NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1,000 Players from Week 10

Think the NFL is still a passing league? Maybe so, but the two most dominant game plans in Week 10 focused on the run game, carrying the teams to crucial victories.

The Philadelphia Eagles had a problem to solve Sunday. They welcomed the Atlanta Falcons, owners of the NFL’s top offense, to Lincoln Financial Field. Quarterback Carson Wentz had regressed in recent weeks. Head coach Doug Pederson knew that a shootout didn’t favor his team, no matter how good his defense performed. So Pederson put the playbook in the hands of his rushing attack to great effect. Ryan Mathews gained 109 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground, rookie Wendell Smallwood added 70 rushing yards on 13 carries, and the Eagles finished their 24-15 win with 208 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Wentz, who completed 25 of 36 passes for 231 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, stuck to short stuff and easy reads. Meanwhile, the Philly offensive line dominated Atlanta’s faster, lighter front. Stars like nose tackle Grady Jarrett were regularly pushed out of the way by the Eagles’ bully blocking. Eagles left tackle Jason Peters put together the best performance of that line, abusing his assignments with regularity and refusing to allow a single quarterback pressure all day. For his efforts, Peters is the top-ranked player in the Week 10 version of NFL1000.

The Dallas Cowboys came to Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field with a 7-1 mark but with some questions as to the validity of their excellence. Beating the Green Bay Packers and Eagles when they’re down—and the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals at all—didn’t make for a tough month. Pittsburgh is always a tough out at home, and it gave Dallas everything it could handle.

The Steelers took a 30-29 lead when Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Antonio Brown off a brilliant fake-spike gambit, but Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys offensive line decided the contest by demolishing Pittsburgh’s defense on the next drive. Elliott’s 32-yard game-winning run was a masterpiece of physical will-bending, as left guard Ronald Leary and center Travis Frederick erased their defenders and allowed Elliott an easy path to the end zone. It was one of the most graphic representations of this running game’s greatness, and Dallas gained quite a few legitimacy points with its 35-30 win.

Elliott ranks second in this week’s ratings; Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is fourth. Not uncommon ground for either player and well-deserved this week.

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 10 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

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

Methodology

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

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 50 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
• 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

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 and 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 10

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe it’s time for us to give the Kansas City Chiefs, the least-discussed remarkable team in the NFL, a little love this week. Andy Reid’s team has won 17 of its last 19 regular-season games. It's on a five-game winning streak and at 7-2 is in first place in the AFC West, ahead of the flashier Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.

This is a methodical, fundamentally sound team with a decent passing game (as much as Alex Smith will ever allow it to be), a diverse rushing attack and a great defense led by coordinator Bob Sutton. In this week’s NFL1000, we have two of those defenders—cornerback Steven Nelson and safety Eric Berry—in our top 50. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz makes an appearance as well. Don’t sleep on the Chiefs, folks. This might just be their year.

Two Seattle Seahawks players who have picked up their play recently just in time for their Super Bowl XLIX rematch with the New England Patriots. Russell Wilson, who’s been on a tear of late, gave New England’s defense fits in the Seahawks’ 31-24 win. When the Patriots brought pressure, Wilson wore out their defenders with his scrambling and ability to throw accurately on the run. When they dropped as many as eight men into coverage, that didn’t work either, because Wilson zipped perfect deep passes into double coverage where only his receivers could nab them. That’s why he’s our 17th-ranked player this week.

But safety Kam Chancellor, out with a groin injury since Week 4, returned to action and bedeviled New England’s stellar offense with hard hits all over the place. He finished with eight tackles, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and perfect coverage on Rob Gronkowski on the Patriots’ 4th-and-goal pass with 11 seconds left. Thanks to Chancellor, the Patriots were the ones left wondering if they made the right play call at the goal line this time.

Here is the top 50 for Week 10's NFL1000.

Top 50 Overall from Week 10

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Jason Peters	LT	PHI	84	16	↑
2	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	83	23	↑
3	Darian Stewart	FS	DEN	83	76	↑
4	Tyron Smith	LT	DAL	83	5	↑
5	Ryan Tannehill	QB	MIA	83	62	↑
6	Preston Smith	3-4 OLB	WAS	82	NR	↑
7	Geno Atkins	DT	CIN	82	NR	↑
8	Korey Toomer	ILB	SD	81	313	↑
9	Steven Nelson	CB	KC	81	189	↑
10	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	PIT	81	521	↑
11	Terrell Suggs	3-4 OLB	BAL	81	308	↑
12	Eric Berry	SS	KC	80	60	↑
13	Mitchell Schwartz	RT	KC	80	91	↑
14	Le'Veon Bell	RB	PIT	80	270	↑
15	Ndamukong Suh	DT	MIA	80	100	↑
16	Malcolm Jenkins	SS	PHI	80	362	↑
17	Russell Wilson	QB	SEA	80	6	↓
18	Fletcher Cox	DT	PHI	80	144	↑
19	Leonard Floyd	3-4 OLB	CHI	80	NR	↑
20	Kam Chancellor	SS	SEA	80	NR	↑
21	Marcus Mariota	QB	TEN	80	420	↑
22	Vontaze Burfict	4-3 OLB	CIN	79	NR	↑
23	Jason Kelce	C	PHI	79	169	↑
24	Trumaine Johnson	CB	LA	79	36	↑
25	Byron Jones	FS	DAL	79	24	↓
26	DeMarco Murray	RB	TEN	79	123	↑
27	Willie Young	3-4 OLB	CHI	79	NR	↑
28	Antoine Bethea	SS	SF	79	263	↑
29	Johnny Hekker	P	LA	79	415	↑
30	Cameron Jordan	4-3 DE	NO	78	302	↑
31	Allen Robinson	WR	JAX	78	326	↑
32	Jake Matthews	LT	ATL	78	89	↑
33	Danny Trevathan	ILB	CHI	78	NR	↑
34	Ibraheim Campbell	FS	CLE	78	190	↑
35	Tom Brady	QB	NE	78	NR	↑
36	Bryan Bulaga	RT	GB	78	11	↓
37	Kyle Juszczyk	FB	BAL	78	125	↑
38	Su'a Cravens	ILB	WAS	78	NR	↑
39	Pernell McPhee	3-4 OLB	CHI	78	NR	↑
40	Devin McCourty	FS	NE	78	NR	↑
41	Bradley Pinion	P	SF	78	641	↑
42	Delanie Walker	TE	TEN	77	535	↑
43	Duane Brown	LT	HOU	77	NR	↑
44	Melvin Ingram	3-4 OLB	SD	77	593	↑
45	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	NYG	77	68	↑
46	Jordan Hicks	ILB	PHI	77	312	↑
47	Ahmad Brooks	3-4 OLB	SF	77	783	↑
48	Earl Thomas	FS	SEA	77	30	↓
49	Marcus Peters	CB	KC	77	814	↑
50	Drew Brees	QB	NO	77	51	↑

Quarterbacks

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson has mostly ranked in the lower tiers of NFL1000 so far this season. He has played poorly, but it's also been obvious that his health was the main reason. Over the past two weeks, Wilson has been planting his feet with more confidence, which has in turn allowed him to possess more command over his passes. His precision on deep passes in particular has been impressive. Had he avoided one huge error when he threw the ball directly to Dont'a Hightower after panicking in a clean pocket, he could have been the top-ranked quarterback in the NFL this week. 

Instead that honor fell to Ryan Tannehill. The Miami Dolphins' Tannehill had one or two questionable plays on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, but not one awful play. His positive plays were exceptional, as he threw two precise touchdowns and routinely made big throws against arriving hits.

Tennessee Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota might feel aggrieved at not ranking higher. Mariota had a huge day, but a lot of his production was the result of bad defense from the Packers. He forced his receivers to make unnecessary adjustments when left wide open on a few too many occasions. Receiver Tajae Sharpe's long touchdown was a good example of how the Packers defense beat itself. Mariota underthrew Sharpe, but it didn't matter because the Packers had blown their coverage so badly that Sharpe could stop, wait for the ball and turn upfield before walking into the end zone.

The Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan had an interesting week. He was having his best game of the season through three quarters. His offense wasn't putting up big numbers, but that was because of how well the defense was containing the whole unit. Ryan repeatedly made smart, accurate throws while functioning against pressure. Julio Jones had a few key drops late on, but Ryan's fourth quarter sunk his grade. He threw some wildly inaccurate passes and made a couple of interception-worthy throws.

The Houston Texans' Brock Osweiler and Jacksonville Jaguars' Blake Bortles played in the same game. Anyone who sat through it should have been given a reward of some kind. Both were awful as they continued their seasons of incompetent play.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	21	24	14	14	10	83
2	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	20	21	15	15	10	81
3	Russell Wilson	SEA	21	21	13	15	10	80
4	Marcus Mariota	TEN	19	20	15	16	10	80
5	Tom Brady	NE	19	20	14	15	10	78
6	Drew Brees	NO	18	20	15	14	10	77
7	Matt Ryan	ATL	18	20	14	13	10	75
8	Jameis Winston	TB	15	20	13	16	10	74
9	Kirk Cousins	WAS	17	18	14	13	10	72
10	Sam Bradford	MIN	16	20	13	13	10	72
11	Dak Prescott	DAL	14	18	13	15	10	70
12	Aaron Rodgers	GB	14	19	14	12	10	69
13	Cam Newton	CAR	14	20	14	10	10	68
14	Carson Wentz	PHI	15	18	13	12	10	68
15	Andy Dalton	CIN	14	18	13	13	10	68
16	Colin Kaepernick	SF	15	20	13	10	10	68
17	Eli Manning	NYG	15	18	13	11	10	67
18	Carson Palmer	ARI	15	20	11	11	10	67
19	Trevor Siemian	DEN	15	18	12	11	10	66
20	Alex Smith	KC	14	17	13	10	10	64
21	Joe Flacco	BAL	15	18	11	10	10	64
22	Philip Rivers	SD	13	17	14	10	10	64
23	Cody Kessler	CLE	15	16	10	10	10	61
24	Case Keenum	LA	14	17	10	10	10	61
25	Jay Cutler	CHI	13	20	9	9	10	61
26	Bryce Petty	NYJ	14	17	9	9	10	59
27	Brock Osweiler	HOU	11	16	9	10	10	56
28	Blake Bortles	JAX	9	15	11	9	10	54
29	Josh McCown	CLE	13	15	6	8	10	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tyrod Taylor—bye
• Derek Carr—bye
• Andrew Luck—bye
• Matthew Stafford—bye

Running Backs

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It was an unbelievable Sunday for the NFL. There were compelling games all day, while some of the star running backs played major roles. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Le’Veon Bell was just awesome against the Cowboys. When his career is all said and done, he might challenge Marshall Faulk as the greatest pass-catching back of all time. He basically operated like a wide receiver, dominating Cowboys defensive backs in space. He might have the best hands in the NFL, for any player, at any position. It was an incredible display of greatness that put the Steelers in position to win despite their defensive struggles. 

DeMarco Murray was dominant against the Packers on Sunday. He solidified his lead for the Comeback Player of the Year award, running right by defenders all game. His play speed continues to be excellent, and he has turned into a home run hitter for the Titans. His ability to contribute in the pass game, with his excellent hands, and stonewall defenders in pass protection make him a complete player.

The Chiefs' Spencer Ware ran hard in his return from a concussion against the Carolina Panthers, one of the more physical defenses in the league. I'm not sure there is a player who is more physical on contact than Ware.

Rashad Jennings was excellent Monday night, helping the New York Giants' anemic running attack finally break out in front of a national audience. He is one of the most underrated inside runners in the NFL.

Ryan Mathews had a breakout game with two touchdowns and brought a much-needed physical running style to Philadelphia. He propelled the Eagles in a big win against a playoff-level opponent (Atlanta). He may never live up to his first-round label, but he has become a solid NFL runner.

The Texans' Lamar Miller and the Atlanta Falcons' Devonta Freeman were both consistent for their respective teams. Miller helped bail out a poor and inconsistent passing game and has turned into the Texans' most explosive offensive player.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	21	20	18	18	6	83
2	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	19	18	20	17	6	80
3	DeMarco Murray	TEN	20	18	17	18	6	79
4	Spencer Ware	KC	19	18	17	17	6	77
5	Rashad Jennings	NYG	19	17	17	17	6	76
6	Ryan Mathews	PHI	19	18	17	16	6	76
7	Lamar Miller	HOU	19	18	17	16	6	76
8	Devonta Freeman	ATL	19	17	17	16	6	75
9	Bilal Powell	NYJ	18	18	17	16	6	75
10	David Johnson	ARI	17	17	17	17	6	74
11	C.J. Prosise	SEA	18	18	18	14	6	74
12	Devontae Booker	DEN	18	17	16	16	6	73
13	LeGarrette Blount	NE	19	16	15	17	6	73
14	Robert Kelley	WAS	19	17	15	16	6	73
15	Jay Ajayi	MIA	19	16	16	16	6	73
16	Mark Ingram	NO	18	16	16	17	6	73
17	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	17	17	17	15	6	72
18	Jordan Howard	CHI	18	17	15	16	6	72
19	Jeremy Hill	CIN	18	16	16	16	6	72
20	Giovani Bernard	CIN	17	17	16	16	6	72
21	Todd Gurley	LA	19	16	15	16	6	72
22	Benny Cunningham	LA	17	17	15	17	6	72
23	Matt Forte	NYJ	18	16	16	16	6	72
24	Melvin Gordon	SD	18	17	17	14	6	72
25	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	17	17	15	17	6	72
26	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	18	16	16	16	6	72
27	James Starks	GB	18	15	16	16	6	71
28	Chris Ivory	JAX	17	15	16	17	6	71
29	Terrance West	BAL	17	15	16	16	6	70
30	Darren Sproles	PHI	17	15	16	16	6	70
31	Wendell Smallwood	PHI	17	16	15	16	6	70
32	Chris Thompson	WAS	15	18	16	15	6	70
33	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	17	16	16	15	6	70
34	Akeem Hunt	HOU	18	16	15	15	6	70
35	Duke Johnson	CLE	15	16	17	15	6	69
36	James White	NE	15	16	17	15	6	69
37	Doug Martin	TB	17	14	16	16	6	69
38	Alfred Blue	HOU	17	16	15	15	6	69
39	Paul Perkins	NYG	17	16	15	14	6	68
40	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	16	14	16	16	6	68
41	Kapri Bibbs	DEN	17	14	16	15	6	68
42	Christine Michael	SEA	16	15	15	16	6	68
43	Peyton Barber	TB	16	15	16	15	6	68
44	Ty Montgomery	GB	17	14	16	15	6	68
45	Charcandrick West	KC	16	15	15	16	6	68
46	Derrick Henry	TEN	17	15	15	15	6	68
47	Jeremy Langford	CHI	15	14	16	16	6	67
48	DuJuan Harris	SF	16	15	15	15	6	67
49	Damien Williams	MIA	17	14	15	15	6	67
50	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	15	14	16	15	6	66
51	Alfred Morris	DAL	16	14	15	15	6	66
52	Travaris Cadet	NO	15	14	16	15	6	66
53	Tim Hightower	NO	15	14	16	15	6	66
54	Matt Asiata	MIN	15	14	15	15	6	65
55	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	14	15	16	14	6	65
56	Carlos Hyde	SF	15	14	14	15	6	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Shane Vereen—injury
• C.J. Anderson—injury
• Eddie Lacy—injury
• Thomas Rawls—injury
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Tevin Coleman—injury
• Frank Gore—bye
• Latavius Murray—bye
• Ameer Abdullah—bye
• Theo Riddick—bye
• LeSean McCoy—bye

Fullbacks

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

While they didn’t fill up the stat sheet, the same guys continue to play at a high level.

Kyle Juszczyk remains my highest-graded fullback in the NFL. He is the most complete player at the position and continues to do it all for the Baltimore Ravens. He has been a major reason they are back in the playoff hunt.

While many people don’t know who he is, Anthony Sherman has been a consistent player for Kansas City, one of the best teams in the NFL. The run game with Sherman and Spencer Ware is as physical as you’ll find from any team. 

Mike Tolbert has played better football the last several weeks, helping the Carolina running game get back to its physical roots. James Develin has also been excellent for the Patriots' dominant inside run game. Both guys bring an old-school element to their teams.

The Falcons' Patrick DiMarco was solid against the Eagles on Sunday in limited action, while Jay Prosch helped lead a dominant running attack against a poor run defense in Jacksonville.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Kyle Juszczyk	BAL	46	18	10	4	78
2	Anthony Sherman	KC	44	15	11	4	74
3	Andy Janovich	DEN	44	15	10	4	73
4	Mike Tolbert	CAR	45	14	9	4	72
5	Zach Line	MIN	42	16	10	4	72
6	James Develin	NE	44	15	9	4	72
7	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	44	14	9	4	71
8	Jay Prosch	HOU	44	15	8	4	71
9	John Kuhn	NO	44	15	8	4	71
10	Jalston Fowler	TEN	43	15	9	4	71
11	Aaron Ripkowski	GB	43	14	9	4	70
12	Derek Watt	SD	43	15	8	4	70
13	Will Tukuafu	SEA	44	14	8	4	70
14	Paul Lasike	CHI	42	14	9	4	69
15	Cory Harkey	LA	42	14	8	4	68

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jamize Olawale—bye
• Michael Burton—bye
• Jerome Felton—bye

Wide Receivers

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the big numbers from Antonio Brown, Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson graded out as the top AFC receiver this week.

While Brown caught 14 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, a big chunk of his yardage came on the Steelers' final two plays when the Cowboys were in a prevent defense and surrendering yardage underneath. In addition, Brown's touchdown came on a fake spike play, meaning that some of his gaudy numbers were due more to design or defensive indifference. Robinson showed some great ability in his routes, at the catch point and with the ball in his hands, as illustrated in this week's Scouting with Schofield video.

A.J. Green was limited a bit Monday night with a leg injury, but the Bengals receiver still showed skill in his routes and notched a touchdown reception against the Giants. Another player to keep an eye on is Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams, who is fluid on his routes and impressive with the ball in the air. 

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Odell Beckham Jr. is back near the top of the rankings again this week, especially after he did his part to light up the Bengals secondary on Monday Night Football in a game that featured an especially pretty double move near the goal line to get open for a touchdown.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald was once again making life miserable for the San Francisco 49ers defense, through the air and on the ground, as he pulled in 12 catches for 133 yards. He also served as a lead blocker on several run plays as head coach Bruce Arians took advantage of his physicality at the line.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Allen Robinson	JAX	21	21	14	13	9	78
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	22	22	14	10	9	77
3	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	21	20	14	13	9	77
4	Julio Jones	ATL	21	21	13	11	9	75
5	Dez Bryant	DAL	21	20	15	10	9	75
6	Davante Adams	GB	21	21	14	10	9	75
7	Antonio Brown	PIT	18	19	16	13	9	75
8	Michael Floyd	ARI	19	21	14	10	9	73
9	A.J. Green	CIN	20	19	12	13	9	73
10	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	19	20	12	13	9	73
11	Jordy Nelson	GB	22	20	12	10	9	73
12	Kenny Britt	LA	21	19	14	10	9	73
13	Stefon Diggs	MIN	20	20	14	10	9	73
14	Jordan Matthews	PHI	21	21	12	10	9	73
15	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	21	20	12	10	9	72
16	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	21	19	13	10	9	72
17	Tyreek Hill	KC	18	18	15	12	9	72
18	Tyrell Williams	SD	18	19	14	12	9	72
19	Doug Baldwin	SEA	21	19	12	11	9	72
20	Pierre Garcon	WAS	21	20	12	10	9	72
21	Steve Smith	BAL	19	19	12	12	9	71
22	Cole Beasley	DAL	21	19	12	10	9	71
23	DeVante Parker	MIA	18	20	12	12	9	71
24	Eli Rogers	PIT	18	18	12	14	9	71
25	Jarvis Landry	MIA	17	19	13	12	9	70
26	Mike Evans	TB	20	19	12	10	9	70
27	Rishard Matthews	TEN	17	19	12	13	9	70
28	Ted Ginn Jr.	CAR	20	19	11	10	9	69
29	Randall Cobb	GB	19	19	12	10	9	69
30	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	19	18	11	12	9	69
31	Tavon Austin	LA	19	18	13	10	9	69
32	Kenny Stills	MIA	18	18	12	12	9	69
33	Jeremy Kerley	SF	19	19	12	10	9	69
34	John Brown	ARI	18	18	13	10	9	68
35	Devin Funchess	CAR	19	18	12	10	9	68
36	Terrelle Pryor Sr.	CLE	18	17	12	12	9	68
37	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	18	17	12	12	9	68
38	Marqise Lee	JAX	17	18	12	12	9	68
39	Willie Snead	NO	19	19	11	10	9	68
40	Sterling Shepard	NYG	19	18	12	10	9	68
41	Quinton Patton	SF	20	17	12	10	9	68
42	Adam Humphries	TB	20	18	11	10	9	68
43	Breshad Perriman	BAL	17	18	11	12	9	67
44	Michael Thomas	NO	19	18	11	10	9	67
45	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	17	16	12	13	9	67
46	Tyler Lockett	SEA	19	17	12	10	9	67
47	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	17	18	11	12	9	67
48	Mike Wallace	BAL	17	17	12	11	9	66
49	Corey Coleman	CLE	16	17	12	12	9	66
50	Jordan Norwood	DEN	16	17	11	13	9	66
51	Adam Thielen	MIN	18	17	11	11	9	66
52	Brandin Cooks	NO	18	17	12	10	9	66
53	Robby Anderson	NYJ	17	18	11	11	9	66
54	Cecil Shorts III	TB	19	17	11	10	9	66
55	Tyler Boyd	CIN	17	17	11	11	9	65
56	Allen Hurns	JAX	17	16	11	12	9	65
57	Chris Hogan	NE	17	17	11	11	9	65
58	Dontrelle Inman	SD	16	16	12	12	9	65
59	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	19	16	11	10	9	65
60	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	18	16	11	10	9	64
61	Taylor Gabriel	ATL	17	16	12	10	9	64
62	Eddie Royal	CHI	18	16	11	10	9	64
63	Cameron Meredith	CHI	17	16	11	11	9	64
64	Brandon LaFell	CIN	16	15	11	13	9	64
65	Jordan Taylor	DEN	14	18	11	12	9	64
66	Braxton Miller	HOU	16	15	11	13	9	64
67	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	17	14	11	13	9	64
68	Griff Whalen	SD	15	15	12	13	9	64
69	Chris Conley	KC	15	15	11	13	9	63
70	Albert Wilson	KC	15	15	12	12	9	63
71	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	17	16	11	10	9	63
72	Danny Amendola	NE	16	16	11	11	9	63
73	Brandon Coleman	NO	17	16	11	10	9	63
74	Torrey Smith	SF	17	17	11	9	9	63
75	Jamison Crowder	WAS	17	16	11	10	9	63
76	J.J. Nelson	ARI	17	15	11	10	9	62
77	Kamar Aiken	BAL	15	15	11	11	9	61
78	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	15	14	11	12	9	61
79	Terrance Williams	DAL	16	15	11	10	9	61
80	Bennie Fowler	DEN	14	14	11	13	9	61
81	Arrelious Benn	JAX	15	14	11	12	9	61
82	Brian Quick	LA	16	15	11	10	9	61
83	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	15	15	11	11	9	61
84	Matthew Slater	NE	14	14	11	13	9	61
85	Tavarres King	NYG	16	15	11	10	9	61
86	Roger Lewis	NYG	17	15	10	10	9	61
87	Nelson Agholor	PHI	15	16	11	10	9	61
88	Cobi Hamilton	PIT	14	15	11	12	9	61
89	Rod Streater	SF	16	15	11	10	9	61
90	Kendall Wright	TEN	15	14	11	12	9	61
91	Cody Core	CIN	15	14	11	11	9	60
92	Rashard Higgins	CLE	14	14	11	12	9	60
93	Keith Mumphery	HOU	14	14	11	12	9	60
94	Rashad Greene	JAX	14	14	11	12	9	60
95	De'Anthony Thomas	KC	14	14	11	12	9	60
96	Charone Peake	NYJ	15	14	11	11	9	60
97	Dorial Green-Beckham	PHI	16	14	11	10	9	60
98	Harry Douglas	TEN	14	14	11	12	9	60
99	Ryan Grant	WAS	17	14	10	10	9	60
100	Jalin Marshall	NYJ	14	14	11	11	9	59
101	Paul Richardson	SEA	15	14	11	10	9	59
102	Freddie Martino	TB	15	14	11	10	9	59
103	Aldrick Robinson	ATL	14	14	11	10	9	58
104	Philly Brown	CAR	14	14	11	10	9	58
105	Trevor Davis	GB	15	14	10	10	9	58
106	Lucky Whitehead	DAL	14	14	10	10	9	57
107	Pharoah Cooper	LA	14	14	10	10	9	57
108	Charles Johnson	MIN	14	14	10	10	9	57
109	Brice Butler	DAL	13	13	10	10	9	55
110	Bradley Marquez	LA	13	13	10	10	9	55
111	Bryce Treggs	PHI	13	13	10	10	9	55

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Cody Latimer—injury
• Will Fuller—injury
• Jaelen Strong—injury
• Jeremy Maclin—injury
• Eric Decker—injury
• Darrius Heyward-Bey—injury
• Markus Wheaton—injury
• Vincent Jackson—injury
• Keenan Allen—injury
• Travis Benjamin—injury
• Sammy Watkins—bye
• Robert Woods—bye
• T.Y. Hilton—bye
• Donte Moncrief—bye
• Phillip Dorsett—bye
• Amari Cooper—bye
• Michael Crabtree—bye
• Seth Roberts—bye
• Golden Tate—bye
• Marvin Jones—bye
• Anquan Boldin—bye
• Jaron Brown—insufficient snaps

Tight Ends

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

With his nine-catch, 124-yard effort, Titans tight end Delanie Walker found himself atop the AFC grades this week. What propelled his number was his ability after the catch, particularly in using play strength to shed tackle attempts and pick up additional yardage.

Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett both turned in solid efforts for the Patriots, and Gronkowski performed admirably given the fact he suffered a chest injury early in the contest, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Chiefs' Travis Kelce managed to stick around the entire game. While his statistics were not huge, his ability as a blocker and his nuanced route running were big factors in his high grade. 

After an incredible performance against the Buffalo Bills last Monday night, the Seahawks' Jimmy Graham came back down to Earth with a more pedestrian performance of four catches for 48 yards.

Other NFC tight ends climbed the rankings to take his place, including Zach Ertz, Jason Witten and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, Cameron Brate in Tampa Bay, whose seven receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown—as well as his efforts blocking up front—led to one of his highest-rated performances this season.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Delanie Walker	TEN	15	20	16	20	6	77
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	14	20	13	20	6	73
3	Zach Ertz	PHI	16	20	13	17	6	72
4	Cameron Brate	TB	16	20	13	17	6	72
5	Jason Witten	DAL	16	20	12	18	6	72
6	Travis Kelce	KC	16	18	13	19	6	72
7	Martellus Bennett	NE	15	19	14	18	6	72
8	Will Tye	NYG	16	19	11	19	6	71
9	Greg Olsen	CAR	16	19	12	17	6	70
10	Jimmy Graham	SEA	15	19	13	17	6	70
11	Zach Miller	CHI	16	18	11	18	6	69
12	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	15	18	12	17	6	68
13	Jesse James	PIT	13	18	12	19	6	68
14	Vance McDonald	SF	15	18	12	17	6	68
15	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	14	18	11	18	6	67
16	Tyler Eifert	CIN	13	17	14	17	6	67
17	Jerell Adams	NYG	14	18	12	17	6	67
18	Brent Celek	PHI	13	17	12	19	6	67
19	Virgil Green	DEN	12	17	12	19	6	66
20	Richard Rodgers	GB	14	18	12	16	6	66
21	Antonio Gates	SD	13	16	13	18	6	66
22	Hunter Henry	SD	14	17	11	18	6	66
23	Jordan Reed	WAS	14	16	14	16	6	66
24	Vernon Davis	WAS	15	15	13	17	6	66
25	Dennis Pitta	BAL	13	16	12	18	6	65
26	Ed Dickson	CAR	13	16	12	18	6	65
27	Coby Fleener	NO	14	17	12	16	6	65
28	Ladarius Green	PIT	13	17	12	17	6	65
29	Gary Barnidge	CLE	12	17	11	18	6	64
30	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	12	15	11	20	6	64
31	Anthony Fasano	TEN	12	15	11	20	6	64
32	Darren Waller	BAL	12	15	11	19	6	63
33	Ryan Griffin	HOU	12	15	11	19	6	63
34	Ben Koyack	JAX	13	15	11	18	6	63
35	AJ Derby	DEN	12	15	12	17	6	62
36	Stephen Anderson	HOU	13	15	11	17	6	62
37	Ryan Hewitt	CIN	11	14	11	19	6	61
38	Seth DeValve	CLE	12	16	11	16	6	61
39	Julius Thomas	JAX	12	15	11	17	6	61
40	Lance Kendricks	LA	12	14	11	18	6	61
41	Tyler Kroft	CIN	11	14	11	18	6	60
42	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	11	14	11	18	6	60
43	Rhett Ellison	MIN	12	16	10	16	6	60
44	Luke Stocker	TB	12	15	11	16	6	60
45	Phillip Supernaw	TEN	11	14	11	18	6	60
46	Randall Telfer	CLE	11	14	10	18	6	59
47	James O'Shaughnessy	KC	11	14	11	17	6	59
48	Ross Travis	KC	12	13	11	17	6	59
49	Dion Sims	MIA	11	14	11	17	6	59
50	Xavier Grimble	PIT	12	14	11	16	6	59
51	Jeff Heuerman	DEN	11	14	11	16	6	58
52	Justin Perillo	GB	13	13	11	15	6	58
53	Demetrius Harris	KC	11	14	11	16	6	58
54	Marqueis Gray	MIA	11	14	11	16	6	58
55	Trey Burton	PHI	11	14	11	16	6	58
56	Sean McGrath	SD	11	14	11	16	6	58
57	Austin Hooper	ATL	11	14	11	15	6	57
58	Logan Paulsen	CHI	12	13	10	16	6	57
59	Tyler Higbee	LA	11	14	10	16	6	57
60	Brandon Bostick	NYJ	11	14	11	15	6	57
61	David Johnson	PIT	11	14	11	15	6	57
62	Garrett Celek	SF	11	14	10	16	6	57
63	Levine Toilolo	ATL	10	13	10	17	6	56
64	Josh Hill	NO	12	13	10	15	6	56
65	Eric Tomlinson	NYJ	11	14	11	14	6	56
66	Darren Fells	ARI	10	13	10	16	6	55
67	Nick Vanett	SEA	10	13	10	16	6	55
68	Brandon Myers	TB	11	14	10	14	6	55
69	Gavin Escobar	DAL	10	13	10	15	6	54
70	Brandon Williams	SEA	10	13	10	15	6	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Crockett Gillmore—injury
• Maxx Williams—injury
• Jordan Cameron—injury
• Troy Niklas—injury
• Niles Paul—injury
• Jacob Tamme—injury
• Jared Cook—injury
• Charles Clay—bye
• Nick O'Leary—bye
• Dwayne Allen—bye
• Jack Doyle—bye
• Mychal Rivera—bye
• Eric Ebron—bye

Left Tackles

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The top performer at left tackle in Week 10 was the Eagles' Jason Peters. He was tasked with slowing the Falcons' dynamic pass rush and he did just that, surrendering no sacks, pressures or quarterback hits on 41 pass-blocking snaps.

Tyron Smith of the Cowboys snatched our No. 2 ranking and was phenomenal yet again in Dallas' dramatic victory over the Steelers. Smith had a couple of snaps where the ageless James Harrison gave him issues in pass protection, but Smith was excellent as a run-blocker and made many impactful blocks, both at the point of attack and straining on the back side.

An interesting note: Tennessee's Taylor Lewan registered no grade after he was ejected on the team's first drive against Green Bay. Lewan was upset after a Packers defender jumped offsides and took a cheap shot on Marcus Mariota. Words were exchanged and tempers flared, but the cause of Lewan's disqualification was making contact with an official who was attempting to defuse the altercation. (Side note: Lewan defending his quarterback is what any offensive lineman would have done. Though he shouldn't have contacted the official.)

Washington's Ty Nsekhe did an excellent job filling in for suspended tackle Trent Williams against the Minnesota Vikings. Nsekhe didn't make the impactful blocks Williams makes in the run game, but he consistently completed his assignment and surrendered only one pressure on 35 pass-blocking snaps.

Vikings veteran tackle Jake Long suffered a torn Achilles tendon on the second-to-last play of the game against Washington. Minnesota has been unsettled up front, specifically at both tackle spots. With the season-ending injury to Long, options are running thin. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jason Peters	PHI	21	20	17	18	8	84
2	Tyron Smith	DAL	19	22	17	17	8	83
3	Jake Matthews	ATL	20	19	16	15	8	78
4	Duane Brown	HOU	20	18	16	15	8	77
5	Ty Nsekhe	WAS	19	20	14	15	8	76
6	Ereck Flowers	NYG	17	20	16	15	8	76
7	Mike Remmers	CAR	19	20	15	14	8	76
8	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	19	19	16	13	8	75
9	Joe Staley	SF	18	19	15	15	8	75
10	Joe Thomas	CLE	18	18	15	16	8	75
11	Donovan Smith	TB	18	20	15	14	8	75
12	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	19	18	14	15	8	74
13	David Bakhtiari	GB	18	18	15	15	8	74
14	Andrus Peat	NO	18	19	15	14	8	74
15	Nate Solder	NE	18	19	16	12	8	73
16	Greg Robinson	LA	17	19	15	14	8	73
17	Russell Okung	DEN	17	18	14	16	8	73
18	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	18	19	13	14	8	72
19	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	18	17	15	14	8	72
20	Alejandro Villanueva	PIT	17	17	15	15	8	72
21	Eric Fisher	KC	17	19	14	14	8	72
22	Branden Albert	MIA	17	18	14	14	8	71
23	Terron Armstead	NO	20	15	14	13	8	70
24	Jason Spriggs	GB	16	17	14	15	8	70
25	Charles Leno Jr.	CHI	19	16	12	14	8	69
26	John Wetzel	AZ	17	16	13	14	8	68
27	King Dunlap	SD	15	18	13	14	8	68
28	Dennis Kelly	TEN	18	14	14	13	8	67
29	Jake Long	MIN	16	16	12	14	8	66
30	George Fant	SEA	15	16	13	12	8	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jared Veldheer—injury
• Bradley Sowell—injury
• Ryan Clady—injury
• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Taylor Lewan—insufficient snaps/ejection
• Trent Williams—suspension
• Anthony Castonzo—bye
• Cordy Glenn—bye
• Donald Penn—bye
• Taylor Decker—bye

Right Tackles

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City's Mitchell Schwartz is our top performer among right tackles in Week 10 after an outstanding game against the Panthers. Schwartz was great in pass protection, but he made the most impact when run blocking. Schwartz was a key reason the Chiefs were able to come back and beat the Panthers after being down 17-3 to start the fourth quarter.

Despite surrendering a sack, Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga turned in another solid performance to rank second among right tackles. Green Bay's offense has not been consistent, but the offensive line has been a bright spot, which in large part is due to the tremendous play of Bulaga, who weekly continues to build on his stellar season.

Vikings right tackle T.J. Clemmings may have played his best all-around game as a professional. Clemmings still had a few issues in pass protection and even drew a holding call, but you could see the improvement in many pass-protection situations. Clemmings was impressive as a run-blocker. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	20	21	16	16	7	80
2	Bryan Bulaga	GB	19	21	16	15	7	78
3	Marcus Gilbert	PIT	20	20	16	14	7	77
4	Morgan Moses	WAS	19	20	15	15	7	76
5	Doug Free	DAL	20	17	16	15	7	75
6	Zach Strief	NO	18	21	16	13	7	75
7	Jack Conklin	TEN	19	19	16	13	7	74
8	Ricky Wagner	BAL	18	19	15	15	7	74
9	Rob Havenstein	LA	18	19	16	14	7	74
10	Ja'Wuan James	MIA	18	19	16	13	7	73
11	Marcus Cannon	NE	18	21	14	13	7	73
12	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	17	20	17	12	7	73
13	T.J. Clemmings	MIN	17	20	16	13	7	73
14	Demar Dotson	TB	18	18	15	15	7	73
15	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	PHI	18	19	16	13	7	73
16	Austin Pasztor	CLE	18	18	16	13	7	72
17	Trenton Brown	SF	17	19	15	13	7	71
18	Bobby Massie	CHI	19	16	15	13	7	70
19	Bobby Hart	NYG	19	18	12	14	7	70
20	Eric Winston	CIN	18	17	15	13	7	70
21	Chris Clark	HOU	17	18	14	13	7	69
22	Daryl Williams	CAR	16	18	15	13	7	69
23	Breno Giacomini	NYJ	16	18	15	13	7	69
24	D.J. Humphries	ARI	17	17	14	13	7	68
25	Jermey Parnell	JAX	16	16	14	14	7	67
26	Joe Barksdale	SD	16	16	15	13	7	67
27	Ty Sambrailo	DEN	16	16	14	13	7	66
28	Garry Gilliam	SEA	16	16	13	13	7	65
29	Donald Stephenson	DEN	16	15	14	12	7	64
30	Chris Hairston	SD	16	17	12	12	7	64
31	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	15	15	13	13	7	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Andre Smith—injury
• Derek Newton—injury
• Lane Johnson—suspension
• Menelik Watson—bye
• Austin Howard—bye
• Joe Haeg—bye
• Joe Reitz—bye
• Riley Reiff—bye
• Jordan Mills—bye

Offensive Guards

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The guard position as a whole is a mess right now, and we didn't see much dominant play this week. That is best illustrated with only one grade coming in above 75, the lowest number of the season by far.

Why? Well, several of the top guards are hurt. Marshal Yanda missed another game this week, Justin Pugh is out for multiple weeks with an MCL sprain, and Mike Iupati continues to play through a bevy of injuries that are hurting his performance. The Cardinals' Iupati has been one of the lowest-graded players in the league the past few weeks, which is a steep drop considering he was the highest-graded left guard at one point this year.

The Bears duo of Josh Sitton and Kyle Long can't stay on the field either, and this week Sitton's former teammate T.J. Lang also went down. It doesn't end there.

Joel Bitonio, La'el Collins and Evan Mathis have all been out for a while, and we likely won't see them again this year. Quinton Spain, Jack Mewhort, Allen Barbre and Andrus Peat (forced to left tackle) haven't suited up at guard in multiple weeks after promising starts. And that doesn't even include some of the marginal starters that have been lost, as Chance Warmack, Luke Joeckel, Parker Ehinger and Kevin Pamphile have all missed time.

It's getting ridiculous at this point. It's a war of attrition. The depth of the Eagles, Titans and Cowboys has been huge to their playoff pursuits. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	David DeCastro	PIT	19	16	17	17	7	76
2	John Greco	CLE	16	18	18	16	7	75
3	Joe Thuney	NE	16	19	16	17	7	75
4	Orlando Franklin	SD	17	18	18	14	7	74
5	Ramon Foster	PIT	18	17	18	14	7	74
6	Ronald Leary	DAL	17	18	17	15	7	74
7	Cody Wichmann	LA	18	17	16	15	7	73
8	Joshua Garnett	SF	18	16	17	15	7	73
9	Brian Schwenke	TEN	17	18	17	14	7	73
10	Stefen Wisniewski	PHI	16	19	17	14	7	73
11	Rodger Saffold	LA	16	17	17	15	7	72
12	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	18	15	15	17	7	72
13	Ali Marpet	TB	17	15	17	16	7	72
14	Brandon Scherff	WAS	18	15	17	15	7	72
15	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	17	16	17	15	7	72
16	Michael Schofield	DEN	17	16	15	16	7	71
17	Brandon Brooks	PHI	17	15	17	15	7	71
18	James Carpenter	NYJ	15	19	17	13	7	71
19	Josh Sitton	CHI	16	17	17	14	7	71
20	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	17	16	15	16	7	71
21	Andrew Norwell	CAR	16	16	16	15	7	70
22	Andy Levitre	ATL	18	16	16	13	7	70
23	Brandon Fusco	MIN	17	15	16	15	7	70
24	Senio Kelemete	NO	17	16	16	14	7	70
25	Josh Kline	TEN	17	16	16	13	7	69
26	Zack Martin	DAL	14	17	16	15	7	69
27	Germain Ifedi	SEA	14	17	17	14	7	69
28	Alex Lewis	BAL	15	16	16	15	7	69
29	Earl Watford	ARI	17	14	16	15	7	69
30	John Jerry	NYG	15	17	16	14	7	69
31	Shawn Lauvao	WAS	13	18	17	13	7	68
32	Lane Taylor	GB	16	15	15	15	7	68
33	Zane Beadles	SF	14	16	16	15	7	68
34	Vladimir Ducasse	BAL	15	17	16	13	7	68
35	Clint Boling	CIN	14	15	17	15	7	68
36	Marshall Newhouse	NYG	14	16	16	15	7	68
37	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	12	17	16	15	7	67
38	Mark Glowinski	SEA	13	16	15	16	7	67
39	Jahri Evans	NO	15	16	16	13	7	67
40	A.J. Cann	JAX	16	15	16	13	7	67
41	Spencer Drango	CLE	15	15	16	13	7	66
42	Alex Boone	MIN	14	16	16	13	7	66
43	Jeff Allen	HOU	14	17	16	12	7	66
44	Brian Winters	NYJ	15	14	16	14	7	66
45	D.J. Fluker	SD	14	15	16	13	7	65
46	John Urschel	BAL	15	15	15	13	7	65
47	Ted Larsen	CHI	15	15	16	12	7	65
48	Max Garcia	DEN	14	15	15	14	7	65
49	Shaq Mason	NE	12	15	15	16	7	65
50	Chris Chester	ATL	14	15	16	12	7	64
51	Patrick Omameh	JAX	13	16	16	12	7	64
52	Mike Iupati	ARI	14	14	16	13	7	64
53	Jermon Bushrod	MIA	14	14	14	14	7	63
54	Zach Fulton	KC	13	15	16	12	7	63
55	Don Barclay	GB	14	14	13	15	7	63
56	Caleb Benenoch	TB	15	14	12	14	7	62
57	Trai Turner	CAR	11	15	17	11	7	61

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kelechi Osemele—bye
• Denver Kirkland—bye
• Gabe Jackson—bye
• Graham Glasgow—bye
• Larry Warford—bye
• Denzelle Good—bye
• Jonotthan Harrison—bye
• Richie Incognito—bye
• John Miller—bye
• Kyle Long—insufficient snaps
• T.J. Lang—insufficient snaps
• Brett Jones—insufficient snaps
• Justin Pugh—DNP
• Marshal Yanda—DNP
• Alvin Bailey—DNP
• Allen Barbre—DNP
• Jack Mewhort—DNP
• Joel Bitonio—DNP

Centers

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The best individual interior offensive line performer during Week 10 had to be Jason Kelce, who finally showed off the Pro Bowl-caliber play we are used to seeing from the Eagles center. It's largely been a down year for Kelce, so it's exciting to see this level of dominance again. The Eagles used Kelce in space a ton this week. With his athletic ability, he was able to get to and even beat second-level defenders up the field on running plays and screens.

Seeing an offensive lineman run with a ball-carrier in the open field is a rare sight, but Kelce was able to do this, allowing him to destroy undersized defenders for huge gains. Kudos to head coach Doug Pederson for utilizing Kelce in a way where his unique traits can shine through.

We'll see if it becomes a staple in the Eagles' running game going forward. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jason Kelce	PHI	18	21	15	19	6	79
2	Mitch Morse	KC	18	19	15	18	6	76
3	Travis Frederick	DAL	17	19	18	15	6	75
4	Wesley Johnson	NYJ	18	19	18	14	6	75
5	Greg Mancz	HOU	17	19	17	15	6	74
6	Matt Paradis	DEN	17	19	18	13	6	73
7	Alex Mack	ATL	16	18	16	16	6	72
8	Joe Berger	MIN	16	18	17	15	6	72
9	Gino Gradkowski	CAR	18	17	16	14	6	71
10	Corey Linsley	GB	18	15	16	16	6	71
11	Max Unger	NO	17	16	16	15	6	70
12	Mike Pouncey	MIA	17	16	15	16	6	70
13	Ben Jones	TEN	18	17	14	15	6	70
14	David Andrews	NE	18	16	16	14	6	70
15	Matt Slauson	SD	17	15	17	14	6	69
16	Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	16	15	16	16	6	69
17	Weston Richburg	NYG	15	17	17	14	6	69
18	Brandon Linder	JAX	15	17	15	15	6	68
19	Justin Britt	SEA	15	17	15	15	6	68
20	Russell Bodine	CIN	17	15	16	14	6	68
21	Spencer Long	WAS	14	16	16	15	6	67
22	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	16	15	16	14	6	67
23	Cody Whitehair	CHI	15	16	14	16	6	67
24	Daniel Kilgore	SF	16	14	14	16	6	66
25	Tim Barnes	LA	14	17	17	12	6	66
26	Jeremy Zuttah	BAL	16	14	15	14	6	65
27	Evan Smith	TB	15	14	14	15	6	64
28	Cameron Erving	CLE	12	14	14	16	6	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ryan Groy—bye
• Rodney Hudson—bye
• Travis Swanson—bye
• Ryan Kelly—bye
• Eric Wood—DNP
• JC Tretter—DNP
• Nick Mangold—DNP
• Ryan Kalil—DNP

3-4 Defensive Ends

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

This position has been headlined by rookie Joey Bosa for the last few weeks, but another rookie isn't far behind. This week, San Francisco's first-round pick got back into Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.

DeForest Buckner is having one of the best seasons of any rookie defensive end in the league, and his performance against the Cardinals only further proved that. After allowing a 100-yard rusher in eight straight games, the 49ers were able to keep the Cardinals running backs to just 54 yards on 21 carries, good for an average of 2.57 yards per attempt. Buckner was a huge part of that, and his candidacy for Rookie of the Year honors should reflect that.

As for the veteran 3-4 defensive ends, Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward and Denver's Derek Wolfe both suffered injuries. This position group has already been ravaged with injuries, but it has allowed young guys to fill in and make a name for themselves. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	DeForest Buckner	SF	12	19	21	15	7	74
2	Calais Campbell	ARI	14	18	20	13	7	72
3	Akiem Hicks	CHI	11	17	22	14	7	71
4	Mike Daniels	GB	11	18	21	14	7	71
5	Ziggy Hood	WAS	13	16	21	14	7	71
6	Quinton Dial	SF	11	17	22	13	7	70
7	Cornelius Washington	CHI	11	17	20	14	7	69
8	Chris Baker	WAS	10	16	21	14	7	68
9	Anthony Lanier	WAS	11	16	20	14	7	68
10	Jared Crick	DEN	11	12	21	16	7	67
11	Chris Jones	KC	12	17	18	13	7	67
12	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	12	17	19	11	7	66
13	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	12	17	17	13	7	66
14	Corey Liuget	SD	11	15	22	11	7	66
15	DaQuan Jones	TEN	9	17	20	13	7	66
16	Ronald Blair	SF	10	16	19	14	7	66
17	Carl Nassib	CLE	12	15	18	13	7	65
18	Christian Covington	HOU	8	12	22	16	7	65
19	Josh Mauro	ARI	11	16	18	13	7	65
20	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	10	15	19	14	7	65
21	Mike Pennel	GB	10	15	19	14	7	65
22	Ricky Jean Francois	WAS	9	15	20	14	7	65
23	Jurrell Casey	TEN	10	15	19	13	7	64
24	Joel Heath	HOU	10	14	19	13	7	63
25	Joey Bosa	SD	12	15	17	12	7	63
26	Frostee Rucker	ARI	9	15	19	13	7	63
27	Timmy Jernigan	BAL	10	15	17	13	7	62
28	Cameron Heyward	PIT	11	14	18	12	7	62
29	Tenny Palepoi	SD	9	14	19	13	7	62
30	Jamie Meder	CLE	7	13	20	14	7	61
31	Brent Urban	BAL	9	14	19	12	7	61
32	Billy Winn	DEN	10	12	18	13	7	60
33	Karl Klug	TEN	11	14	15	12	7	59
34	Lawrence Guy	BAL	9	12	18	12	7	58
35	Antonio Smith	HOU	9	13	17	12	7	58
36	Kendall Reyes	KC	9	12	16	13	7	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• J.J. Watt—injury
• Jaye Howard—injury
• Derek Wolfe—injury
• Mitch Unrein—injury
• Arik Armstead—injury
• Robert Nkemdiche—inactive
• Leger Douzable—bye
• Adolphus Washington—bye
• Zach Kerr—bye
• Kendall Langford—bye
• Henry Anderson—bye
• Denico Autry—bye

4-3 Defensive Ends

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

If you want to see what it looks like when a 4-3 defensive end puts on a clinic, both in the running and passing game, turn on the film of the New Orleans Saints' Cameron Jordan against the Broncos. He beat Donald Stephenson over and over again on Sunday, using several variations of a swim move combined with his explosion off the snap.

Jordan has struggled to meet the big expectations after signing a new contract in 2015, but his nine tackles, including a sack and several pressures, show the Saints brass why all hope is not lost.

Some of the other top names on the list are your usual suspects, including the Los Angeles Rams' Robert Quinn, Seattle's Frank Clark, Minnesota's Everson Griffen, Atlanta's Vic Beasley and Miami's Cameron Wake, who everyone knows are having some of the best years in their careers.

Other names—like New England's Trey Flowers, who has found more reps in recent weeks; Dallas' DeMarcus Lawrence, who is improving post-suspension; and Carolina's Mario Addison, who could find himself in a starting role soon—join Jordan among NFL defensive ends rising the ranks. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Cameron Jordan	NO	23	16	16	15	8	78
2	Robert Quinn	LA	21	13	18	16	8	76
3	Frank Clark	SEA	19	15	16	15	8	73
4	Everson Griffen	MIN	21	14	16	14	8	73
5	Vic Beasley	ATL	20	14	16	15	8	73
6	Cameron Wake	MIA	23	13	16	12	8	72
7	Andre Branch	MIA	21	14	15	14	8	72
8	Trey Flowers	NE	22	14	13	15	8	72
9	Sheldon Richardson	NYJ	20	16	12	16	8	72
10	DeMarcus Lawrence	DAL	22	14	14	14	8	72
11	Cliff Avril	SEA	20	14	16	14	8	72
12	Dwight Freeney	ATL	20	13	16	14	8	71
13	Olivier Vernon	NYG	19	16	14	14	8	71
14	Brandon Graham	PHI	20	14	15	14	8	71
15	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	20	14	14	14	8	70
16	Mario Addison	CAR	20	13	15	14	8	70
17	Jason Pierre-Paul	NYG	20	13	14	15	8	70
18	Damontre Moore	SEA	19	13	16	14	8	70
19	Noah Spence	TB	20	13	15	14	8	70
20	William Hayes	LA	20	13	14	14	8	69
21	Danielle Hunter	MIN	20	13	14	14	8	69
22	Darryl Tapp	NO	19	13	15	14	8	69
23	Cassius Marsh	SEA	19	13	15	14	8	69
24	Ethan Westbrooks	LA	19	13	14	14	8	68
25	Vinny Curry	PHI	20	13	13	14	8	68
26	Robert Ayers	TB	19	13	14	14	8	68
27	William Gholston	TB	19	13	14	14	8	68
28	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	20	12	16	11	8	67
29	Wes Horton	CAR	18	13	14	14	8	67
30	Jack Crawford	DAL	19	12	14	14	8	67
31	David Irving	DAL	18	13	14	14	8	67
32	Brian Robison	MIN	19	13	14	13	8	67
33	Connor Barwin	PHI	19	13	13	14	8	67
34	Dante Fowler	JAX	19	13	15	11	8	66
35	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	19	13	13	13	8	66
36	Brooks Reed	ATL	18	12	13	15	8	66
37	Kony Ealy	CAR	18	13	13	14	8	66
38	Ryan Davis	DAL	18	13	13	14	8	66
39	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	20	12	12	14	8	66
40	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	19	16	12	11	8	66
41	DaVonte Lambert	TB	18	13	13	14	8	66
42	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	18	15	12	12	8	65
43	Paul Kruger	NO	19	12	13	13	8	65
44	Ryan Russell	TB	18	12	13	14	8	65
45	Jared Odrick	JAX	18	14	11	13	8	64
46	Charles Johnson	CAR	18	12	12	14	8	64
47	Michael Johnson	CIN	17	14	12	12	8	63
48	Wallace Gilberry	CIN	18	14	10	13	8	63
49	Mario Williams	MIA	18	13	11	12	8	62
50	Will Clarke	CIN	17	12	12	13	8	62
51	Jason Jones	MIA	17	14	10	13	8	62
52	Chris Long	NE	17	13	12	12	8	62
53	Jabaal Sheard	NE	15	12	11	11	8	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Khalil Mack—bye
• Ezekiel Ansah—bye
• Devin Taylor—bye
• Kerry Hyder—bye
• Eugene Sims—insufficient snaps
• Michael Bennett—injury

Defensive Tackles

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants had no answer for Geno Atkins on Monday night. It felt like Atkins was in the backfield on almost every passing attempt. Atkins finished with a sack, two quarterback hits and four hurries. His burst off the ball was too much for John Jerry.

Damon Harrison and Johnathan Hankins did a solid job collapsing the pocket against a weak Bengals interior. Harrison often outmatched Russell Bodine and had a disruptive game as a pass-rusher. He's been the most consistent piece of the Giants' defensive tackle rotation this season. 

Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan were wrecking balls in their matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Logan was making his first appearance since Week 6 after suffering a groin injury against Washington and didn't show any signs of rust. Logan and Cox pulverized the Falcons' interior trio of Andy Levitre, Alex Mack and Chris Chester.

Cox didn't record a sack this week, but he routinely disrupted the passing game and created sack opportunities for his teammates. Logan was a monster against the run, showing off the brute strength and subtle range that's made him one of the best nose tackles in the league.

Nick Fairley and Sheldon Rankins flashed the potential to be a dangerous defensive tackle duo in the final stretch of the season. Rankins was more decisive this week in his second game and got his first sack off a bull rush on Max Garcia. Fairley had one of his "on" games. He shut down interior rushing lanes for Devontae Booker and beat the Broncos' interior offensive line on a handful of pass rushes. He also recorded a sack, bringing his total to 4.5 on the season.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Geno Atkins	CIN	21	22	19	13	7	82
2	Ndamukong Suh	MIA	20	19	21	13	7	80
3	Fletcher Cox	PHI	19	21	19	14	7	80
4	Aaron Donald	LA	19	19	18	13	7	76
5	Gerald McCoy	TB	19	17	18	13	7	74
6	Malcom Brown	NE	19	16	18	13	7	73
7	Nick Fairley	NO	18	17	19	12	7	73
8	Leonard Williams	NYJ	18	16	19	13	7	73
9	Bennie Logan	PHI	16	17	20	13	7	73
10	Damon Harrison	NYG	17	17	19	12	7	72
11	Brandon Williams	BAL	17	13	21	13	7	71
12	Michael Pierce	BAL	16	15	20	13	7	71
13	Linval Joseph	MIN	17	16	19	12	7	71
14	Kawann Short	CAR	18	16	17	12	7	70
15	Danny Shelton	CLE	16	16	19	12	7	70
16	Malik Jackson	JAX	18	17	17	11	7	70
17	Jordan Phillips	MIA	16	17	18	12	7	70
18	Eddie Goldman	CHI	16	16	18	12	7	69
19	Johnathan Hankins	NYG	18	16	17	11	7	69
20	Sheldon Rankins	NO	16	16	17	12	7	68
21	Jarran Reed	SEA	16	15	17	13	7	68
22	Corey Peters	ARI	16	14	18	12	7	67
23	Star Lotulelei	CAR	16	15	17	12	7	67
24	Dontari Poe	KC	15	16	17	12	7	67
25	Michael Brockers	LA	15	16	17	12	7	67
26	Earl Mitchell	MIA	15	16	17	12	7	67
27	Brandon Mebane	SD	17	12	19	12	7	67
28	Grady Jarrett	ATL	17	17	14	11	7	66
29	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	15	15	12	7	66
30	D.J. Reader	HOU	14	15	17	12	7	65
31	Cam Thomas	LA	16	15	16	11	7	65
32	Tyeler Davison	NO	16	13	18	11	7	65
33	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	16	15	17	10	7	65
34	Clinton McDonald	TB	16	15	16	11	7	65
35	Cullen Jenkins	WAS	16	13	17	12	7	65
36	Stephen Paea	CLE	17	13	16	11	7	64
37	Terrell McClain	DAL	16	16	15	10	7	64
38	Dominique Easley	LA	17	14	15	11	7	64
39	Domata Peko	CIN	15	13	17	11	7	63
40	Cedric Thornton	DAL	15	14	16	11	7	63
41	Alan Branch	NE	16	13	15	12	7	63
42	Steve McLendon	NYJ	14	13	17	12	7	63
43	Tom Johnson	MIN	15	14	15	11	7	62
44	Jay Bromley	NYG	15	14	16	10	7	62
45	Glenn Dorsey	SF	15	13	16	11	7	62
46	David Onyemata	NO	14	12	18	11	7	62
47	Rodney Gunter	ARI	14	12	17	11	7	61
48	Vernon Butler	CAR	14	13	16	11	7	61
49	Tyson Alualu	JAX	15	14	14	11	7	61
50	Deon Simon	NYJ	13	15	16	10	7	61
51	Beau Allen	PHI	14	13	16	11	7	61
52	Tony McDaniel	SEA	14	13	15	12	7	61
53	Akeem Spence	TB	14	12	17	11	7	61
54	Darius Kilgo	DEN	15	13	14	11	7	60
55	Kenny Clark	GB	14	13	15	11	7	60
56	Rakeem Nunez-Roches	KC	14	13	15	11	7	60
57	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	14	13	14	11	7	59
58	Paul Soliai	CAR	13	12	15	11	7	58
59	Pat Sims	CIN	13	12	15	11	7	58
60	Sylvester Williams	DEN	15	12	13	11	7	58
61	Adam Gotsis	DEN	14	13	14	10	7	58
62	Vincent Valentine	NE	16	12	12	11	7	58
63	Will Sutton	CHI	14	13	13	10	7	57
64	Leon Orr	MIA	13	14	13	10	7	57
65	Shamar Stephen	MIN	14	12	14	10	7	57
66	Abry Jones	JAX	14	12	13	10	7	56
67	Tyson Jackson	ATL	14	11	12	11	7	55
68	Letroy Guion	GB	12	11	14	10	7	54
69	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	13	12	11	10	7	53
70	Sealver Siliga	SEA	12	11	13	10	7	53
71	Courtney Upshaw	ATL	12	12	11	10	7	52
72	Javon Hargrave	PIT	12	12	11	10	7	52
73	Ra'Shede Hageman	ATL	13	11	10	10	7	51
74	Damion Square	SD	10	11	12	10	7	50
75	Austin Johnson	TEN	12	9	12	10	7	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kyle Williams—bye
• Marcell Dareus—bye
• Haloti Ngata—bye
• David Parry—bye
• Zach Kerr—bye
• Dan Williams—bye
• Stacy McGee—bye
• Kyle Love—inactive
• Sharrif Floyd—inactive
• Al Woods—inactive
• Vince Wilfork—injury
• Sheldon Day—insufficient snaps

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

What a week it was for 3-4 outside linebackers. The position had a season-high 22 players grade out at 70 or above, including 12 at 75 or higher.

Leading the group in Week 10 was Preston Smith, who had two huge sacks and an interception to help seal the Redskins' win over the Vikings. Terrell Suggs kicked off the week with a dominant showing against the Browns on Thursday night, while the Bears' trio of Leonard Floyd, Willie Young and Pernell McPhee all finished inside the top five after a disruptive overall performance in Tampa Bay.

Other standouts included Melvin Ingram, who continues to impact as many plays on a game-to-game basis as any 3-4 outside linebacker; and Ahmad Brooks, a veteran on the edge who earned the top run defense grade for Week 10. 

The lowest-graded 3-4 outside linebacker was Julius Peppers, who might be running out of gas at the age of 36. He did next to nothing over 19 snaps during the Packers' blowout loss to the Titans.

Floyd, who now has 4.5 sacks over his last three games, was far and away the best rookie at the position in Week 10. The ninth overall pick is starting to turn it on as a pass-rusher.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Preston Smith	WAS	25	15	14	20	8	82
2	Terrell Suggs	BAL	28	14	10	21	8	81
3	Leonard Floyd	CHI	27	14	12	19	8	80
4	Willie Young	CHI	25	16	10	20	8	79
5	Pernell McPhee	CHI	26	15	9	20	8	78
6	Melvin Ingram	SD	27	15	10	17	8	77
7	Ahmad Brooks	SF	20	18	10	21	8	77
8	Jamie Collins	CLE	20	16	11	22	8	77
9	James Harrison	PIT	24	17	9	18	8	76
10	Ryan Kerrigan	WAS	24	15	10	19	8	76
11	Nick Perry	GB	22	17	9	20	8	76
12	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	20	18	9	20	8	75
13	Trent Murphy	WAS	24	14	10	18	8	74
14	John Simon	HOU	23	13	11	19	8	74
15	Von Miller	DEN	24	14	8	19	8	73
16	Markus Golden	ARI	24	12	9	20	8	73
17	Dee Ford	KC	24	13	9	19	8	73
18	Albert McClellan	BAL	19	16	10	20	8	73
19	Za'Darius Smith	BAL	23	14	9	18	8	72
20	Brian Orakpo	TEN	24	13	10	16	8	71
21	Chandler Jones	ARI	24	13	9	17	8	71
22	Jarvis Jones	PIT	18	15	10	19	8	70
23	Derrick Morgan	TEN	21	14	9	17	8	69
24	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	21	12	10	18	8	69
25	Anthony Chickillo	PIT	22	13	9	17	8	69
26	Jayrone Elliott	GB	20	14	9	18	8	69
27	Cam Johnson	CLE	18	15	9	18	8	68
28	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	22	11	9	18	8	68
29	DeMarcus Ware	DEN	20	13	9	17	8	67
30	Tank Carradine	SF	18	13	10	18	8	67
31	Eli Harold	SF	22	12	9	16	8	67
32	Tourek Williams	SD	18	15	9	16	8	66
33	Shane Ray	DEN	20	12	9	17	8	66
34	Matt Judon	BAL	21	12	9	15	8	65
35	Tamba Hali	KC	20	12	9	16	8	65
36	Frank Zombo	KC	18	12	10	17	8	65
37	Kyler Fackrell	GB	19	11	9	17	8	64
38	Sam Acho	CHI	18	12	9	16	8	63
39	Alex Okafor	ARI	19	11	9	16	8	63
40	Chris Landrum	SD	17	14	9	15	8	63
41	Datone Jones	GB	21	10	9	15	8	63
42	Arthur Moats	PIT	18	11	10	15	8	62
43	Kevin Dodd	TEN	17	12	9	15	8	61
44	Julius Peppers	GB	17	11	9	15	8	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Elvis Dumervil—injury
• Clay Matthews—injury
• Aaron Lynch—injury
• Jerry Hughes—bye
• Lorenzo Alexander—bye
• Lerentee McCray—bye
• Shaq Lawson—bye
• Erik Walden—bye
• Robert Mathis—bye
• Akeem Ayers—bye
• Curt Maggitt—bye
• Lavar Edwards—bye
• Justin Houston—inactive
• Aaron Wallace—inactive
• Joe Schobert—insufficient snaps
• Jeremiah Attaochu—insufficient snaps
• David Bass—insufficient snaps

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Week 10 was not the most exciting one for linebacker play. It was not a bad display of linebacking ability, per se, but there was not a performance that jumped off the screen.

Rather than anyone making a huge statement with his play, many of the league's consistently good linebackers put up performances that were on par with how they have been throughout this season.

Sean Lee of the Cowboys, Thomas Davis of the Panthers, Nigel Bradham of the Eagles and Telvin Smith of the Jaguars all found themselves in this week's top five, as many of them do each week. They didn't do anything special, but they made plays in all phases of the game and did their best to keep their defense sturdy. 

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was above all of those normally great players. As a run defender and blitzer, he was effective and violent. His most important role for the Bengals defense is to be the tone-setter and force the offense to respect his prowess, and he did both of those things well as a run defender and blitzer.

Where Burfict rose above, though, was in coverage. Despite not coming away with an interception, Burfict disrupted a handful of Eli Manning's passes, often doing so with destructive hits at the catch point that challenged the receiver's ability to hold on to the ball.

Dolphins linebacker Jelani Jenkins posted one of the most shocking performances of the season. When Jenkins was healthy earlier in the year, he never looked better than average, but he stepped up this week in his second game back from injury. With a club cast wrapped around one of his hands, Jenkins played surprisingly well on a play-to-play basis and made a couple of plays in coverage.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Vontaze Burfict	CIN	23	20	9	21	6	79
2	Sean Lee	DAL	19	22	9	20	6	76
3	Thomas Davis	CAR	20	20	8	21	6	75
4	Nigel Bradham	PHI	20	19	8	21	6	74
5	Telvin Smith	JAX	18	20	8	21	6	73
6	Jelani Jenkins	MIA	19	18	10	20	6	73
7	Jonathan Casillas	NYG	18	20	7	20	6	71
8	Dannell Ellerbe	NO	15	18	11	20	6	70
9	Craig Robertson	NO	15	18	11	19	6	69
10	Lavonte David	TB	18	18	8	19	6	69
11	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	17	18	9	18	6	68
12	Devon Kennard	NYG	17	17	10	18	6	68
13	Rob Ninkovich	NE	15	16	12	19	6	68
14	Keenan Robinson	NYG	17	16	9	20	6	68
15	Darron Lee	NYJ	18	16	10	18	6	68
16	Chad Greenway	MIN	15	18	9	19	6	67
17	Anthony Barr	MIN	14	18	8	20	6	66
18	Myles Jack	JAX	16	16	9	18	6	65
19	Neville Hewitt	MIA	16	18	7	18	6	65
20	Daryl Smith	TB	16	17	9	17	6	65
21	Mark Barron	LA	17	15	9	17	6	64
22	Mychal Kendricks	PHI	14	16	9	19	6	64
23	Donald Butler	MIA	16	18	7	17	6	64
24	Philip Wheeler	ATL	15	16	8	18	6	63
25	Dan Skuta	JAX	16	17	7	17	6	63
26	K.J. Wright	SEA	13	17	7	20	6	63
27	Justin Durant	DAL	16	15	9	16	6	62
28	Damien Wilson	DAL	15	17	7	17	6	62
29	Mike Catapano	NYJ	15	16	9	16	6	62
30	Brock Coyle	SEA	15	16	7	18	6	62
31	Vincent Rey	CIN	13	16	7	19	6	61
32	Paul Worrilow	ATL	16	15	7	16	6	60
33	A.J. Klein	CAR	15	16	7	16	6	60
34	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	15	16	7	16	6	60
35	Karlos Dansby	CIN	13	16	7	17	6	59
36	Josh Forrest	LA	15	14	7	15	6	57
37	Shea McClellin	NE	14	14	8	15	6	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Bruce Irvin—bye
• Malcolm Smith—bye
• Jaylon Smith—injury
• DeAndre Levy—bye
• Antwione Williams—bye

Inside Linebackers

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Chargers have had rough luck at inside linebacker this season, and yet they continue to find ways to be effective. The Chargers began the season with Denzel Perryman and Manti Te’o as the starters inside. After an injury to Te’o, rookie Jatavis Brown stepped in and looked like the defensive steal of the draft. He was performing at an impressive level despite having size and technical worries coming out of college. 

Both Perryman and Brown have battled injuries the past few weeks, leaving the Chargers to look even deeper down the depth chart for starters. Korey Toomer has filled in as a spot-starter, now carrying the load as the signal-caller for the defense, and he played remarkably well Sunday in a loss to the Dolphins. Toomer was active in coverage but even more impressive in the run game, limiting a red-hot Jay Ajayi from another 200-yard performance.

While the Chargers have issues in the defensive backfield, the linebacker corps has played well despite the revolving door that seems to swap starters every other week. Toomer earned the top inside linebacker grade this week and was the only linebacker to post a grade above 80, earning above-average grades in every category.

Luke Kuechly barely hangs in the top 10 after routinely dominating the rankings. Kuechly’s play has created an expectation that is hard to sustain, but he’s doing well to keep his spot as the top inside linebacker in the league. Eric Kendricks, who looked to be his closest rival early in the season, left the game early Sunday, and his injury will be worth watching moving forward.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Korey Toomer	SD	21	31	11	12	6	81
2	Danny Trevathan	CHI	20	30	10	12	6	78
3	Su'a Cravens	WAS	21	29	11	11	6	78
4	Jordan Hicks	PHI	21	29	10	11	6	77
5	Gerald Hodges	SF	20	31	9	11	6	77
6	C.J. Mosley	BAL	19	30	9	12	6	76
7	Jerrell Freeman	CHI	19	29	11	11	6	76
8	Ramik Wilson	KC	20	28	10	11	6	75
9	Luke Kuechly	CAR	20	27	10	12	6	75
10	Bobby Wagner	SEA	19	28	10	11	6	74
11	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	20	28	9	11	6	74
12	Brandon Marshall	DEN	17	29	9	12	6	73
13	Derrick Johnson	KC	17	29	10	11	6	73
14	Sean Spence	TEN	20	28	9	10	6	73
15	Will Compton	WAS	18	30	9	10	6	73
16	Alec Ogletree	LA	20	27	9	10	6	72
17	Zach Orr	BAL	17	28	10	11	6	72
18	Kevin Minter	ARI	19	28	9	10	6	72
19	Kiko Alonso	MIA	21	27	9	8	6	71
20	Deone Bucannon	ARI	21	25	8	11	6	71
21	David Harris	NYJ	15	27	11	12	6	71
22	Brian Cushing	HOU	16	29	9	10	6	70
23	Demario Davis	CLE	16	26	12	10	6	70
24	Dont'a Hightower	NE	15	27	11	11	6	70
25	Mason Foster	WAS	17	28	8	11	6	70
26	Chris Kirksey	CLE	19	28	8	9	6	70
27	Kelvin Sheppard	NYG	17	28	10	9	6	70
28	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	17	26	8	12	6	69
29	Eric Kendricks	MIN	19	26	8	10	6	69
30	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	16	26	11	10	6	69
31	Blake Martinez	GB	17	24	10	11	6	68
32	Julian Stanford	NYJ	17	27	8	10	6	68
33	Avery Williamson	TEN	17	25	10	10	6	68
34	Ryan Shazier	PIT	16	23	11	11	6	67
35	LaRoy Reynolds	ATL	17	25	8	11	6	67
36	Kwon Alexander	TB	17	25	8	10	6	66
37	Todd Davis	DEN	15	26	9	10	6	66
38	Corey Nelson	DEN	17	23	9	11	6	66
39	Nate Stupar	NO	16	24	9	10	6	65
40	Kyle Emanuel	SD	14	25	9	9	6	63
41	Lawrence Timmons	PIT	15	20	10	11	6	62
42	Deion Jones	ATL	16	20	9	11	6	62
43	Paul Posluszny	JAX	15	23	9	9	6	62
44	Audie Cole	MIN	15	22	8	9	6	60
45	Nick Bellore	SF	12	22	9	10	6	59
46	Elandon Roberts	NE	14	20	9	9	6	58
47	Joe Thomas	GB	15	18	8	10	6	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Preston Brown—bye
• Zach Brown—bye
• Tahir Whitehead—bye
• Antonio Morrison—bye
• D'Qwell Jackson—bye
• Josh McNary—bye
• Edwin Jackson—bye
• Perry Riley—bye
• Cory James—bye
• Denzel Perryman—injury
• Jatavis Brown—injury
• Nick Kwiatkoski—insufficient snaps
• Rey Maualuga—DNP
• Jake Ryan—insufficient snaps
• Stephen Tulloch—insufficient snaps
• Joshua Perry—insufficient snaps
• Michael Wilhoite—insufficient snaps

Cornerbacks

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

By grading on a weekly basis, there's always room for unlikely heroes. Several young cornerbacks were just that this past week. The usual stars are still littered throughout our highest grades, but the unheralded performers earned their shine as well. 

The best cornerback in Week 10 was a Kansas City defender, but not the usual one near the top. Steven Nelson was even better than superstar Marcus Peters, proving to be a lockdown force against the Panthers despite being at a height disadvantage. The Chiefs have been desperate for a quality second corner this year, and Nelson filled the role admirably. Nelson didn't have any blown coverages. He also broke up a pass, had a tackle for loss, another stop against the run and was mostly running routes for receivers. He earned the top spot this week.

Dallas Cowboys cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Anthony Brown had solid performances as well, and Brown’s was especially eye-opening against the Steelers. Brown allowed just two completions on five targets, and though he was penalized once, his dominance in press was a major difference-maker for the Cowboys defense. He’s helping fill Morris Claiborne’s massive shoes at a critical time in the season.

On the flip side of the positive notes, the New Orleans Saints' duo of Delvin Breaux and Sterling Moore had miserable performances against the Denver Broncos. Breaux’s return from a broken leg has not gone well so far. He gave up eight completions on nine targets in man coverage, including two touchdowns, five first downs and was charged with four blown coverages. Moore wasn’t much better, though he did intercept a pass he read while in zone. The Saints need better play from Breaux, especially to make a playoff run.

Times have changed. We live in a day and age where teams are attacking Darrelle Revis and not his cornerback teammates. The Rams went after Revis on their first four passes. On the day, Revis surrendered five catches on eight targets. Four of those catches went for first downs, three of those were blown coverages and one of them was a deep ball that went for 46 yards. He also had an illegal hands to the face penalty, which was declined. A rough outing for the star corner.

The Ravens' trio of corners did a fine job of locking down the Browns receivers. The biggest name of the bunch, Jimmy Smith, allowed the longest completion, which went for 18 yards. The other four catches he allowed went for a combined 30 yards. Jerraud Powers had an interception and broke up the lone pass that was targeted at him. Tavon Young had his second strong week in a row. He got his hands on a pass, and the four passes completed toward him went for 10 yards. Baltimore’s corners benefited from a healthy pass rush, but they did a great job of tackling and being in position all night.

If you were going to describe what Peters is in a nutshell, you would point no further than his game against the Panthers. Peters was his usual aggressive self, jumping routes to break up three passes while dropping one interception. He tried to jump one route and missed, which led to a big 26-yard gain. He gave up a 38-yard touchdown and was beaten four other times in coverage, three of which went for first downs.

However, when the Chiefs needed a play, Peters ripped the ball out of the receiver's hands and sealed the victory. The roller-coaster ride of Peters had its highs and lows Sunday, but his peak is why he continues to be a top corner in this league.

In one of the bigger games of the season, Logan Ryan did not have his best night. He gave up six catches for 101 yards. He was beaten six times in coverage, allowing two first downs, missing a big tackle that led to a 20-plus-yard play and eventually giving up the game-winning TD.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Steven Nelson	KC	24	24	17	7	9	81
2	Trumaine Johnson	LA	24	24	17	5	9	79
3	Marcus Peters	KC	23	24	15	6	9	77
4	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	22	24	16	5	9	76
5	Kareem Jackson	HOU	22	24	16	5	9	76
6	Richard Sherman	SEA	22	22	18	5	9	76
7	Brent Grimes	TB	22	23	18	4	9	76
8	Josh Norman	WAS	21	20	18	6	9	74
9	Tavon Young	BAL	22	21	16	5	9	73
10	Patrick Peterson	ARI	20	22	17	5	9	73
11	Byron Maxwell	MIA	21	20	16	6	9	72
12	Casey Hayward	SD	20	21	16	6	9	72
13	Jimmy Smith	BAL	22	19	16	5	9	71
14	Jerraud Powers	BAL	20	21	16	5	9	71
15	Darryl Roberts	NYJ	21	21	15	5	9	71
16	Brandon Carr	DAL	19	18	18	6	9	70
17	Anthony Brown	DAL	20	18	18	5	9	70
18	Janoris Jenkins	NYG	19	20	17	5	9	70
19	Buster Skrine	NYJ	19	21	16	5	9	70
20	Ross Cockrell	PIT	20	20	16	5	9	70
21	Charles James	HOU	19	19	16	5	9	68
22	DeShawn Shead	SEA	18	18	17	6	9	68
23	Antwon Blake	TEN	18	19	16	6	9	68
24	Dre Kirkpatrick	CIN	18	19	15	6	9	67
25	Xavier Rhodes	MIN	18	18	16	6	9	67
26	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	NYG	17	17	18	6	9	67
27	Joe Haden	CLE	18	18	16	5	9	66
28	Bashaud Breeland	WAS	17	18	16	6	9	66
29	Robert Alford	ATL	17	16	17	6	9	65
30	Aaron Colvin	JAX	17	18	16	5	9	65
31	Jalen Mills	PHI	16	18	16	6	9	65
32	Justin Bethel	ARI	16	17	16	6	9	64
33	Brian Poole	ATL	16	17	16	6	9	64
34	Kenneth Acker	KC	17	18	15	5	9	64
35	Artie Burns	PIT	17	18	15	5	9	64
36	Jimmie Ward	SF	17	16	17	5	9	64
37	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	17	17	15	5	9	63
38	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	16	15	17	6	9	63
39	Tony Lippett	MIA	18	16	14	5	9	62
40	Trae Waynes	MIN	16	17	15	5	9	62
41	Eli Apple	NYG	16	15	16	6	9	62
42	Trevor Williams	SD	16	17	15	5	9	62
43	Josh Shaw	CIN	16	16	15	5	9	61
44	Darqueze Dennard	CIN	16	15	16	5	9	61
45	LaDarius Gunter	GB	16	16	15	5	9	61
46	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	16	16	15	5	9	61
47	Phillip Gaines	KC	17	16	14	5	9	61
48	Lamarcus Joyner	LA	16	14	17	5	9	61
49	Jeremy Lane	SEA	15	14	16	6	9	60
50	James Bradberry	CAR	15	16	14	5	9	59
51	Tracy Porter	CHI	14	15	15	6	9	59
52	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	15	15	15	5	9	59
53	Kayvon Webster	DEN	15	15	15	5	9	59
54	Tramaine Brock	SF	16	14	15	5	9	59
55	Perrish Cox	TEN	14	16	15	5	9	59
56	Marcus Cooper	ARI	15	14	15	5	9	58
57	Tramon Williams	CLE	15	14	15	5	9	58
58	Bradley Roby	DEN	14	15	15	5	9	58
59	Nolan Carroll	PHI	15	14	15	5	9	58
60	William Gay	PIT	15	14	15	5	9	58
61	Robert McClain	CAR	14	14	15	5	9	57
62	Adam Jones	CIN	15	14	15	4	9	57
63	Prince Amukamara	JAX	14	14	15	5	9	57
64	Malcolm Butler	NE	13	14	15	6	9	57
65	Justin Coleman	NE	14	13	15	6	9	57
66	Jason McCourty	TEN	14	14	15	5	9	57
67	Cre'Von LeBlanc	CHI	13	15	14	5	9	56
68	Trevin Wade	NYG	14	14	15	4	9	56
69	Leodis McKelvin	PHI	14	15	13	5	9	56
70	Brandon Flowers	SD	14	13	14	6	9	56
71	Jalen Collins	ATL	13	14	14	5	9	55
72	Daryl Worley	CAR	13	13	15	5	9	55
73	Quinten Rollins	GB	14	13	14	5	9	55
74	E.J. Gaines	LA	14	13	14	5	9	55
75	Troy Hill	LA	12	14	15	5	9	55
76	Terence Newman	MIN	14	13	14	5	9	55
77	Sterling Moore	NO	14	13	14	5	9	55
78	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	13	15	13	5	9	55
79	Micah Hyde	GB	13	13	14	5	9	54
80	Bobby McCain	MIA	13	14	14	4	9	54
81	Delvin Breaux	NO	13	14	13	5	9	54
82	B.W. Webb	NO	13	13	14	5	9	54
83	Coty Sensabaugh	NYG	13	13	14	5	9	54
84	Keith Reaser	SF	12	13	15	5	9	54
85	Jude Adjei-Barimah	TB	13	13	14	5	9	54
86	Kendall Fuller	WAS	13	14	13	5	9	54
87	Orlando Scandrick	DAL	12	14	13	5	9	53
88	Brice McCain	TEN	13	14	13	4	9	53
89	Mackensie Alexander	MIN	12	12	14	5	9	52
90	Craig Mager	SD	12	12	13	5	9	51
91	Logan Ryan	NE	11	13	13	4	9	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Alterraun Verner—insufficient snaps
• Leon Hall—injury
• Desmond Trufant—injury
• Morris Claiborne—injury
• Damarious Randall—injury
• Sam Shields—injury
• PJ Williams—injury
• Darius Slay—bye
• Sean Smith—bye
• David Amerson—bye
• Patrick Robinson—bye
• Darius Butler—bye
• Vontae Davis—bye
• Stephon Gilmore—bye
• Ronald Darby—bye
• Nickell Robey-Coleman—bye

Free Safeties

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The quality of Darian Stewart's performance was obvious for all to see from just the box score. Stewart had two interceptions and recovered a fumble. His first interception was his best play of the day. 

He started the play in the middle of the field, reading Saints quarterback Drew Brees as he dropped back. Stewart quickly diagnosed the play and broke to the sideline. The read and range were fantastic as Stewart jumped the go route down the sideline and secured the interception.

His second interception was slightly more fortunate, but he put himself in a good position. He broke down on a slant route from the outside well, but the ball was deflected up and happened to fall straight into his hands. He still deserves credit for reading the route and being in a good position, but he was lucky the ball fell his way.

His fumble recovery was also somewhat fortunate. He came down from his deep safety position to assist a tackle on Saints rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas, but the ball came loose and popped out straight to him. Like before, he took advantage by recovering the fumble and securing his third turnover of the day.

Second-year safety Byron Jones had another strong outing for the Cowboys, continuing his development in a positive trend. In the first quarter alone, Jones made two strong plays to keep points off the board.

On a two-point conversion attempt, Jones was isolated one-on-one against a tight end on a fade. Jones stuck close to the tight end and did a great job contesting the catch point to ensure the ball fell incomplete. Later on, he came free off the edge and made a good tackle on Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell short of the goal line to save a touchdown.

Jones has given the Cowboys someone they can match up against athletic receiving tight ends. He's played well against quality tight ends like Jordan Reed so far this season. But if there is one criticism I have of Jones, it's that he gets a little too physical past the permitted five yards from the line of scrimmage.

He's gotten away with a few grabs and holds this year, and he was fortunate again this week. On a third-down play, Jones matched up against Antonio Brown in the slot. He stuck tight to him but interrupted the route with what looked to me like too much contact. It wasn't called, and the Cowboys defense managed to get off the field, but it's something I'd like to see Jones improve on.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Darian Stewart	DEN	27	26	6	16	8	83
2	Byron Jones	DAL	25	25	6	15	8	79
3	Ibraheim Campbell	CLE	24	24	6	16	8	78
4	Devin McCourty	NE	24	24	6	16	8	78
5	Earl Thomas	SEA	23	25	6	15	8	77
6	D.J. Swearinger	ARI	23	23	6	16	8	76
7	Ricardo Allen	ATL	24	23	6	15	8	76
8	Lardarius Webb	BAL	23	22	6	16	8	75
9	Harrison Smith	MIN	23	23	6	15	8	75
10	Kevin Byard	TEN	24	22	6	15	8	75
11	Rodney McLeod	PHI	22	24	5	15	8	74
12	Rashad Johnson	TEN	23	21	6	16	8	74
13	Will Blackmon	WAS	22	22	6	16	8	74
14	Tre Boston	CAR	22	23	5	15	8	73
15	George Iloka	CIN	22	22	6	15	8	73
16	Vonn Bell	NO	22	21	6	16	8	73
17	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	22	22	5	16	8	73
18	Eric Reid	SF	20	23	6	16	8	73
19	Bradley McDougald	TB	21	21	6	16	8	72
20	Andre Hal	HOU	19	24	5	15	8	71
21	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	22	22	4	15	8	71
22	Andrew Adams	NYG	21	21	5	16	8	71
23	Maurice Alexander	LA	21	21	5	15	8	70
24	Michael Thomas	MIA	20	21	6	15	8	70
25	Duron Harmon	NE	21	20	5	16	8	70
26	Jeff Heath	DAL	21	20	5	15	8	69
27	Kentrell Brice	GB	22	21	4	14	8	69
28	Isa Abdul-Quddus	MIA	18	22	6	15	8	69
29	Nat Berhe	NYG	20	20	6	15	8	69
30	Michael Griffin	CAR	19	20	6	15	8	68
31	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	GB	20	20	5	15	8	68
32	Ron Parker	KC	19	20	5	15	8	67
33	Adrian Amos	CHI	18	19	6	15	8	66
34	Mike Mitchell	PIT	19	20	5	14	8	66
35	Jairus Byrd	NO	18	19	5	15	8	65
36	Dwight Lowery	SD	17	18	6	16	8	65

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Corey Graham—bye
• Glover Quin—bye
• T.J. Green—bye
• Clayton Geathers—bye
• Reggie Nelson—bye
• Dexter McCoil—insufficient snaps
• Justin Simmons—insufficient snaps

Strong Safeties

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

It's amazing the difference Kam Chancellor makes for the Seahawks defense. His presence alone gives it a much higher intimidation factor. Chancellor came back at just the right time for the Seahawks too. Few defenders can match up athletically with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, but Chancellor can. 

Chancellor's typical role is more in-the-box style, adding an extra defender against the run who can drop into underneath zone coverages. He did that at times against the Patriots, but he spent a lot of the time matched up against Gronkowski in man coverage.

He lost some battles, as would be expected against Gronkowski. He gave up a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone when trying to defend Gronkowski on a fade route. He also gave up a slant route, though he did nearly force a fumble on that play.

But Chancellor also won a few of the battles. He broke up a pass on a seam route from Gronkowski, showing him wide initially before flipping his hips quickly as Gronkowski cut back inside. Chancellor undercut the throw and broke up the pass. He also did well on the Patriots' 4th-and-goal attempt at the end of the game. New England went back to Gronkowski on the fade, but Chancellor stayed patient, waiting for the tight end to initiate contact before engaging with him. Gronkowski couldn't release in time to make a play on the ball, and the Seahawks went on to win the game.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins displayed an outstanding awareness this week. He did a fantastic job protecting the first-down marker, particularly on third downs. On four separate occasions, he made tackles short of the first down to get his defense off the field. He was content with giving up catches to stay on top of the route and make tackles instantly.

On one 3rd-and-long, Jenkins split out wide against Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who ran a comeback route. Jenkins was fine with allowing Sanu to cut back short of the first-down marker and make the catch, knowing he could break down and make the tackle just after the ball arrived.

Later on, he face Sanu in the slot on 3rd-and-long again. Sanu ran a slant inside, but Jenkins stayed close. Jenkins did a good job contesting the catch, but made sure to secure the tackle as soon as the catch was made to save the first down. Jenkins also made two tackles on checkdown passes to Julio Jones, both on third down. He protected the first-down marker each time. 

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Eric Berry	KC	21	21	16	16	6	80
2	Malcolm Jenkins	PHI	22	21	15	16	6	80
3	Kam Chancellor	SEA	21	21	16	16	6	80
4	Antoine Bethea	SF	21	19	16	17	6	79
5	Eric Weddle	BAL	21	20	15	15	6	77
6	Landon Collins	NYG	21	20	15	15	6	77
7	Sean Davis	PIT	20	20	15	16	6	77
8	Keanu Neal	ATL	19	19	15	16	6	75
9	Shawn Williams	CIN	20	19	15	15	6	75
10	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	19	18	16	16	6	75
11	Da'Norris Searcy	TEN	19	18	15	16	6	74
12	Donte Whitner	WAS	20	18	15	15	6	74
13	Tony Jefferson	ARI	16	19	16	16	6	73
14	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	18	18	15	16	6	73
15	Duke Ihenacho	WAS	18	18	16	15	6	73
16	Quintin Demps	HOU	17	19	15	15	6	72
17	Adrian Phillips	SD	18	18	15	15	6	72
18	Jaquiski Tartt	SF	17	18	15	16	6	72
19	Kurt Coleman	CAR	17	18	15	15	6	71
20	T.J. Ward	DEN	16	18	15	16	6	71
21	Will Parks	DEN	17	17	15	16	6	71
22	T.J. McDonald	LA	17	19	14	15	6	71
23	Andrew Sendejo	MIN	18	18	15	14	6	71
24	Patrick Chung	NE	17	17	15	16	6	71
25	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	17	18	15	15	6	71
26	Jaylen Watkins	PHI	17	17	15	16	6	71
27	Chris Conte	TB	19	19	14	13	6	71
28	Daimion Stafford	TEN	18	18	14	15	6	71
29	Ed Reynolds	CLE	18	16	15	15	6	70
30	Morgan Burnett	GB	16	17	15	16	6	70
31	Bacarri Rambo	MIA	16	18	15	15	6	70
32	Demontre Hurst	CHI	16	17	15	15	6	69
33	Derrick Kindred	CLE	17	17	14	15	6	69
34	John Cyprien	JAX	17	17	14	15	6	69
35	Daniel Sorensen	KC	16	16	15	16	6	69
36	Robert Golden	PIT	17	16	14	15	6	68
37	Eddie Pleasant	HOU	15	17	14	15	6	67
38	Harold Jones-Quartey	CHI	14	15	14	15	6	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Aaron Williams—bye
• Rafael Bush—bye
• Tavon Wilson—bye
• Mike Adams—bye
• Karl Joseph—bye
• Barry Church—injured
• Jahleel Addae—injured

Kickers

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Dustin Hopkins had a big week, going 4-of-4 on field goals, including a 50-yarder, and also tossing in two extra points for good measure. Hopkins had struggled somewhat in recent weeks, with his leg strength appearing questionable on two long attempts, but this was a bounce-back performance in his second year as the Redskins starter.

Our second-rated kicker this week, Dan Bailey, is the best in the game right now, and it was another perfect week for him. Bailey continues to make every kick look easy, including a 53-yarder that he seemingly could have hit with his eyes closed. Following Bailey are Ryan Succop of the Titans, Jason Myers of the Jaguars and Steven Hauschka of the Seahawks. All three turned in strong performances in a great week for kickers, with 18 of 28 players in action this week posting a score of 68 or higher.

However, there was a significant drop-off after those 18 players, "led" by Caleb Sturgis, who was short on a 55-yard attempt and also yanked a 44-yarder wide right. Sturgis is still in the midst of his best year as a pro, but his track record from his first three years indicates there may continue to be some regression in the second half of the year, and his accuracy is something to monitor going forward.

Nick Folk and Matt Bryant likely have nothing to worry about after down weeks. Their long-term track records indicate they should rebound in short order. Meanwhile, Blair Walsh has attempted his last kick in Minnesota, as the Vikings moved on from him after another tough week featuring his fourth missed extra point of the season.

Walsh may find himself with another job somewhere else next year, but it remains to be seen how many teams will be interested following his high-profile miss in the playoffs and struggles since then. Walsh took the league by storm in 2012, making 92.1 percent of his kicks and going a perfect 10-of-10 on 50-plus-yard field goals. But things change quickly in the kicking game, and he now finds himself on the outside, looking for a new home.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	33	38	3	3	77
2	Dan Bailey	DAL	33	37	3	3	76
3	Ryan Succop	TEN	33	36	3	3	75
4	Jason Myers	JAX	34	34	3	3	74
5	Steven Hauschka	SEA	31	37	3	3	74
6	Phil Dawson	SF	32	35	3	3	73
7	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	31	34	3	3	71
8	Justin Tucker	BAL	32	33	3	3	71
9	Roberto Aguayo	TB	31	34	3	3	71
10	Connor Barth	CHI	33	31	3	3	70
11	Graham Gano	CAR	32	31	3	3	69
12	Cairo Santos	KC	30	33	3	3	69
13	Greg Zuerlein	LA	31	32	3	3	69
14	Josh Lambo	SD	31	32	3	3	69
15	Mike Nugent	CIN	31	32	3	3	69
16	Brandon McManus	DEN	33	29	3	3	68
17	Andrew Franks	MIA	30	32	3	3	68
18	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	31	31	3	3	68
19	Wil Lutz	NO	31	30	3	3	67
20	Robbie Gould	NYG	30	29	3	3	65
21	Cody Parkey	CLE	30	27	3	3	63
22	Chris Boswell	PIT	30	24	3	3	60
23	Mason Crosby	GB	30	22	3	3	58
24	Nick Novak	HOU	30	20	3	3	56
25	Blair Walsh	MIN	31	19	3	3	56
26	Matt Bryant	ATL	28	19	3	3	53
27	Nick Folk	NYJ	30	17	3	3	53
28	Caleb Sturgis	PHI	25	21	3	3	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Adam Vinatieri—bye
• Matt Prater—bye
• Sebastian Janikowski—bye
• Dan Carpenter—bye

Punters

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Johnny Hekker fills the top spot for punters this week with booming distance and strong accuracy working in his favor. Hekker has been one of the top punters in the league over the past several years, and this is the type of performance Rams fans have grown accustomed to over his tenure. Hekker is able to move the ball all over the field—he has no preference going right or left—which is a challenge for many punters. His ability to place the ball gives the Rams the ability to change their game plan depending on the return scheme they are facing. 

Also in the top five are Bradley Pinion, whose normally strong-legged approach was complemented by this week's best accuracy score, and Matt Darr, who posted the week's only perfect category rating due to his massive distance. Darr and Pinion are not players who typically have strong scores across the board, and this was apparent even with Darr this week, who posted slightly below-average hang time.

Rounding out the top five are Sam Koch, who was only slightly above average in ball placement compared to a typical performance, but posted outstanding distance and hang time, and Jacob Schum, who continues a strong run in recent weeks.

Also of note is Drew Kaser, as this was the strongest performance thus far from the rookie, who finally showed off his big leg and hang time, though his directional ability was still average. Kaser has struggled for much of the year, but this is the kind of performance that needs to be his baseline going forward. There is no reason he cannot be a Pro Bowler early in his career.

The bottom end of the rankings is somewhat skewed this week, as Graham Gano of the Panthers and Matt Bryant of the Falcons were forced in to duty due to injuries to starters on both teams. Neither performed particularly well, and Gano's two touchbacks likely played a role in the Carolina loss. These two are unlikely to see continued action.

For players who punt on a regular basis, Donnie Jones of the Eagles and Brad Nortman of the Jaguars ended up in the bottom two spots. Nortman is particularly frustrating to see here, as he has one of the biggest legs in the league but struggles with inconsistency in his contact point, making him unpredictable. This is also an out-of-character performance from Jones, who is usually in the middle of the pack and is likely to bounce back. Also surprising is Brett Kern of the Titans in 26th, as he struggled with his distance and hang time while putting up just average accuracy.

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 10

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Johnny Hekker	LA	19	15	39	3	3	79
2	Bradley Pinion	SF	15	17	40	3	3	78
3	Matt Darr	MIA	20	13	35	3	3	74
4	Sam Koch	BAL	18	16	32	3	3	72
5	Jacob Schum	GB	18	16	31	3	3	71
6	Drew Kaser	SD	19	16	30	3	3	71
7	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	14	18	32	3	3	70
8	Chris Jones	DAL	14	14	36	3	3	70
9	Brad Wing	NYG	17	15	31	3	3	69
10	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	15	15	32	3	3	68
11	Dustin Colquitt	KC	17	13	31	3	3	67
12	Britton Colquitt	CLE	8	15	37	3	3	66
13	Jon Ryan	SEA	18	17	25	3	3	66
14	Shane Lechler	HOU	15	11	33	3	3	65
15	Jeff Locke	MIN	10	17	32	3	3	65
16	Ryan Allen	NE	12	15	32	3	3	65
17	Kevin Huber	CIN	15	11	33	3	3	65
18	Thomas Morstead	NO	13	15	29	3	3	63
19	Jordan Berry	PIT	15	14	28	3	3	63
20	Bryan Anger	TB	12	17	26	3	3	61
21	Ryan Quigley	ARI	10	15	29	3	3	60
22	Matt Bosher	ATL	14	10	30	3	3	60
23	Andy Lee	CAR	10	10	32	3	3	58
24	Tress Way	WAS	11	13	27	3	3	57
25	Riley Dixon	DEN	13	10	27	3	3	56
26	Brett Kern	TEN	10	12	28	3	3	56
27	Graham Gano	CAR	10	14	24	4	3	55
28	Brad Nortman	JAX	9	12	28	3	3	55
29	Donnie Jones	PHI	9	9	30	3	3	54
30	Matt Bryant	ATL	5	10	31	3	3	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Marquette King—bye
• Sam Martin—bye
• Pat McAfee—bye
• Colton Schmidt—bye