", 186 pounds and going against Panthers receivers Kelvin Benjamin (6'5", 245 lbs) and Devin Funchess (6'4", 225 lbs). Both receivers bounced off Allen and ended up picking up extra yards while he fell to the ground.

He was poor in coverage, too, particularly on Benjamin's touchdown in the fourth quarter. Benjamin ran a slant route to the middle of the field, which was Allen's zone assignment, but Allen was too slow to react.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Free Safety Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Harrison Smith	MIN	23	24	7	17	8	79
2	Dexter McCoil	SD	24	24	6	16	8	78
3	Eric Reid	SF	24	23	7	16	8	78
4	Earl Thomas	SEA	23	25	6	15	8	77
5	Mo Alexander	LA	23	23	5	17	8	76
6	Michael Thomas	MIA	23	23	6	16	8	76
7	Dwight Lowery	SD	23	22	7	16	8	76
8	Tyrann Mathieu	ARI	23	22	6	16	8	75
9	Andre Hal	HOU	23	24	5	15	8	75
10	Devin McCourty	NE	22	23	6	16	8	75
11	Lardarius Webb	BAL	21	22	6	17	8	74
12	Clayton Geathers	IND	22	22	6	16	8	74
13	Reggie Nelson	OAK	24	21	6	15	8	74
14	Corey Graham	BUF	22	22	5	16	8	73
15	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	22	21	6	16	8	73
16	Cody Davis	LA	22	21	5	16	8	72
17	Jairus Byrd	NO	22	21	5	16	8	72
18	Rashad Johnson	TEN	21	21	6	16	8	72
19	Darian Stewart	DEN	20	22	5	16	8	71
20	Ron Parker	KC	19	21	7	16	8	71
21	Bradley McDougald	TB	20	22	6	15	8	71
22	T.J. Green	IND	21	20	5	16	8	70
23	Isa Abdul-Quddus	MIA	21	20	5	16	8	70
24	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	19	21	6	16	8	70
25	Tre Boston	CAR	19	20	6	16	8	69
26	George Iloka	CIN	17	22	6	16	8	69
27	Glover Quin	DET	20	19	6	16	8	69
28	Andrew Adams	NYG	19	21	4	16	8	68
29	Kevin Byard	TEN	19	20	6	15	8	68
30	D.J. Swearinger	ARI	19	20	5	15	8	67
31	Mike Mitchell	PIT	19	21	5	14	8	67
32	Will Blackmon	WAS	18	20	6	15	8	67
33	Adrian Amos	CHI	18	20	5	15	8	66
34	Byron Jones	DAL	18	19	6	15	8	66
35	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	19	20	4	15	8	66
36	Duron Harmon	NE	19	18	5	15	8	65
37	Vonn Bell	NO	17	16	6	14	8	61
38	Michael Griffin	CAR	16	16	5	15	8	60
39	Ricardo Allen	ATL	14	15	4	7	8	48

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ibraheim Campbell—inactive
• Nat Berhe—inactive
• Darian Thompson—inactive

Strong Safeties

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Reshad Jones finds himself at the top of the strong safety pile again. He's one of the most consistent safeties in the league.

He's aware of what the offense is trying to do and looks to take away threats to the defense; whether it's a crossing route on a play-action bootleg or staying on top of deep shots, Jones knows where to be. His patience in the run game also stands out. He knows when he has to attack the line of scrimmage and go make a play, and when to sit back and let the play come to him.

Broncos safety T.J. Ward had a similarly strong performance this past week.

Ward played more deep coverage in Week 4 than he normally does but held up well against Tampa Bay. He got over the top of a deep ball to Mike Evans and was in position to contest the catch, potentially even intercept it had the throw been on target. Later on, the Buccaneers tested him with a play-action deep shot, but Ward didn't bite and kept on top of it, too, taking it away and forcing Jameis Winston to look elsewhere.

When he was closer to the line of scrimmage, Ward thrived as well. In the run game, he sniffed out a draw play and made the tackle before anyone else could get there. A few plays later, he forced a fumble at the end of a run, which the Broncos recovered.

The Titans may need to look for better options at safety than Daimion Stafford. He has graded consistently poorly over the first few weeks of the season and ranked 35th out of 37 strong safeties.

He got caught biting on play-action fakes by the Texans a number of times throughout the game and struggled to recover each time. He diagnosed a few screen plays and crossing routes but never managed to navigate through traffic quickly enough to make the tackle. On the one play he did, he missed the tackle and surrendered the first down.

The Titans were without starter Da'Norris Searcy this week, but they can't afford to keep giving Stafford many snaps.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Strong Safety Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Reshad Jones	MIA	20	22	16	17	6	81
2	T.J. Ward	DEN	21	21	16	17	6	81
3	T.J. McDonald	LA	21	21	15	16	6	79
4	Karl Joseph	OAK	21	21	16	15	6	79
5	Antoine Bethea	SF	21	19	17	16	6	79
6	Eric Weddle	BAL	21	20	15	16	6	78
7	Mike Adams	IND	21	20	15	16	6	78
8	Quintin Demps	HOU	19	21	15	16	6	77
9	Tony Jefferson	ARI	19	18	16	17	6	76
10	Shawn Williams	CIN	17	21	15	17	6	76
11	Andrew Sendejo	MIN	18	19	16	16	6	75
12	Kam Chancellor	SEA	18	19	16	16	6	75
13	Aaron Williams	BUF	21	21	13	13	6	74
14	Landon Collins	NYG	18	18	16	16	6	74
15	Harold Jones-Quartey	CHI	18	18	15	16	6	73
16	Eric Berry	KC	18	20	15	14	6	73
17	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	17	18	16	16	6	73
18	Jordan Poyer	CLE	16	17	16	16	6	71
19	Will Parks	DEN	18	17	14	16	6	71
20	Patrick Chung	NE	16	18	15	16	6	71
21	Jordan Dangerfield	PIT	17	19	14	15	6	71
22	Jaquiski Tartt	SF	17	17	15	16	6	71
23	Keanu Neal	ATL	17	18	14	16	6	71
24	Kemal Ishmael	ATL	16	17	15	16	6	70
25	Daniel Sorensen	KC	16	18	14	16	6	70
26	Derrick Kindred	CLE	18	18	14	13	6	69
27	Johnathan Cyprien	JAX	16	17	15	15	6	69
28	Barry Church	DAL	17	16	15	14	6	68
29	Chris Conte	TB	16	15	15	16	6	68
30	Adrian Phillips	SD	17	14	14	16	6	67
31	Kurt Coleman	CAR	16	15	14	15	6	66
32	Rafael Bush	DET	15	16	14	15	6	66
33	Roman Harper	NO	16	16	14	14	6	66
34	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	14	15	15	16	6	66
35	Daimion Stafford	TEN	15	16	13	14	6	64
36	David Bruton Jr.	WAS	16	15	13	13	6	63
37	Duke Ihenacho	WAS	15	16	14	12	6	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tavon Wilson—inactive
• Robert Golden—inactive
• Jahleel Addae—inactive
• Da'Norris Searcy—inactive
• Duke Williams—insufficient snaps

Kickers

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It was a strong week for kickers across the NFL, though the top end of the spectrum did not feature the standout games we have seen throughout the first three weeks of the season. Rather, it was greater consistency across the board, with only 10 out of 30 kickers scoring below 70, as Week 4 saw a number of steady, if unspectacular, performances.

Matt Bryant led all kickers, clocking in with a score of 76. Mike Nugent featured the best accuracy on the greatest number of kicks, while Cody Parkey and Steven Hauschka showed good power from long distance, and Bryant brought a balanced blend of multiple skills to the table in this one. Parkey, in particular, was very strong after a 3-of-6 performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 that raised significant questions, and the ability to bounce back is always prized in a kicker. He will need to show consistency in upcoming weeks to prove he can be a long-term solution for the Browns.

But it was not all sunshine and roses, as the normally automatic Stephen Gostkowski missed from 48 yards in his only attempt of the game. Gostkowski typically has tremendous balance through his motion but seemed somewhat clunky in his mechanics through this kick, falling off to the right, which is exactly where the kick went. While he has been below his career norms thus far this year, he is a strong candidate to bounce back.

Dan Bailey also finds himself with a tough week, missing a 47-yard attempt wide left, as his leg whipped through the kicking zone too quickly, causing a slight hook of the ball. Bailey is still one of the best in the business and will likely view this as a minor hiccup in what should still be a very strong year for him.

Grading Scale

Pwr: Kick Power (Graded out of 40)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 40)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Kicker Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Matt Bryant	ATL	34	34	5	3	76
2	Jason Myers	JAX	31	36	5	3	75
3	Josh Lambo	SD	31	36	5	3	75
4	Mike Nugent	CIN	30	36	5	3	74
5	Cody Parkey	CLE	33	33	5	3	74
6	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	34	32	5	3	74
7	Matt Prater	DET	35	31	5	3	74
8	Graham Gano	CAR	35	31	5	3	74
9	Steven Hauschka	SEA	32	33	5	3	73
10	Ryan Succop	TEN	33	32	5	3	73
11	Brandon McManus	DEN	33	32	5	3	73
12	Adam Vinatieri	IND	30	34	5	3	72
13	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	33	31	5	3	72
14	Justin Tucker	BAL	32	31	5	3	71
15	Wil Lutz	NO	33	30	5	3	71
16	Chris Boswell	PIT	33	30	5	3	71
17	Josh Brown	NYG	32	31	5	3	71
18	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	33	29	5	3	70
19	Nick Folk	NYJ	32	30	5	3	70
20	Greg Zuerlein	LA	31	31	5	3	70
21	Roberto Aguayo	TB	32	29	5	3	69
22	Phil Dawson	SF	30	31	5	3	69
23	Andrew Franks	MIA	31	28	5	3	67
24	Dan Carpenter	BUF	30	28	5	3	66
25	Blair Walsh	MIN	32	26	5	3	66
26	Dan Bailey	DAL	32	25	5	3	65
27	Nick Novak	HOU	28	26	5	3	62
28	Connor Barth	CHI	28	25	5	3	61
29	Cairo Santos	KC	31	22	5	3	61
30	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	32	20	5	3	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Punters

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Marquette King had what is likely to go down as the strongest punting performance of the season. Featuring above-average hang time, outstanding distance and pinpoint accuracy, King turned in a phenomenal performance.

Over eight kicks, King was inside the numbers just twice, with five punts targeting the sidelines and one landing on the right numbers. He moved the ball with ease to both sides of the field and was strong in pin-deep situations, avoiding touchbacks throughout the game, which have been an issue for him over the course of his young career. This is as fine of a performance as you will ever see from a punter.  

Matt Darr had a strong week as well, showing a great leg but not quite the directional ability of King. Ryan Allen had his second straight week in the top five as well after two below-average sessions to start the season. Allen appears to have regained his form from 2015, and this bodes well for a Patriots team that likes to gain an edge in field position on special teams. Thomas Morstead and Tress Way round out the top five, with both of them displaying great distance and slightly above-average hang time and directional ability.

It was not a strong day for Dustin Colquitt, as the Chiefs punter struggled with inconsistency, featuring both a 23-yard punt from his own end as well as a hang time of just 3.47 seconds on his last punt of the game from the Kansas City 30-yard line. Colquitt has struggled at times this year and seems to have a problem creating proper contact right now, which has led to the issues he is facing. He is a stronger punter than what he has displayed, but he needs to show greater focus to bounce back.

Newly signed Ryan Quigley struggled in his first game with the Arizona Cardinals replacing the injured Drew Butler. Quigley had a touchback in a pin-deep situation from the opposing 41-yard line, leading to a 21-yard net on one punt, and also featured a 37-yard punt from his own 26-yard line. Quigley's leg has always been average at best, and the Cardinals are likely in for more of this in the weeks to come.

Grading Scale

Dist: Kick Distance (Graded out of 20)

Hang: Kick Hang Time (Graded out of 20)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 45)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Punter Rankings Week 4

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Marquette King	OAK	18	18	41	3	3	83
2	Matt Darr	MIA	18	16	35	3	3	75
3	Ryan Allen	NE	16	15	38	3	3	75
4	Thomas Morstead	NO	16	15	37	4	3	75
5	Tress Way	WAS	17	16	35	3	3	74
6	Riley Dixon	DEN	16	14	38	3	3	74
7	Shane Lechler	HOU	19	17	31	3	3	73
8	Sam Martin	DET	19	15	33	3	3	73
9	Jon Ryan	SEA	18	16	32	3	3	72
10	Bradley Pinion	SF	16	17	32	3	3	71
11	Brad Nortman	JAX	19	19	27	3	3	71
12	Sam Koch	BAL	17	14	33	4	3	71
13	Bryan Anger	TB	16	16	33	3	3	71
14	Matt Bosher	ATL	19	20	25	3	3	70
15	Kevin Huber	CIN	15	16	32	3	3	69
16	Colton Schmidt	BUF	11	18	34	3	3	69
17	Andy Lee	CAR	19	13	31	3	3	69
18	Jordan Berry	PIT	10	16	36	3	3	68
19	Brad Wing	NYG	16	14	32	3	3	68
20	Brett Kern	TEN	19	12	28	3	3	65
21	Drew Kaser	SD	11	10	38	3	3	65
22	Johnny Hekker	LA	15	15	28	3	3	64
23	Pat McAfee	IND	18	14	25	3	3	63
24	Britton Colquitt	CLE	14	18	25	3	3	63
25	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	13	15	28	3	3	62
26	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	14	17	24	3	3	61
27	Chris Jones	DAL	18	15	22	3	3	61
28	Jeff Locke	MIN	15	18	21	3	3	60
29	Ryan Quigley	ARI	11	18	22	3	3	57
30	Dustin Colquitt	KC	9	15	27	3	3	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Drew Butler—injury