NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1000 Players from Week 8

Tyron Smith (No. 77) was an important part of the Dallas Cowboys' victory.Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles played an overtime thriller Sunday night, and it wasn't Dak Prescott or Carson Wentz who most informed this week's version of the NFL1000. Instead, it was the two left tackles involved—Dallas' Tyron Smith and Philly's Jason Peters—who came out on top in Dallas' 29-23 win. As our offensive tackles scout Duke Manyweather asserts, Smith was dominant against one of the better defensive fronts in the league.

Smith did allow a sack and a handful of pressures, but he just bowled people over in the run game, making the Eagles defenders look like high school kids at times. When Smith is on, there's little question he's the best in the business, and he earned his spot at the top of the NFL1000 list this week. Peters was nearly as good and wound up at the sixth overall spot.

Washington's Trent Williams is right up there with Smith and Peters—he ranked fifth overall this week—but the Redskins will have to attempt their playoff push without him for the next four games, as the NFL suspended Williams on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on substances of abuse. It's Williams's second such suspension in his career—the previous suspension happened in 2011—and backup Ty Nsekhe will have to roll in Williams' place. Make no mistake, this is a big loss.

Better news came for the Carolina Panthers, who had been waiting all season for their front four to put it together. Through most of their 2-5 start to the season, the defending NFC champs have seen different running backs gash their defense, and the team's sack and pressure totals have declined.

But in Carolina's 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Star Lotulelei and that front four went to town on Carson Palmer and his crew. Lotulelei was particularly great, amassing three sacks, three quarterback hurries and three stops. That performance game him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award and ranked him second overall on the Week 8 NFL1000 list.

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 8 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

All cornerback statistics obtained through self-charting by Ian Wharton and Kyle Posey.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in its 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 received specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise. 

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout
• 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/centers
• 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

We observe and grade every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles 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 we consider.

We 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 such as 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 Jr. 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 we'll grade him 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 make it as definitive as possible.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries have affected the NFL career of San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram to a degree, which delayed the process I expected to see when he came out of South Carolina in the 2012 draft. Back then, he was the best defensive player in his class, capable of generating pressure from any gap. Now, fully healthy and with a fellow first-round line partner in Joey Bosa, Ingram has become that kind of player again.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano uses him as an edge weapon more often, but he'll have stretches of games where he is just about unblockable. His game Sunday against the Denver Broncos, in which he had a sack, two quarterback hits and three quarterback hurries, was one of his best—and puts him third in this week's NFL1000.

Khalil Mack, another AFC West pass-rusher, hasn't always played his best football this season, but he was as good as advertised against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 11(!) total pressures.

One of the reasons the Chicago Bears were able to upset the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night was the play of linebacker Jerrell Freeman and multigap pass-rusher Pernell McPhee. The 2-6 Bears might be on the wrong side of the playoffs this season, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can still get things done when he has the horses. It's starting to look better in the Windy City from that standpoint.

Here, without further ado, is the top 50 for Week 8's NFL1000.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The obvious question this week is, how did Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rank above Oakland Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr?

Carr had a historic outing against the Buccaneers, becoming the third quarterback in league history to have 500 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a contest. His No. 2 overall ranking this week shows he played well, so receive the following criticisms through that prism.

Carr missed too many downfield throws to open receivers and was responsible for his fumble early in the game when he was oblivious to the arriving hit in the pocket. In the fourth quarter, before throwing his game-tying touchdown, Carr missed Michael Crabtree for a long touchdown opportunity and threw a pass Brent Grimes would have intercepted if Crabtree hadn't interfered with the cornerback just before the ball arrived. Officials didn't flag Crabtree on the play, but his interference was obvious.

Carr's historic production was the result of a good performance combined with defensive backs who couldn't cover his receivers and his outrageous 59 pass attempts.

Rodgers had a statistically significant outing also. He threw four touchdowns and completed over 70 percent of his passes against the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers signal-caller pipped ahead of Carr because he didn't fumble and didn't have any passes that should have been intercepted. He also showed more consistency with his ball placement on downfield throws.

Matt Ryan had another strong outing playing across from Rodgers. He and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan are in sync, which the game-winning touchdown throw to Mohamed Sanu highlighted. Shanahan called a Cover 2 beater that worked perfectly, and Ryan executed it on time with a precise pass the defense had no chance of deflecting.

Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston, who played against Carr's Oakland Raiders, had a game that has become too typical for him. The Bucs quarterback did most things at a high level. That wasn't noticable unless you were watching closely, though, because his accuracy, like during his rookie year, sabotaged the rest of his performance. In this game, he repeatedly missed Mike Evans when he was comfortably open downfield. Evans (6'5") is a huge receiver with the athleticism to move at high speed and the skills to adjust to the ball in the air. Winston shouldn't be missing him as often as he is.

Speaking of missing receivers, Jacksonville's Blake Bortles had a disastrous display against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night, and the Jaguars fired Greg Olson as their offensive coordinator Saturday. It's hard to see how a coaching change will make a difference when Bortles has trouble throwing the ball to open receivers or reading simple coverages. He's a disaster at this stage of his career.

Only Andy Dalton outdid Bortles. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was lucky not to throw six interceptions against Washington in London. He repeatedly missed big plays when A.J. Green was open deep, and he was fortunate Josh Norman dropped three interceptions. Had the Bengals even gotten average play from the position, they would have been comfortable victors. Instead, they settled for a tie.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Case Keenum—bye
• Ryan Tannehill—bye
• Eli Manning—bye
• Ben Roethlisberger—bye
• Colin Kaepernick—bye
• Joe Flacco—bye

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

From a production standpoint, it was not a great week for NFL running backs. Some of the top players had bye weeks (Le'Veon Bell and Todd Gurley), while others continued to miss time with serious injuries. The Kansas City Chiefs announced they placed Jamaal Charles on injured reserved for the second straight year, and it looks like his career might be in serious jeopardy. Also, Arian Foster retired as arguably one of the greatest undrafted free-agent running backs ever.

One of my highest-graded players this season, David Johnson, had a tough time getting anything going on the ground against the Panthers. He finished with 24 yards on 10 carries. He was able to continue his dominance in the passing game, however, adding 84 yards on seven catches. The Panthers welcomed back star running back Jonathan Stewart, who helped get the offense rolling with two touchdowns.

DeMarco Murray might have all but wrapped up the 2016 Comeback Player of the Year Award against the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. He was excellent both inside and outside the tackles while showing he might be the most physical back in the league and finished with 123 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also might be the best trade acquisition for any general manager in the offseason; no team got more for less in a deal this season.

Melvin Gordon was really good against the Denver Broncos, rushing for 111 yards. He may never live up to being a high first-round pick, but he is becoming a consistent player.

Philly's Darren Sproles turned back the clock against the Cowboys, while the Detroit Lions' Theo Riddick returned from injury with a bang against the Houston Texans. Even though both runners are smaller at 5'6" and 5'9", respectively, they showed Sunday they pack a punch on contact and are two complete football players.

Spencer Ware's concussion was the biggest injury news of the weekend. The Chiefs catch a break because they face the 2-5 Jaguars in Kansas City.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Doug Martin—injury
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Eddie Lacy—injury
• Adrian Peterson—injury
• LeSean McCoy—injury
• Ty Montgomery—inactive
• Le'Veon Bell—bye
• Carlos Hyde—bye
• Jay Ajayi—bye
• Todd Gurley—bye

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

The best fullback in the league, Baltimore's Kyle Juszczyk, had a bye, but the position still had a solid Week 8.

Oakland's Jamize Olawale continues to be one of the more underrated players in the NFL. He was solid against Tampa and allowed the Raiders to be physical and versatile on offense. The franchise has one of the better running games in the league because its fullback can do it all.

Aaron Ripkowski was huge for the Packers since they were missing so many running backs with injuries Sunday. He had a career-high six carries and played well against the Falcons as a lead blocker.

Mike Tolbert had his best game of the season, as the return of Jonathan Stewart greatly aided him. Houston's Jay Prosch dominated the Lions as a lead blocker and has established himself as one of the more physical players in the league.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Zach Line—insufficient snaps
• Kyle Juszczyk—bye

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Dez Bryant made his return to the Cowboys lineup Sunday night and provided an instant boost to the offense, catching four passes for 113 yards and a pivotal touchdown. He was effective on vertical routes and particularly on back-shoulder throws.

In a big matchup between the Packers and Falcons, Mohamed Sanu played a starring role for the victors. The Atlanta wideout was impressive throughout the game and pivotal on the game-winning drive.

In London, Jamison Crowder had a big day for Washington. He ran solid routes all game long and showed good skill after the catch.

Meanwhile, in the AFC, A.J. Green faced off against Josh Norman and came away with nine catches for 121 yards. Had it not been for a few errant passes from Dalton, the total could've been much higher.

In another overtime game Sunday, Michael Crabtree came up big down the stretch for Oakland. He had eight catches for 108 yards and was a big part of Derek Carr's record-setting day. Teammate Amari Cooper had a bigger statistical day with 12 catches for 173 yards, but he dropped a wide-open pass down the sideline at the end of regulation that would've set up Oakland for a chip-shot field goal that likely would've saved the team from playing an extra quarter of football.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaron Brown—injury
• Eddie Royal—injury
• Kevin White—injury
• Randall Cobb—injury
• Vincent Jackson—injury
• Josh Doctson—injury
• Tavon Austin—bye
• Kenny Britt—bye
• Brian Quick—bye
• Odell Beckham Jr.—bye
• Sterling Shepard—bye
• Victor Cruz—bye
• Torrey Smith—bye
• Jeremy Kerley—bye
• Quinton Patton—bye

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Ebron returned to the lineup for Detroit, and while the Lions fell to the Texans, Ebron was impressive. He caught seven passes for 79 yards and made an impact as a blocker. Elsewhere, other big names fell back a bit, including Dallas' Jason Witten and Carolina's Greg Olsen. Witten caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime, but he only had two catches for 16 yards.

It was a great day for the tight end position in the AFC, as Travis Kelce came up big for coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs in Indianapolis on a day when quarterback Alex Smith was out for much of the game. Kelce, who finished with 101 yards receiving and a touchdown, terrorized the Colts secondary all game long, and it had no answer for him.

New England's Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett continued their reign of terror as the best tight end duo in the game, this time on the road against head coach Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills. They picked apart the secondary with seam routes and on back-shoulder throws down the sideline.

Finally, after bringing in nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, Cincinnati's Tyler Eifert looks like he never missed a single rep in practice. Though the game ended in a tie, Eifert's return to the lineup made the Bengals look like a brand-new offense. Through some crisp, creative route running, he’s already put opponents on notice that he’s just as dangerous as he’s always been.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jacob Tamme—insufficient snaps
• Troy Niklas—injury
• Jared Cook—injury
• Luke Willson—injury
• Lance Kendricks—bye
• Larry Donnell—bye
• Will Tye—bye
• Vance MacDonald—bye
• Garrett Celek—bye
• Jordan Cameron—bye
• Dion Sims—bye
• Jesse James—bye
• Dennis Pitta—bye
• Crockett Gillmore—bye
• Maxx Williams—bye

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

As discussed earlier, Tyron Smith was the top performer at left tackle in Week 8. The Cowboys' All-Pro was solid from the opening snap against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football but surrendered a sack to Marcus Smith on the first drive, which seemed to ignite a fire in the Pro Bowler. Smith was dominant in both pass protection and in the running game, and he finished many plays with knockdowns. 

Trent Williams earned the top spot in Week 7 and saw his ranking slip one spot. Last week, we mentioned Washington's All-Pro tackle had been on a tear all season—and that theme held true Sunday. Ironically, it was not clear until late in the week whether Williams would be available to play because of a knee injury he suffered on the second-to-last play of Week 7's game versus the Detroit Lions.

Much to the chagrin of the Redskins, the NFL announced Tuesday that Williams would be suspended the next four games for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. He will be eligible to return to competition in Week 14 versus the Eagles.

Keeping with the theme of NFC East left tackles, Philadelphia's Jason Peters grabbed the third slot in our rankings. He played a tremendous game versus the Cowboys and continues to display the freaky physical traits that have taken him from being an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas to becoming one of the elite offensive linemen in all of football.

David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers also turned in another solid performance versus the Atlanta Falcons. He is becoming one of my favorite offensive tackles to study, specifically in terms of his pass-protection mastery.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Bradley Sowell—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Branden Albert—bye
• Greg Robinson—bye
• Ronnie Stanley—bye
• Alex Lewis—bye
• Ereck Flowers—bye
• Alejandro Villanueva—bye
• Joe Staley—bye

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga was the top performer at right tackle. Through eight weeks, he has been outstanding and should be in strong consideration for the player's vote for the Pro Bowl.

New Orleans' Zach Strief has also had a solid eight weeks and continues to be impressive. He's second in our rankings and plays the position with the physical edge it's meant have.

Tennesse's Jack Conklin has been solid all season, but the rookie was impressive against the Jaguars. He showed tremendous strength, power and physicality in the running game and was stout in pass protection by picking his spots closely to set and pass-protect aggressively.

Washington's Morgan Moses turned in another all-around stout performance both in pass protection and in the running game against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Williams suspended four weeks, Washington will depend on Moses to be a major anchor. You have to wonder if the Redskins will consider shifting Moses to left tackle and install swing tackle Ty Nsekhe into the right tackle slot. Nsekhe has game experience at both tackle spots this season. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Derek Newton—injury
• Andre Smith Jr.—injury
• Menelik Watson—injury
• Lane Johnson—suspension
• Ja'Wuan James—bye
• Ricky Wagner—bye
• Marshall Newhouse—bye
• Bobby Hart—bye
• Trenton Brown—bye
• Marcus Gilbert—bye
• Chris Hubbard—bye
• Rob Havenstein—bye

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

You know it's a strange week in guard play when you are writing about the stellar performances of Brian Winters and Brian Schwenke. The Brians put forth arguably the best tape of their careers this past weekend for the New York Jets and Titans, respectively.

While the weak opposing fronts of Cleveland and Jacksonville made life way easier on these guys, it was hard to ignore the consistent nature of their play from top to bottom. Winters was particularly impressive in pass protection, showing off a level of hand usage and placement I hadn't seen from him previously.

On the other end of the spectrum, Arizona's Mike Iupati (who has had a great year until his recent injuries) struggled. He's been noticeably banged up the last couple of weeks, and a tough Panthers front exposed that Sunday. The Cardinals have a lot of injuries right now, especially up front, so they need Iupati to get healthy before Carson Palmer gets killed. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Joshua Garnett—bye
• Zane Beadles—bye
• Justin Pugh—bye
• John Jerry—bye
• John Urschel—bye
• Ryan Jensen—bye
• David DeCastro—bye
• Ramon Foster—bye
• Laremy Tunsil—bye
• Jermon Bushrod—bye
• Rodger Saffold—bye
• Cody Wichmann—bye
• Allen Barbre—injury
• Kyle Long—injury
• Jack Mewhort—injury
• Josh Sitton—injury
• Joel Bitonio—injury
• Laken Tomlinson—insufficient snaps
• Evan Mathis—injury
• Senio Kelemete—insufficient snaps

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Center has been a wild ride this year, as players continue to move up and down the weekly rankings. One player who hasn't moved around much, though, is Cameron Erving, who came in dead last again this week.

It seems like there are two or three reps every week where Erving is blown off the ball, which can't happen at the NFL level. Those bad reps end up being drive-killing losses, and having a couple of these every game kills the offense. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tim Barnes—bye
• Jeremy Zuttah—bye
• Maurkice Pouncey—bye
• Weston Richburg—bye
• Mike Pouncey—bye
• Daniel Kilgore—bye
• Nick Mangold—injury

Derek Wolfe (No. 95)Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It was a good week for 3-4 defensive ends. The usual suspects are near the top, but I'd like to focus on Derek Wolfe in Denver. The Broncos' talented defense often overshadows him, and he may have started the year slowly. But against the Chargers, Wolfe showed he's still a premier defensive lineman in the NFL.

The 26-year-old had a handful of pressures and a run stop, and his biggest plays came when he hurried quarterback Philip Rivers and forced a bad pass that turned into an interception. He then ended the 27-19 victory with a complete beating of the Chargers right guard and hurried Rivers into a poor throw.

Impact plays are great, but when they come at the perfect time, they get a higher score. It might also be time to start noticing how good Akiem Hicks is for the Chicago Bears. He's a big guy who can clog the run, plus he has the athleticism to rush the passer. He's a bright spot on a bad Bears team. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kendall Langford—inactive
• Henry Anderson—inactive
• J.J. Watt—injury
• Allen Bailey—injury
• Timmy Jernigan—bye
• Lawrence Guy—bye
• Cameron Heyward—bye
• Stephon Tuitt—bye
• Ricardo Mathews—bye
• DeForest Buckner—bye
• Arik Armstead—bye
• Quinton Dial—bye

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

In a dominant performance, Oakland's Khalil Mack earned an elite score. This was the game we've been waiting for, and Mack delivered with two sacks, seven hurries and five stops against Tampa Bay.

In the NFC, Seattle-style Cover 3 defenses are producing some of the best pass-rushing units in the conference. During his second season in the league, Atlanta's Vic Beasley made his move. On Sunday, his teammate Adrian Clayborn added two sacks against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, while Beasley spied the passer for long stretches of the game.

With Seattle's missing Michael Bennett, who is still out with a knee injury, Frank Clark entered the starting lineup. You could make the case that both Cliff Avril and Clark (a second-year player like Beasley) are better pure pass-rushers than Bennett is at defensive end.

Elsewhere, Brandon Graham continued his career year, as he's on pace to set his personal single-season sack record under new Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Detroit's Kerry Hyder was able to generate pressure again as the Lions' top defensive end, while Ezekiel Ansah looks like a shell of his 2015 self.

Dallas' Tyrone Crawford, naturally a defensive tackle, had by far his best performance of his season in the win over the Eagles and showed why the $45 million man is hanging on the edge this year.

Tampa Bay's Noah Spence, who used a speed rush to influence the Raiders' passing game, and the Carolina trio of Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy and Wes Horton were the other breakouts this week. In the Panthers' first six weeks of the season, their starting defensive line recorded just 2.5 sacks, while that same group posted five against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

There were a lot of shifting narratives revolving around the position this week, but none may be bigger than Carolina's finally clicking up front. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jared Odrick—inactive
• Michael Bennett—injury
• Mario Williams—bye
• Cameron Wake—bye
• Andre Branch—bye
• Jason Jones—bye
• William Hayes—bye
• Robert Quinn—bye
• Ethan Westbrooks—bye
• Eugene Sims—bye
• Olivier Vernon—bye
• Jason Pierre-Paul—bye
• Romeo Okwara—bye
• Owa Odighizuwa—bye

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Star Lotulelei takes the top spot in this week's defensive tackle rankings. He had his best game of the season and arguably the best game of his career. He made his presence felt against a struggling Cardinals offense, as he routinely beat up their interior. His teammate, Kawann Short, also had a strong showing against the run this week, as the Panthers defense shut down Arizona's offense.

Marcell Dareus played his first snaps of the season, but Kyle Williams had the better game between the two of them. Williams played a key role in keeping the Patriots rushing attack under wraps while providing solid disruption as an interior pass-rusher. Williams may not be a household name, but he's one of the more talented, consistent defensive tackles in the league. 

Geno Atkins had one of his stronger games this season in the Bengals' thrilling tie against Washington. His play this year has been a bit spotty, so it was great to see him disturb Washington's offensive line en route to logging two tackles and one sack.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Roy Miller—injury
• Vernon Butler—injury
• Clinton McDonald—injury
• Haloti Ngata—injury
• Bennie Logan—injury
• Sharrif Floyd—injury
• Eddie Goldman—injury
• Stacy McGee—inactive
• Ra'Shede Hageman—inactive
• Corbin Bryant—insufficient snaps
• John Jenkins—insufficient snaps
• Brandon Williams - Bye
• Aaron Donald - Bye
• Ndamukong Suh - Bye
• Johnathan Hankins - Bye
• Damon Harrison - Bye
• Vince Wilfork - Bye
• Javon Hargrave - Bye

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

There may not be a more underrated pass-rusher in the NFL than San Diego's Melvin Ingram, who finished as Week 8's top 3-4 outside linebacker. His box-score numbers (three tackles, one strip-sack) don't jump off the page, but he was unblockable for long stretches against the Broncos. Ingram's ability to impact the game in all three phases—rushing the passer, defending the run and dropping into coverage—is rare for the position.

The rest of the top three in Week 8 includes Pernell McPhee, who was a wrecking ball against the Vikings on Monday night, and Von Miller, the most consistent edge-rusher in the NFL. Another notable standout was Bears rookie Leonard Floyd, who finished as the sixth overall 3-4 outside linebacker after registering his third sack in the last two games. Kansas City's Dee Ford led the NFL in Week 8 with 3.5 sacks. 

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Alex Okafor—injury
• Clay Matthews—injury
• Justin Houston—injury
• Kevin Dodd—injury
• Jerry Attaochu—injury
• Terrell Suggs—bye
• Za'Darius Smith—bye
• Matt Judon—bye
• Elvis Dumervil—bye
• James Harrison—bye
• Jarvis Jones—bye
• Arthur Moats—bye
• Anthony Chickillo—bye
• Ahmad Brooks—bye
• Eli Harold—bye
• Aaron Lynch—bye
• Tank Carradine—bye

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

This week was void of any superstar performances like Nigel Bradham's in Week 7, but there were a handful of solid showings around the league. 

Through most of this season, Carolina's Thomas Davis hasn't looked quite like himself. He's been good, yes, but it was starting to look like Davis wasn't the same as he once was. This week was a revival. In unison with the rest of the Panthers front, Davis looked alive against the Arizona Cardinals. Other than as a blitzer, Davis was a force in all phases of the game and made it tough for the Cardinals offense to sustain success on any given drive. It was refreshing to see Davis look like the stud we all know he is.

On Sunday Night Football, Dallas's Sean Lee took center stage. Lee made a handful of important run stops against the Philadelphia Eagles, including a tackle for loss on 3rd-and-short in the second half. All throughout the night, Lee was rallying to the ball in run defense and after short receptions. It was not a perfect performance by any stretch, but it was the quality of play that Dallas needed from Lee to slow down the Eagles offense.

The surprise performnce of the week is from the Jets' Julian Stanford. Playing in place of an injured Darron Lee, Stanford pulled his weight for the Jets defense. Stanford did not have too much of an impact on passing downs, but he was shockingly sturdy in the run game. He played his assignments well and did a good job of making clean tackles. Stanford had a nice week not just by backup player standards, but by any standards.

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• Darron Lee—injury
• DeAndre Levy—injury
• Mark Barron - Bye
• Josh Forrest - Bye
• Donald Butler - Bye
• Keenan Robinson - Bye
• Devon Kennard - Bye

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Inside linebacker play has regressed to the mean nearly halfway through the 2016 season. With so many teams employing multiple players to perform the variety of tasks needed, they're often swapped out, creating a small group of upper-echelon players who stay on the field regardless of down or distance. These players routinely sit toward the top of the rankings due to their versatility and the flexibility that a complete skill set allows a defense. 

Players such as Chicago's Jerrell Freeman or Seattle's Bobby Wagner afford their teammates comfort in knowing that there is a three-down hard-hitting linebacker patrolling the middle of the field. Freeman exemplified the benefits of a three-down linebacker this week in an upset win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Freeman was stout against the run and looked comfortable dropping into coverage or coming forward to make plays on running backs out of the backfield. As a result, Chicago cruised to a comfortable home victory against one of the best teams in the NFC.

The up-and-down nature of many players has top performers from recent weeks sitting at the bottom of the charts following their showings over the weekend. Kwon Alexander looked lost as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Oakland Raiders in overtime, and Jacksonville's Paul Posluszny, who has had an impressive few weeks, fell tremendously in an ugly Thursday night loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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