NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1,000 Players from Week 12

We have some specialization at the top of this week’s NFL1000—three pass-rushers from the AFC West lead our player rankings for Week 12. And it’s hard to argue against any of them.

Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack has bounced back from a so-so start to the season to post some of the best performances of his career. Against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, he was a one-man demolition crew, becoming the first NFL player to record a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in the same game since Charles Woodson did it for the Green Bay Packers in 2009.

Mack seems to have no limits when he’s on his game, and he’s the only player in the league to excel at both linebacker and defensive end. No matter where you put him, he’s going to wreak havoc.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller, the second-ranked player on this week’s list, was equally impressive in his team's overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Miller racked up three sacks, one quarterback hit, six hurries, one batted pass, seven tackles and nine stops. Kansas City's offense is conservative by nature, but Miller forced head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith to defend against a one-man implosion. It was Miller’s best game since Super Bowl 50.

On the other defense in that matchup, Kansas City's Justin Houston—this week's No. 3-ranked player—was back on the field for his second game of 2016 after a yearlong recovery from ACL surgery. If there was any rust, he didn’t show it. He made life miserable for Denver right tackles Ty Sambrailo and Donald Stephenson. He bull-rushed, he bent the edge, and he harassed Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian ceaselessly.

Houston matched Miller’s three sacks and six quarterback hurries, and he had an amazing 10 stops on the night. With Houston, Tamba Hali (who ranked 23rd overall this week) and the ever-improving Dee Ford (tied for second-most sacks in the NFL), the Chiefs have one of the most dangerous pass-rushing combos in the NFL.

The AFC West is the most competitive division in the league this season; Week 12's top three players are big reasons why.

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.

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, Marcus Mosher, 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 12 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Methodology

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

The NFL1000 team of scouts received a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional reviews. 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/centers
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Marcus Mosher: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards
• Joe Goodberry: AFC defensive ends
• Justis Mosqueda: NFC defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

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 to consider.

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

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of guys like J.J. Watt and Michael Bennett on the defensive line—how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris 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 he 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 make it as definitive as possible.

Top 50 Overall from Week 12

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

There are always a few surprise names in the top 50. This week’s biggest shocker has to be Cleveland Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun as our eighth-ranked player—and the top cornerback for Week 12.

On Sunday, Boddy-Calhoun was targeted seven times against the New York Giants and gave up just two receptions for 37 yards. He did allow a touchdown to Dwayne Harris and an 18-yard completion to Roger Lewis on a deep comeback, but other than that, he had things locked down. The undrafted free agent from Minnesota has been logging serious snaps since Week 3 and has shown a lot of improvement lately.

One thing that should not be surprising: The Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota is our top-ranked quarterback and the sixth-ranked player overall. In his second NFL season, Mariota has shown impressive development, especially in the red zone, where he seems just about impossible to stop.

The deep ball has become a major part of his arsenal. Mariota completed just 15 of 23 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and four of those completions on six attempts came from passes over 20 yards in the air.

On those throws, Mariota was good for one of his two touchdowns, 127 yards and a league-leading 149.3 passer rating.  

Top 50 Overall from Week 12

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Khalil Mack	4-3 DE	OAK	86	272	↑
2	Von Miller	3-4 OLB	DEN	86	NR	↑
3	Justin Houston	3-4 OLB	KC	85	633	↑
4	Tyron Smith	LT	DAL	84	6	↑
5	Justin Tucker	K	BAL	84	290	↑
6	Marcus Mariota	QB	TEN	83	5	↓
7	Jason Peters	LT	PHI	82	22	↑
8	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CB	CLE	82	232	↑
9	Aaron Donald	DT	LA	81	17	↑
10	Drew Brees	QB	NO	81	404	↑
11	Deion Jones	ILB	ATL	81	NR	↑
12	Joe Thomas	LT	CLE	81	27	↑
13	Aaron Rodgers	QB	GB	81	51	↑
14	Whitney Mercilus	3-4 OLB	HOU	81	577	↑
15	Joey Bosa	3-4 DE	SD	80	NR	↑
16	LeSean McCoy	RB	BUF	80	87	↑
17	Chris Harris Jr.	CB	DEN	80	NR	↑
18	Philip Rivers	QB	SD	80	NR	↑
19	Taylor Decker	LT	DET	80	67	↑
20	Le'Veon Bell	RB	PIT	80	1	↓
21	Tahir Whitehead	ILB	DET	80	858	↑
22	William Gay	CB	PIT	80	645	↑
23	Tamba Hali	3-4 OLB	KC	80	683	↑
24	Jordan Reed	TE	WAS	79	369	↑
25	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	79	7	↓
26	David Bakhtiari	LT	GB	79	20	↓
27	David Johnson	RB	ARI	79	16	↓
28	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	FS	GB	78	234	↑
29	Mike Evans	WR	TB	78	65	↑
30	Bryan Bulaga	RT	GB	78	25	↓
31	Ross Cockrell	CB	PIT	78	453	↑
32	Cam Newton	QB	CAR	78	34	↑
33	Bradley McDougald	FS	TB	78	285	↑
34	Cordy Glenn	LT	BUF	78	44	↑
35	Kam Chancellor	SS	SEA	78	83	↑
36	Andrew Norwell	OG	CAR	77	98	↑
37	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	NYG	77	305	↑
38	Travis Kelce	TE	KC	77	38	↔
39	Vic Beasley	4-3 DE	ATL	77	NR	↑
40	Gerald McCoy	DT	TB	77	143	↑
41	Ricardo Allen	FS	ATL	77	NR	↑
42	Derek Carr	QB	OAK	77	164	↑
43	Sean Lee	4-3 OLB	DAL	77	188	↑
44	Harrison Smith	FS	MIN	77	13	↓
45	Mark Ingram	RB	NO	77	294	↑
46	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	PIT	77	244	↑
47	Antonio Brown	WR	PIT	77	251	↑
48	Marcus Gilbert	RT	PIT	77	40	↓
49	Jake Matthews	LT	ATL	77	NR	↑
50	Devin McCourty	FS	NE	77	155	↑

Quarterbacks

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The point of NFL1000 is to look past the numbers and evaluate the individual performances each week. For quarterbacks, this is particularly important because they are connected to every player on the field, they all play in different schemes and the different styles/qualities of the defense impact them more than other positions. There's also a lot of luck involved because the sample sizes for NFL players aren't like the sample sizes of NBA players, for example. 

As such, it's important for us to consistently evaluate the tape and not be swayed by production that only shows up in the box score. That may lead to repetitive points of view and criticisms that go against wisdom. With that, let's get to Kirk Cousins, again.

The Washington Redskins signal-caller had a huge game against the Green Bay Packers last week, ranking in the top five at the position. He followed that up by throwing for more than 400 yards, as well as three touchdowns, in a losing effort against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Cousins ranks 10th this week despite throwing for that many yards. He had some strong drives and made some impressive plays.

He also held the offense back repeatedly during the first half by missing reads on key downs before throwing a pass that should have been intercepted at the start of the third quarter.

In the fourth, he stockpiled 74 yards and a touchdown on a 15-play drive that essentially ended the game. Those plays gave him positives in the box score but negatives in NFL1000 grading. Cousins can't take the underneath throws over and over again when the defense wants him to take them. At that point, he needed to be more aggressive. His longest completion in that fourth-quarter drive was an 11-yard gain over the middle to tight end Jordan Reed—the worst type of play in that situation.

Mariota is a quarterback who struggled at the start of the season but is now consistently placing atop the rankings. He's precise on throws downfield, and he is now looking like one of the best deep passers in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees just missed out on the top spot. He had one lost fumble deep in his own territory, but there was little he could do about Los Angeles Rams tackle Aaron Donald's instant arrival in the pocket.

Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Cam Newton rounded out the top five as usual suspects. Rodgers is getting more plaudits this week because wide receiver Davante Adams is catching the ball.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Marcus Mariota	TEN	22	21	15	15	10	83
2	Drew Brees	NO	21	20	15	15	10	81
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB	21	22	14	14	10	81
4	Philip Rivers	SD	19	21	16	14	10	80
5	Cam Newton	CAR	16	23	15	14	10	78
6	Derek Carr	OAK	19	22	12	14	10	77
7	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	16	21	15	15	10	77
8	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	17	22	13	14	10	76
9	Dak Prescott	DAL	15	20	16	15	10	76
10	Kirk Cousins	WAS	18	19	15	13	10	75
11	Matthew Stafford	DET	15	21	16	13	10	75
12	Colin Kaepernick	SF	15	20	18	12	10	75
13	Trevor Siemian	DEN	16	20	14	15	10	75
14	Eli Manning	NYG	16	20	15	14	10	75
15	Matt Barkley	CHI	16	19	14	15	10	74
16	Carson Palmer	ARI	16	21	14	13	10	74
17	Matt Ryan	ATL	16	19	13	14	10	72
18	Tom Brady	NE	14	19	14	15	10	72
19	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	16	20	12	14	10	72
20	Tyrod Taylor	BUF	15	19	15	12	10	71
21	Sam Bradford	MIN	15	19	12	12	10	68
22	Blake Bortles	JAX	13	19	14	11	10	67
23	Alex Smith	KC	14	18	12	12	10	66
24	Joe Flacco	BAL	14	20	11	11	10	66
25	Jameis Winston	TB	13	18	13	12	10	66
26	Carson Wentz	PHI	12	18	13	12	10	65
27	Scott Tolzien	IND	12	20	11	11	10	64
28	Jared Goff	LA	15	18	10	11	10	64
29	Russell Wilson	SEA	12	16	13	12	10	63
30	Josh McCown	CLE	11	15	13	12	10	61
31	Andy Dalton	CIN	13	18	9	10	10	60
32	Brock Osweiler	HOU	11	16	9	10	10	56

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Running Backs

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

It was another week and another chance for the league's star running backs to dominate the NFL1000 rankings. In Week 12, the Buffalo Bills' LeSean "Shady" McCoy threw his hat into the mix.

McCoy has battled some injuries (and a coordinator change early in the season), but when healthy this season, he has been phenomenal. He was excellent Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has helped lead the 6-5 Bills back into playoff contention with his all-around game. He had a 75-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career, and he showed it all—vision, wiggle and the speed needed to take it the house. 

Though he's second at the position this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Le’Veon Bell is the most complete runner in the NFL. He destroyed a bad Indianapolis Colts defense on Thanksgiving, doing whatever he wanted to defenders in space and finishing with 120 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards and a touchdown. His patience and his inside-running instincts are some of the best in league history. He continues to establish himself as one of the top weapons in the league on a weekly basis.

David Johnson had only 13 carries because the Arizona Cardinals fell behind early, but he was exceptional in the receiving game. He amassed 103 yards in the air and a touchdown and can basically function as a wide receiver. He has a chance to gain over 1,000 yards in the air by the end of the season, which would be a special accomplishment for any runner.

Saints running back Mark Ingram continues to have a solid season on the ground. He destroyed the Rams in a blowout victory and finished with 146 rushing yards, 21 receving yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing). He is one of the most consistent inside runners in the league and has turned himself into a solid NFL starter.

Theo Riddick has become more than just a pass-catcher for the Detroit Lions. He was solid against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving, running with a purpose and a physical nature downhill. He is a major reason why the Lions are in position to win the NFC North.

Spencer Ware was consistent and powerful against a top-five defense, helping the Chiefs get one of the biggest wins of the year on the road in Denver. The San Diego Chargers' Melvin Gordon continued to make his case for Comeback Player of the Year, running right through Houston Texans defenders all game.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	LeSean McCoy	BUF	22	18	17	17	6	80
2	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	20	19	17	18	6	80
3	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	20	19	16	18	6	79
4	David Johnson	ARI	18	18	19	18	6	79
5	Mark Ingram	NO	19	18	17	17	6	77
6	Theo Riddick	DET	18	18	17	16	6	75
7	Spencer Ware	KC	19	17	16	17	6	75
8	Melvin Gordon	SD	19	17	16	17	6	75
9	Jordan Howard	CHI	18	18	17	16	6	75
10	Todd Gurley	LA	17	17	17	17	6	74
11	Doug Martin	TB	18	17	16	17	6	74
12	DeMarco Murray	TEN	18	16	17	17	6	74
13	Chris Ivory	JAX	17	18	16	17	6	74
14	Carlos Hyde	SF	19	17	16	16	6	74
15	Tim Hightower	NO	18	17	16	16	6	73
16	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	18	16	17	16	6	73
17	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	19	17	15	16	6	73
18	Jay Ajayi	MIA	18	17	16	16	6	73
19	Devontae Booker	DEN	18	17	16	16	6	73
20	LeGarrette Blount	NE	19	17	15	16	6	73
21	James White	NE	17	17	17	16	6	73
22	Devonta Freeman	ATL	18	17	16	16	6	73
23	Rashad Jennings	NYG	18	16	16	16	6	72
24	Latavius Murray	OAK	18	16	16	16	6	72
25	Lamar Miller	HOU	18	16	16	16	6	72
26	Jeremy Hill	CIN	18	15	16	17	6	72
27	Jalen Richard	OAK	18	18	15	15	6	72
28	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	17	15	18	16	6	72
29	Darren Sproles	PHI	17	15	18	16	6	72
30	Wendell Smallwood	PHI	18	16	16	15	6	71
31	Terrance West	BAL	17	16	16	16	6	71
32	Derrick Henry	TEN	18	16	15	16	6	71
33	Thomas Rawls	SEA	17	16	15	16	6	70
34	Matt Asiata	MIN	17	15	16	16	6	70
35	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	16	17	17	14	6	70
36	James Starks	GB	17	15	16	16	6	70
37	Kenyon Drake	MIA	16	17	15	15	6	69
38	Matt Forte	NYJ	16	15	16	16	6	69
39	Peyton Barber	TB	17	15	15	15	6	68
40	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	15	17	15	15	6	68
41	Fitzgerald Toussaint	PIT	16	16	15	15	6	68
42	Duke Johnson	CLE	14	16	17	15	6	68
43	Denard Robinson	JAX	15	17	15	15	6	68
44	Chris Thompson	WAS	14	16	17	15	6	68
45	Charcandrick West	KC	16	16	15	15	6	68
46	Rex Burkhead	CIN	16	14	15	16	6	67
47	Jeremy Langford	CHI	15	15	15	16	6	67
48	Dwayne Washington	DET	16	15	15	15	6	67
49	Damien Williams	MIA	15	15	16	15	6	67
50	Bobby Rainey	NYG	15	14	17	15	6	67
51	Benny Cunningham	LA	14	15	16	16	6	67
52	Andre Ellington	ARI	14	15	16	16	6	67
53	Tevin Coleman	ATL	16	14	15	16	6	67
54	Bilal Powell	NYJ	15	14	16	16	6	67
55	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	15	13	16	16	6	66
56	Shaun Draughn	SF	16	14	15	15	6	66
57	Paul Perkins	NYG	16	14	16	14	6	66
58	Kapri Bibbs	DEN	16	14	15	15	6	66
59	Frank Gore	IND	15	14	15	16	6	66
60	Robert Turbin	IND	15	15	14	15	6	65
61	Jonathan Williams	BUF	15	14	15	15	6	65
62	Jonathan Grimes	HOU	15	14	14	15	6	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Ameer Abdullah—injury
• C.J. Anderson—injury
• Danny Woodhead—injury
• Charles Sims—injury
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Eddie Lacy—injury
• DeAngelo Williams—Injury

Fullbacks

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk is the highest-rated player again, which should come as a shock to no one. He helped clear space all game for running backs Kenneth Dixon and Terrance West while also making three catches.

Atlanta's Patrick DiMarco continues to be one of the more underrated players in the league. He was very good against an athletic Arizona defense, locating defenders and helping establish a physical tone for a pass-first offense. 

While Aaron Ripkowski is considered a fullback, the Packers use him like a true runner at times despite his limitations. He did have three carries and a touchdown Monday night and has no problem lowering his shoulders on contact. He has turned into a solid NFL starter over the course of the year, despite the Packers' running back struggles and lack of production.

Houston's Jay Prosch had a good game against the Chargers, helping Lamar Miller build on his big season.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Kyle Juszczyk	BAL	45	15	11	4	75
2	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	45	15	10	4	74
3	Aaron Ripkowski	GB	43	17	10	4	74
4	Jay Prosch	HOU	45	16	9	4	74
5	Mike Tolbert	CAR	44	15	9	4	72
6	Andy Janovich	DEN	44	15	9	4	72
7	John Kuhn	NO	44	15	9	4	72
8	Jerome Felton	BUF	45	14	8	4	71
9	Jalston Fowler	TEN	44	14	9	4	71
10	Paul Lasike	CHI	42	15	9	4	70
11	Anthony Sherman	KC	44	14	8	4	70
12	James Devlin	NE	44	14	8	4	70
13	Jamize Olawale	OAK	43	15	8	4	70
14	Derek Watt	SD	43	15	8	4	70
15	Zach Line	MIN	42	14	8	4	68

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Michael Burton—insufficient snaps

Wide Receivers

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

In the NFC, two NFC South receivers won the week.

The first was Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, who matched up against cornerback Richard Sherman for most of the day. Evans was able to get open at will against the Seattle Seahawks secondary and shone as he caught eight balls for 104 yards. He was also responsible for both of Tampa Bay's touchdowns. 

New Orleans' Michael Thomas was the other NFC South receiver to make some noise. The second-round pick from Ohio State exploded Sunday against the Rams with nine catches for 108 yards and two scores. Thomas is an elite route-runner with strong hands and the balance to work the sidelines. His touchdown in double coverage in the end zone was a thing of beauty.

Chicago Bears receiver Marquess Wilson finally started to look like himself again after being on the PUP list for most of the year. Wilson had eight catches for 125 yards and a score, but he dropped a wide-open touchdown late in the fourth quarter that hurt his overall score. 

Over in the AFC, while people were resting after their Thanksgiving meals, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown was putting on a show against the Colts. He caught five passes for 91 yards and three touchdowns in a great display of route running.

On Sunday night, the Broncos' Emmanuel Sanders was dynamic, catching seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He showed a wide array of skills, including on shorter routes and vertical plays.

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 12

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

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Alshon Jeffery—suspension
• Stefon Diggs—injury
• Josh Doctson—injury
• Robert Woods—injury
• Kevin White—injury
• A.J. Green—injury
• Jeremy Maclin—injury
• Eric Decker—injury
• Keenan Allen—injury
• Vincent Jackson—injury
• Percy Harvin—inactive
• Nelson Agholor—inactive

Tight Ends

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

In the NFC, Jordan Reed stood out as the top tight end. Playing against Byron Jones, Reed separated his shoulder in the first half and had a sling on his arm at halftime. However, he played through the injury and finished with 10 receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

Outside of Rob Gronkowski, he's the toughest tight end to match up with in the NFL. Jimmy Graham continued his comeback campaign as the go-to receiver for Seattle. He caught six passes on seven targets for 67 yards and continues to find his role within the Seahawks offense.

Speaking of Gronkowski, the Patriots receiver left the divisional matchup against the Jets after only seven snaps, severely hampering both the Patriots offense and his grade this week. Travis Kelce continues to be a matchup nightmare for defenses, and his grade would have been even higher this week if not for a few drops. Two tight ends were solid in losing efforts: Tyler Eifert with the Cincinnati Bengals and C.J. Fiedorowicz with the Texans. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Jordan Reed	WAS	18	22	17	16	6	79
2	Travis Kelce	KC	18	19	13	21	6	77
3	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	14	18	14	18	6	70
4	Jimmy Graham	SEA	18	18	13	15	6	70
5	Greg Olsen	CAR	15	19	12	17	6	69
6	Tyler Eifert	CIN	13	19	13	18	6	69
7	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	13	18	12	20	6	69
8	Vance McDonald	SF	15	17	14	17	6	69
9	Jack Doyle	IND	12	18	12	20	6	68
10	Will Tye	NYG	13	20	14	15	6	68
11	Vernon Davis	WAS	16	18	13	15	6	68
12	Dion Sims	MIA	13	17	13	18	6	67
13	Martellus Bennett	NE	13	17	13	18	6	67
14	Clive Walford	OAK	13	18	12	18	6	67
15	Cameron Brate	TB	15	17	13	16	6	67
16	Charles Clay	BUF	13	17	11	19	6	66
17	A.J. Derby	DEN	13	17	11	19	6	66
18	Dwayne Allen	IND	13	17	12	18	6	66
19	Ben Koyack	JAX	12	17	11	20	6	66
20	Ladarius Green	PIT	13	18	12	17	6	66
21	Hunter Henry	SD	12	19	11	18	6	66
22	Delanie Walker	TEN	13	18	11	18	6	66
23	Dennis Pitta	BAL	13	17	11	18	6	65
24	Lance Kendricks	LA	15	17	13	14	6	65
25	John Phillips	NO	12	16	12	19	6	65
26	Ryan Griffin	HOU	12	17	11	18	6	64
27	Darren Waller	BAL	12	16	11	18	6	63
28	Seth DeValve	CLE	13	17	12	15	6	63
29	Jason Witten	DAL	16	17	11	13	6	63
30	Erik Swoopes	IND	13	16	11	17	6	63
31	Coby Fleener	NO	14	17	13	13	6	63
32	Brandon Bostick	NYJ	12	16	11	18	6	63
33	Mychal Rivera	OAK	12	15	11	19	6	63
34	Jesse James	PIT	12	14	11	20	6	63
35	Daniel Brown	CHI	13	17	12	14	6	62
36	Gary Barnidge	CLE	12	16	11	17	6	62
37	Anthony Fasano	TEN	11	14	11	20	6	62
38	Nick O'Leary	BUF	12	14	11	18	6	61
39	Ben Braunecker	CHI	13	17	11	14	6	61
40	Ryan Hewitt	CIN	11	15	11	18	6	61
41	Virgil Green	DEN	11	14	11	19	6	61
42	Stephen Anderson	HOU	12	15	11	17	6	61
43	Neal Sterling	JAX	12	16	11	16	6	61
44	Marqueis Gray	MIA	13	15	11	16	6	61
45	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	NYJ	12	15	11	17	6	61
46	Antonio Gates	SD	11	14	11	19	6	61
47	Jace Amaro	TEN	11	14	14	16	6	61
48	Nick Boyle	BAL	11	14	11	18	6	60
49	Logan Paulsen	CHI	12	15	11	16	6	60
50	Randall Telfer	CLE	11	14	11	18	6	60
51	Demetrius Harris	KC	11	14	11	18	6	60
52	Tyler Higbee	LA	12	16	11	15	6	60
53	Rhett Ellison	MIN	12	15	12	15	6	60
54	Josh Hill	NO	12	15	12	15	6	60
55	Jerell Adams	NYG	12	15	12	15	6	60
56	Tyler Kroft	CIN	11	14	11	17	6	59
57	Alex Ellis	JAX	11	14	11	17	6	59
58	James O'Shaughnessy	KC	11	15	10	17	6	59
59	Rob Gronkowski	NE	12	14	11	16	6	59
60	Eric Tomlinson	NYJ	11	14	11	17	6	59
61	David Johnson	PIT	11	14	11	17	6	59
62	Garrett Celek	SF	11	14	13	15	6	59
63	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	13	16	10	13	6	58
64	Ed Dickson	CAR	11	12	10	18	6	57
65	Luke Stocker	TB	11	13	11	16	6	57
66	Levine Toilolo	ATL	10	13	10	17	6	56
67	Sean McGrath	SD	11	14	11	14	6	56
68	Austin Hooper	ATL	11	13	11	14	6	55
69	Zach Ertz	PHI	11	13	13	12	6	55
70	Brandon Myers	TB	11	13	10	15	6	55
71	Darren Fells	ARI	12	12	10	14	6	54
72	Richard Rodgers	GB	10	12	10	16	6	54
73	Eric Ebron	DET	11	12	10	14	6	53
74	Brent Celek	PHI	12	12	10	13	6	53
75	Brandon Williams	SEA	10	12	10	15	6	53
76	Jared Cook	GB	10	11	11	14	6	52
77	Blake Bell	SF	10	12	10	14	6	52
78	Trey Burton	PHI	10	12	10	12	6	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Troy Niklas—injury
• Jacob Tamme—injury
• Maxx Williams—injury
• Zach Miller—injury
• Marcedes Lewis—injury
• Julius Thomas—injury
• Jordan Cameron—injury
• Luke Willson—insufficient snaps

Left Tackles

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Tyron Smith of the Cowboys snatched our No. 1 ranking at left tackle in Week 12. Smith has been dominant all season, and he turned in another outstanding performance, displaying an elite pass protection skill set and showing tremendous physicality in the running game versus a physical Washington front seven.

Philadelphia's Jason Peters claimed the No. 2 ranking with his performance against the Green Bay Packers. With the exception of a pair of penalties and a lone sack allowed, Peters flashed streaks of dominance. Cleveland's Joe Thomas was stout against the Giants and came in at No. 3. 

Washington's Ty Nsekhe did another excellent job filling in for suspended tackle Trent Williams against Dallas. Nsekhe was impressive in both the running game and pass protection, contributing to an effort in which Washington's offensive line did not surrender a sack to Dallas on 75 offensive snaps. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Tyron Smith	DAL	19	22	18	17	8	84
2	Jason Peters	PHI	20	20	17	17	8	82
3	Joe Thomas	CLE	22	17	14	20	8	81
4	Taylor Decker	DET	20	20	16	16	8	80
5	David Bakhtiari	GB	20	19	15	17	8	79
6	Cordy Glenn	BUF	17	20	18	15	8	78
7	Jake Matthews	ATL	20	20	15	14	8	77
8	Ty Nsekhe	WAS	20	18	15	15	8	76
9	Donald Penn	OAK	19	19	16	14	8	76
10	Duane Brown	HOU	17	20	17	14	8	76
11	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	20	19	14	14	8	75
12	Taylor Lewan	TEN	19	19	15	14	8	75
13	Eric Fisher	KC	18	20	16	13	8	75
14	Nate Solder	NE	19	19	14	14	8	74
15	Alejandro Villanueva	PIT	19	19	14	14	8	74
16	DJ Humphries	ARI	18	19	14	15	8	74
17	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	18	19	15	14	8	74
18	Joe Staley	SF	18	19	14	15	8	74
19	Donovan Smith	TB	17	17	17	14	8	73
20	Russell Okung	DEN	18	19	15	13	8	73
21	Anthony Castonzo	IND	18	18	14	15	8	73
22	Ereck Flowers	NYG	18	18	16	13	8	73
23	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	18	18	14	14	8	72
24	Terron Armstead	NO	18	17	14	15	8	72
25	Mike Remmers	CAR	16	19	15	13	8	71
26	Charles Leno Jr.	CHI	17	17	14	14	8	70
27	King Dunlap	SD	17	18	14	13	8	70
28	George Fant	SEA	16	16	13	16	8	69
29	T.J. Clemmings	MIN	16	16	13	15	8	68
30	Rodger Saffold	LA	17	18	13	12	8	68
31	Sam Young	MIA	17	17	13	12	8	67
32	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	15	15	16	12	8	66
33	Andrew Donnal	LA	16	17	11	13	8	65

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Matt Kalil—injury
• Branden Albert—injury
• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Greg Robinson—inactive
• Trent Williams—suspension

Right Tackles

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga was the top performer at right tackle in Week 12, and he has been outstanding all season so far. He was solid in pass protection and as a run-blocker against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football.

Marcus Gilbert claims the No. 2 ranking in Week 12. He showed tremendous strength, power and explosion at the point of attack as well as great agility and patience in pass protection against Indianapolis. The No. 3-ranked right tackle in Week 12 was the ever-so-steady Ryan Schraeder. He was impressive in the running game and continues to show why Atlanta decided to extend his contract. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Bryan Bulaga	GB	21	19	16	15	7	78
2	Marcus Gilbert	PIT	19	21	15	15	7	77
3	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	20	20	15	14	7	76
4	Zach Strief	NO	19	20	15	15	7	76
5	Jack Conklin	TEN	18	20	15	15	7	75
6	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	18	20	15	15	7	75
7	Jermey Parnell	JAX	20	19	14	14	7	74
8	Morgan Moses	WAS	18	19	16	14	7	74
9	Ricky Wagner	BAL	18	20	15	14	7	74
10	Marcus Cannon	NE	19	19	15	14	7	74
11	Allen Barbre	PHI	17	21	15	14	7	74
12	Doug Free	DAL	18	20	15	13	7	73
13	Ja'Wuan James	MIA	18	20	14	14	7	73
14	Riley Reiff	DET	18	20	15	13	7	73
15	Demar Dotson	TB	18	18	14	16	7	73
16	Bobby Hart	NYG	17	18	14	16	7	72
17	Jordan Mills	BUF	17	20	15	13	7	72
18	Donald Stephenson	DEN	17	19	16	13	7	72
19	Bobby Massie	CHI	18	18	13	15	7	71
20	Austin Howard	OAK	17	19	15	13	7	71
21	Joe Barksdale	SD	18	18	13	14	7	70
22	Breno Giacomini	NYJ	17	17	16	13	7	70
23	Ulrick John	ARI	17	20	13	13	7	70
24	Trenton Brown	SF	17	18	14	13	7	69
25	Joe Haeg	IND	17	19	13	13	7	69
26	Jeremiah Sirles	MIN	17	17	14	13	7	68
27	Eric Winston	CIN	17	18	13	13	7	68
28	Chris Clark	HOU	16	19	13	13	7	68
29	Bradley Sowell	SEA	16	18	13	14	7	68
30	Daryl Williams	CAR	17	17	14	12	7	67
31	Trai Turner	CAR	15	17	16	12	7	67
32	Joe Reitz	IND	17	18	13	12	7	67
33	Austin Pasztor	CLE	15	16	13	15	7	66
34	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	16	16	13	13	7	65
35	Rob Havenstein	LA	15	15	14	13	7	64
36	Ty Sambrailo	DEN	14	16	13	10	7	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Derek Newton—injury
• Menelik Watson—injury
• Garry Gilliam—insufficient snaps
• Halapoulivaati Vaitai—injury
• Lane Johnson—suspension

Offensive Guards

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Things started to stabilize at guard last week, and that continued with a few more of the consensus top guards near the top of this week's rankings.

Zack Martin bounced back to elite-level play after two average (for him) weeks. Jack Mewhort looked healthier than last week, jumping from 54th to 13th overall. A few of the bigger names are still injured (Justin Pugh, Josh Sitton, Kyle Long, T.J. Lang and Laremy Tunsil, among others), but hopefully a few of those guys are able to make it back in the next couple of weeks. 

Trai Turner is graded at right guard and right tackle this week as he played significant snaps at both spots this week after filling in at right tackle for an injured starter.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Andrew Norwell	CAR	18	19	18	15	7	77
2	Richie Incognito	BUF	17	19	18	15	7	76
3	Zack Martin	DAL	17	19	18	15	7	76
4	Gabe Jackson	OAK	19	18	18	14	7	76
5	Ali Marpet	TB	16	19	17	16	7	75
6	Kelechi Osemele	OAK	19	17	19	13	7	75
7	Ramon Foster	PIT	16	19	18	14	7	74
8	Quinton Spain	TEN	18	19	17	13	7	74
9	Alex Boone	MIN	17	18	17	15	7	74
10	Brandon Scherff	WAS	18	16	17	15	7	73
11	Eric Kush	CHI	19	16	17	14	7	73
12	Marshal Yanda	BAL	19	16	17	14	7	73
13	Jack Mewhort	IND	18	16	17	15	7	73
14	A.J. Cann	JAX	15	19	17	15	7	73
15	Vladimir Ducasse	BAL	18	18	17	12	7	72
16	Shaq Mason	NE	17	17	16	15	7	72
17	Andy Levitre	ATL	19	15	17	14	7	72
18	Zane Beadles	SF	15	18	16	16	7	72
19	Adam Gettis	NYG	16	17	16	15	7	71
20	Brandon Fusco	MIN	16	17	16	15	7	71
21	John Greco	CLE	16	17	17	14	7	71
22	David DeCastro	PIT	16	15	16	16	7	70
23	Larry Warford	DET	15	16	17	15	7	70
24	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	18	16	16	13	7	70
25	Shawn Lauvao	WAS	16	16	18	13	7	70
26	Mike Iupati	ARI	17	16	16	14	7	70
27	Joshua Garnett	SF	16	17	17	13	7	70
28	Ted Larsen	CHI	17	15	16	14	7	69
29	Senio Kelemete	NO	15	17	16	14	7	69
30	Josh Kline	TEN	17	15	16	14	7	69
31	Trai Turner	CAR	15	16	17	14	7	69
32	Spencer Drango	CLE	16	15	17	14	7	69
33	Kraig Urbik	MIA	18	14	16	14	7	69
34	Stefen Wisniewski	PHI	17	15	16	14	7	69
35	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	17	14	15	16	7	69
36	Ronald Leary	DAL	16	15	16	14	7	68
37	Chris Chester	ATL	16	16	16	13	7	68
38	D.J. Fluker	SD	15	16	16	14	7	68
39	Jahri Evans	NO	16	16	16	13	7	68
40	Jeff Allen	HOU	16	15	19	11	7	68
41	Isaac Seumalo	PHI	14	17	16	14	7	68
42	Max Garcia	DEN	17	15	16	13	7	68
43	John Miller	BUF	13	18	17	13	7	68
44	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	16	13	14	17	7	67
45	Chris Scott	CAR	15	16	16	13	7	67
46	Brian Winters	NYJ	16	13	16	15	7	67
47	Joe Thuney	NE	15	14	14	17	7	67
48	Chris Reed	JAX	13	16	17	14	7	67
49	Kevin Pamphile	TB	16	15	15	13	7	66
50	Andrus Peat	NO	13	16	15	15	7	66
51	Mark Glowinski	SEA	14	13	16	16	7	66
52	Clint Boling	CIN	16	13	16	14	7	66
53	John Jerry	NYG	15	14	16	13	7	65
54	Denzelle Good	IND	14	15	16	13	7	65
55	Jason Spriggs	GB	16	12	13	17	7	65
56	Michael Schofield	DEN	15	13	14	16	7	65
57	Jamon Brown	LA	14	14	16	14	7	65
58	Lane Taylor	GB	15	14	14	15	7	65
59	James Carpenter	NYJ	14	14	16	13	7	64
60	Zach Fulton	KC	15	15	15	12	7	64
61	Laken Tomlinson	DET	13	14	15	14	7	63
62	Cody Wichmann	LA	14	13	14	15	7	63
63	John Wetzel	ARI	14	15	14	13	7	63
64	Orlando Franklin	SD	12	15	17	12	7	63
65	Jermon Bushrod	MIA	14	13	15	13	7	62
66	Germain Ifedi	SEA	12	15	16	11	7	61
67	Graham Glasgow	DET	11	14	14	14	7	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Denver Kirkland—insufficient snaps
• Kyle Long—Injury
• T.J. Lang—Injury
• Laremy Tunsil—DNP
• Brandon Brooks—DNP
• Don Barclay—DNP
• Marshall Newhouse—DNP
• Josh Sitton—DNP
• Jonotthan Harrison—Insufficient snaps
• Patrick Omameh—DNP
• Justin Pugh—DNP
• Alvin Bailey—DNP
• Joel Bitonio—DNP
• Evan Mathis—DNP
• Luke Joeckel—DNP
• La'el Collins—DNP
• J'Marcus Webb—DNP
• Chance Warmack—DNP

Centers

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Ryan Groy, Jeremy Zuttah and Matt Slauson as top-level centers? This week, that was the case. All three were excellent in pass protection, with just one QB hit allowed between the three. None of these veterans have great feet or lower-body agility, but they win in pass protection with sound hand placement, precise footwork and strong anchors. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Alex Mack	ATL	18	17	17	17	6	75
2	Mitch Morse	KC	18	17	15	18	6	74
3	Rodney Hudson	OAK	19	17	16	16	6	74
4	Ryan Groy	BUF	19	17	17	14	6	73
5	Jeremy Zuttah	BAL	19	17	17	14	6	73
6	Matt Slauson	SD	19	16	16	15	6	72
7	Matt Paradis	DEN	18	17	17	14	6	72
8	Weston Richburg	NYG	17	16	17	15	6	71
9	Travis Frederick	DAL	17	16	17	15	6	71
10	Russell Bodine	CIN	17	16	17	14	6	70
11	Corey Linsley	GB	18	15	17	14	6	70
12	Max Unger	NO	15	18	17	14	6	70
13	Daniel Kilgore	SF	17	15	16	15	6	69
14	Ben Jones	TEN	18	16	13	16	6	69
15	Joe Hawley	TB	17	15	17	14	6	69
16	Jason Kelce	PHI	16	15	15	17	6	69
17	Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	16	15	16	15	6	68
18	Cameron Erving	CLE	15	16	15	16	6	68
19	Travis Swanson	DET	16	15	17	14	6	68
20	Greg Mancz	HOU	16	15	16	14	6	67
21	Joe Berger	MIN	16	15	16	14	6	67
22	David Andrews	NE	16	15	16	13	6	66
23	Brandon Linder	JAX	14	16	16	14	6	66
24	Cody Whitehair	CHI	15	14	15	15	6	65
25	Gino Gradkowski	CAR	13	16	16	14	6	65
26	Nick Easton	MIN	15	13	15	16	6	65
27	Tyler Larsen	CAR	16	14	15	13	6	64
28	Tim Barnes	LA	15	14	15	14	6	64
29	Anthony Steen	MIA	18	14	11	15	6	64
30	Wesley Johnson	NYJ	14	13	16	14	6	63
31	Spencer Long	WAS	16	12	13	15	6	62
32	Jonotthan Harrison	IND	14	12	16	13	6	61
33	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	13	13	14	14	6	60
34	Joey Hunt	SEA	12	13	13	16	6	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ryan Kelly—insufficient snaps
• Mike Pouncey—DNP
• Ryan Kalil—DNP
• Chris Scott—DNP
• Eric Wood—DNP
• JC Tretter—DNP
• Nick Mangold—DNP
• Ted Larsen—DNP
• Kraig Urbik—DNP

3-4 Defensive Ends

Bob Levey/Getty Images

This week started off with great play from 3-4 defensive ends, beginning Thursday with the performance of Washington's Chris Baker—possibly the most underrated player at the position—to Green Bay's Mike Daniels, who ran down the 190-pound Darren Sproles on Monday Night Football.

With injuries on the lines in Arizona and San Francisco, both Calais Campbell and DeForest Buckner, who was compared often to Campbell in the draft process, have stepped up as the dominant forces on their lines of scrimmage. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Joey Bosa	SD	14	18	24	17	7	80
2	Calais Campbell	ARI	12	17	21	17	7	74
3	Mike Daniels	GB	14	16	19	16	7	72
4	DeForest Buckner	SF	13	17	20	15	7	72
5	Derek Wolfe	DEN	11	16	23	15	7	72
6	Chris Baker	WAS	13	17	20	13	7	70
7	Akiem Hicks	CHI	12	16	19	14	7	68
8	Ronald Blair	SF	12	17	18	14	7	68
9	Ziggy Hood	WAS	12	16	19	14	7	68
10	Ricky Jean-Francois	WAS	12	17	18	14	7	68
11	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	12	16	20	13	7	68
12	Frostee Rucker	ARI	11	16	19	15	7	68
13	Jurrell Casey	TEN	11	14	21	14	7	67
14	Josh Mauro	ARI	11	16	18	15	7	67
15	Chris Jones	KC	11	15	21	13	7	67
16	Cornelius Washington	CHI	12	16	17	14	7	66
17	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	12	15	20	12	7	66
18	Jared Crick	DEN	10	13	20	16	7	66
19	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	11	16	17	14	7	65
20	C.J. Wilson	CHI	11	15	19	13	7	65
21	Timmy Jernigan	BAL	11	13	21	13	7	65
22	Carl Nassib	CLE	12	14	19	13	7	65
23	Xavier Cooper	CLE	11	13	19	15	7	65
24	Jamie Meder	CLE	9	13	21	15	7	65
25	Denico Autry	OAK	11	12	21	14	7	65
26	Kendall Reyes	KC	9	16	19	14	7	65
27	Mike Pennel	GB	11	15	18	13	7	64
28	Lawrence Guy	BAL	10	15	18	14	7	64
29	Leger Douzable	BUF	10	13	19	15	7	64
30	Henry Anderson	IND	11	12	20	14	7	64
31	Adolphus Washington	BUF	11	13	18	14	7	63
32	Arthur Jones	IND	10	12	19	15	7	63
33	Brent Urban	BAL	10	14	19	13	7	63
34	Corey Liuget	SD	10	13	20	12	7	62
35	DaQuan Jones	TEN	10	13	19	13	7	62
36	Christian Covington	HOU	9	12	19	13	7	60
37	Karl Klug	TEN	11	13	17	12	7	60
38	Billy Winn	DEN	10	12	17	13	7	59
39	Antonio Smith	HOU	9	14	17	12	7	59
40	Ricardo Mathews	PIT	9	12	17	12	7	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Cameron Heyward—injury
• Kendall Langford—injury
• Arik Armstead—injury
• J.J. Watt—injury
• Mitch Unrein—injury
• Quinton Dial—injury

4-3 Defensive Ends

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It was another monster week by Khalil Mack, who has turned it up in November. He's as dominant as ever, recording one sack, five quarterback hurries and five stops. He closed out the game and secured the Raiders' 35-32 win against the Panthers.

If you're quick to call young players busts, then you may be surprised to see Vic Beasley Jr. near the top of this list weekly, but he had one of his best performances in a win against Arizona. Beasley has blossomed and has a bright future.

Another 4-3 defensive end who is having a good month is the Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul. Sure, he's beat up on bad competition, but he's taken care of business. And his ability to bat down passes, defend the run and rush the passer with speed and power keeps him in an elite category. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Khalil Mack	OAK	27	16	19	16	8	86
2	Vic Beasley	ATL	26	12	17	14	8	77
3	Cameron Wake	MIA	22	13	17	15	8	75
4	Cameron Jordan	NO	22	14	15	15	8	74
5	Everson Griffen	MIN	20	14	17	14	8	73
6	Jason Pierre-Paul	NYG	21	14	15	15	8	73
7	Dwight Freeney	ATL	22	13	15	14	8	72
8	Noah Spence	TB	21	13	16	14	8	72
9	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	20	14	15	14	8	71
10	Brandon Graham	PHI	20	14	15	14	8	71
11	Frank Clark	SEA	20	14	16	13	8	71
12	Chris Long	NE	21	14	13	14	8	70
13	Andre Branch	MIA	20	13	14	15	8	70
14	David Irving	DAL	19	14	15	14	8	70
15	Trey Flowers	NE	20	15	12	15	8	70
16	Ezekiel Ansah	DET	20	13	16	13	8	70
17	Robert Quinn	LA	20	13	15	14	8	70
18	Cliff Avril	SEA	20	13	15	14	8	70
19	Wes Horton	CAR	19	12	15	15	8	69
20	Ryan Davis	DAL	19	13	15	14	8	69
21	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	20	13	15	13	8	69
22	Sheldon Richardson	NYJ	19	17	12	13	8	69
23	DeMarcus Lawrence	DAL	20	13	14	14	8	69
24	William Hayes	LA	19	14	14	14	8	69
25	Danielle Hunter	MIN	20	12	15	14	8	69
26	Olivier Vernon	NYG	20	14	14	13	8	69
27	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	22	12	13	13	8	68
28	Devin Taylor	DET	19	14	14	13	8	68
29	Kerry Hyder	DET	20	13	14	13	8	68
30	Brian Robison	MIN	19	13	14	14	8	68
31	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	19	15	11	15	8	68
32	Cassius Marsh	SEA	18	13	15	14	8	68
33	Michael Johnson	CIN	18	14	13	14	8	67
34	Charles Johnson	CAR	20	13	13	13	8	67
35	Ethan Westbrooks	LA	19	13	14	13	8	67
36	Kasim Edebali	NO	18	13	15	13	8	67
37	Darryl Tapp	NO	19	13	13	14	8	67
38	Marcus Smith	PHI	18	13	14	14	8	67
39	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	22	10	15	11	8	66
40	Jack Crawford	DAL	19	11	14	14	8	66
41	Connor Barwin	PHI	18	13	13	14	8	66
42	Robert Ayers	TB	19	12	14	13	8	66
43	William Gholston	TB	19	13	14	12	8	66
44	Ryan Russell	TB	18	13	14	13	8	66
45	Dante Fowler	JAX	18	13	14	12	8	65
46	Brooks Reed	ATL	18	12	14	13	8	65
47	Ryan Delaire	CAR	18	13	13	13	8	65
48	Anthony Zettel	DET	18	12	14	13	8	65
49	Eugene Sims	LA	19	12	13	13	8	65
50	Paul Kruger	NO	18	12	13	14	8	65
51	Romeo Okwara	NYG	17	13	13	14	8	65
52	Vinny Curry	PHI	17	13	13	14	8	65
53	Kony Ealy	CAR	18	11	14	13	8	64
54	Jabaal Sheard	NE	16	15	12	12	8	63
55	Will Clarke	CIN	17	14	12	12	8	63
56	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	19	11	13	11	8	62
57	Mario Williams	MIA	16	12	12	13	8	61
58	Wallace Gilberry	CIN	15	13	12	11	8	59
59	Margus Hunt	CIN	17	11	11	11	8	58

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jared Odrick—injury
• Owa Odighizuwa—insufficient snaps
• Michael Bennett—injury
• Mario Addison—injury

Defensive Tackles

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Aaron Donald was phenomenal yet again. He repeatedly took a sledgehammer to the Saints offensive line, including a strip-sack where he reached Drew Brees in under 2.3 seconds. Donald is easily the best defensive tackle in the game, and he brings the pain week in and week out.

Tampa Bay's Gerald McCoy had a strong game against Seattle's beleaguered offensive line. Sehawks guard Germain Ifedi was light work for the four-time Pro Bowler, as he lived in the backfield all game long. McCoy finished with two sacks, six hurries and two stops.

Javon Hargrave had his best game of the season against the Colts on Thanksgiving. He was facing the Colts' backup center, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Hargrave shut down the A-gaps and applied steady interior pressure, including with a diving sack on quarterback Scott Tolzien. 

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Aaron Donald	LA	21	20	19	14	7	81
2	Gerald McCoy	TB	19	20	20	11	7	77
3	Ndamukong Suh	MIA	18	17	19	13	7	74
4	Javon Hargrave	PIT	19	16	20	12	7	74
5	Marcell Dareus	BUF	18	17	18	12	7	72
6	Nick Fairley	NO	19	17	17	12	7	72
7	Alan Branch	NE	17	16	19	12	7	71
8	Sheldon Rankins	NO	18	17	18	11	7	71
9	Johnathan Hankins	NYG	18	17	17	12	7	71
10	Damon Harrison	NYG	17	14	20	13	7	71
11	Grady Jarrett	ATL	19	16	18	10	7	70
12	Kyle Williams	BUF	17	16	18	12	7	70
13	Kawann Short	CAR	17	14	19	13	7	70
14	Geno Atkins	CIN	18	17	17	11	7	70
15	Haloti Ngata	DET	17	15	19	12	7	70
16	Fletcher Cox	PHI	17	16	18	12	7	70
17	Malik Jackson	JAX	17	18	15	12	7	69
18	Linval Joseph	MIN	18	14	18	12	7	69
19	Leonard Williams	NYJ	17	17	16	12	7	69
20	Dontari Poe	KC	17	15	17	12	7	68
21	Rakeem Nunez-Roches	KC	17	14	18	12	7	68
22	Malcom Brown	NE	16	16	17	12	7	68
23	Glenn Dorsey	SF	17	14	18	12	7	68
24	Star Lotulelei	CAR	16	15	17	12	7	67
25	Eddie Goldman	CHI	15	16	17	12	7	67
26	Danny Shelton	CLE	17	14	17	12	7	67
27	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	14	16	12	7	66
28	Tyson Alualu	JAX	16	15	16	12	7	66
29	Tom Johnson	MIN	17	16	15	11	7	66
30	Darius Latham	OAK	16	15	16	12	7	66
31	Bennie Logan	PHI	15	14	19	11	7	66
32	Brandon Williams	BAL	15	13	18	12	7	65
33	Michael Pierce	BAL	16	11	19	12	7	65
34	Cedric Thornton	DAL	15	15	17	11	7	65
35	Terrell McClain	DAL	15	13	18	12	7	65
36	Kenny Clark	GB	16	14	16	12	7	65
37	Akeem Spence	TB	16	14	17	11	7	65
38	Corey Peters	ARI	15	14	16	12	7	64
39	Letroy Guion	GB	16	15	15	11	7	64
40	Clinton McDonald	TB	14	15	16	12	7	64
41	Courtney Upshaw	ATL	16	15	13	12	7	63
42	Tyrunn Walker	DET	16	14	15	11	7	63
43	D.J. Reader	HOU	15	14	16	11	7	63
44	Dominique Easley	LA	17	14	13	12	7	63
45	Earl Mitchell	MIA	15	14	16	11	7	63
46	Vincent Valentine	NE	15	14	16	11	7	63
47	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	15	14	16	11	7	63
48	Tony McDaniel	SEA	15	14	16	11	7	63
49	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	14	14	15	12	7	62
50	Stefan Charles	DET	15	14	16	10	7	62
51	Michael Brockers	LA	16	14	14	11	7	62
52	David Onyemata	NO	14	13	17	11	7	62
53	Steve McLendon	NYJ	16	13	15	11	7	62
54	Jihad Ward	OAK	16	13	15	11	7	62
55	Jarran Reed	SEA	16	13	15	11	7	62
56	Jay Bromley	NYG	15	14	15	10	7	61
57	Dan Williams	OAK	14	12	16	12	7	61
58	Stacy McGee	OAK	13	15	15	11	7	61
59	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	13	15	14	12	7	61
60	John Jenkins	SEA	15	14	15	10	7	61
61	Al Woods	TEN	13	12	17	12	7	61
62	Sen'Derrick Marks	JAX	15	14	13	11	7	60
63	Jordan Phillips	MIA	16	13	14	10	7	60
64	Beau Allen	PHI	14	13	16	10	7	60
65	Mike Purcell	SF	14	12	16	11	7	60
66	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	15	14	13	10	7	59
67	Justin Ellis	OAK	15	12	14	11	7	59
68	Cullen Jenkins	WAS	16	13	13	10	7	59
69	Kyle Love	CAR	13	11	16	11	7	58
70	Domata Peko	CIN	14	13	14	10	7	58
71	Shamar Stephens	MIN	14	13	14	10	7	58
72	Rodney Gunter	ARI	14	12	14	10	7	57
73	Tyson Jackson	ATL	14	12	13	11	7	57
74	Vince Wilfork	HOU	14	12	14	10	7	57
75	Austin Johnson	TEN	14	11	15	10	7	57
76	Sylvester Williams	DEN	14	13	12	10	7	56
77	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	14	13	12	10	7	56
78	Sheldon Day	JAX	14	12	13	10	7	56
79	Damion Square	SD	14	12	13	10	7	56
80	Paul Soliai	CAR	12	11	15	10	7	55
81	Cam Thomas	LA	14	11	12	10	7	54
82	Pat Sims	CIN	12	10	14	10	7	53
83	Tyeler Davison	NO	13	12	11	10	7	53
84	T.Y. McGill	IND	12	12	11	10	7	52
85	David Parry	IND	11	10	10	9	7	47

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Brandon Mebane—injury
• Caraun Reid—injury
• Sharrif Floyd—injury
• Khyri Thornton—injury
• Zach Kerr—inactive
• Daniel McCullers—insufficient snaps
• Ra'Shede Hageman—inactive
• Leon Orr—inactive
• Abry Jones—inactive
• Corbin Bryant—inactive
• Vernon Butler—inactive
• Deon Simon—insufficient snaps

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Sunday Night Football in Denver was the time and the place for the best 3-4 outside linebacker play of the 2016 season. Von Miller and Justin Houston put on a show with three sacks apiece and the position's best overall grades of the year. Yet lost in the greatness of Miller and Houston was how well the other 3-4 outside linebackers played, most notably Tamba Hali, DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray. Everyone will remember SNF for its wild ending, but it was also a clinic in how the position should be played. 

Five of the top six 3-4 outside linebackers in Week 12 came from Denver or Kansas City. The loner in the group was Houston's Whitney Mercilus, who quietly put together his best game of the 2016 season. He didn't have a sack, but he lived in San Diego's backfield Sunday—both as a pass-rusher and a run defender.

Save for the SNF group and Mercilus, it was a quiet week for 3-4 outside linebackers. Only 14 players graded at 70 or above, while 24 produced grades at 64 or lower.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Von Miller	DEN	27	18	12	21	8	86
2	Justin Houston	KC	28	18	9	22	8	85
3	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	25	17	9	22	8	81
4	Tamba Hali	KC	24	18	9	21	8	80
5	DeMarcus Ware	DEN	24	16	9	20	8	77
6	Shane Ray	DEN	23	14	11	18	8	74
7	Terrell Suggs	BAL	25	12	9	19	8	73
8	Ahmad Brooks	SF	21	16	9	19	8	73
9	Nick Perry	GB	23	13	9	20	8	73
10	Julius Peppers	GB	25	12	9	17	8	71
11	Elvis Dumervil	BAL	23	12	10	18	8	71
12	James Harrison	PIT	22	13	10	18	8	71
13	Melvin Ingram	SD	24	12	9	17	8	70
14	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	21	14	9	18	8	70
15	Ryan Kerrigan	WAS	22	12	9	18	8	69
16	Chandler Jones	ARI	21	13	9	18	8	69
17	Jerry Hughes	BUF	19	14	9	18	8	68
18	Datone Jones	GB	23	11	9	18	8	69
19	Lorenzo Alexander	BUF	22	12	9	17	8	68
20	Corey Lemonier	CLE	21	10	10	18	8	67
21	Derrick Morgan	TEN	20	10	10	18	8	66
22	Jamie Collins	CLE	15	14	9	19	8	65
23	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	20	11	9	17	8	65
24	Jarvis Jones	PIT	17	14	9	17	8	65
25	Eli Harold	SF	20	12	9	16	8	65
26	Kyle Emanuel	SD	17	12	10	18	8	65
27	Matt Judon	BAL	19	12	10	16	8	65
28	Shaq Lawson	BUF	19	12	9	16	8	64
29	Trent Murphy	WAS	19	11	10	16	8	64
30	Bud Dupree	PIT	18	12	9	17	8	64
31	Brian Orakpo	TEN	18	11	10	16	8	63
32	Markus Golden	ARI	23	10	7	15	8	63
33	Willie Young	CHI	19	12	8	16	8	63
34	Pernell McPhee	CHI	17	12	9	17	8	63
35	Albert McClellan	BAL	16	11	10	18	8	63
36	Jerry Attaochu	SD	21	10	8	16	8	63
37	Akeem Ayers	IND	17	12	10	16	8	63
38	Anthony Chickillo	PIT	18	11	9	16	8	62
39	Jayrone Elliott	GB	18	10	9	17	8	62
40	Chris Landrum	SD	18	10	9	16	8	61
41	Tank Carradine	SF	17	12	8	16	8	61
42	Alex Okafor	ARI	18	11	8	16	8	61
43	Robert Mathis	IND	18	10	9	16	8	61
44	Sam Acho	CHI	16	11	9	16	8	60
45	Frank Zombo	KC	17	11	9	15	8	60
46	David Bass	TEN	18	10	9	15	8	60
47	Cam Johnson	CLE	16	12	9	15	8	60
48	Erik Walden	IND	17	10	7	17	8	59
49	Lavar Edwards	IND	16	9	9	15	8	57
50	Preston Smith	WAS	16	9	9	15	8	57
51	Arthur Moats	PIT	15	9	10	15	8	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Za'Darius Smith—injury
• Leonard Floyd—injury
• John Simon—injury
• Dee Ford—injury
• Tourek Williams—insufficient snaps
• Aaron Lynch—injury
• Kevin Dodd—inactive

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

All of the big boys came to play this weekend. The top of this week's list looks like an All-Star listing. The best players at the position gave it their best effort, and their defenses were better for it.

While almost all of the best players at the position had excellent performances, Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee claimed the No. 1 spot. Lee stole the spotlight on the NFL's biggest non-postseason stage: Thanksgiving Day.

His efforts, particularly in the running game, kept Washington's offense from scoring as many points as it should have. Against what had been an improving Washington rushing attack, Lee patrolled the line of scrimmage and seldom let anyone sneak by him. Not only that, but Lee found runners behind the line of scrimmage too. He was a dominant force who pushed Washington into passing the ball a bit more than it probably would've liked to. 

Once again, Bruce Irvin of the Raiders had himself quite a day. Every few games, Irvin's menacing pass-rushing skills show up. This week, against a crippled Panthers offensive line, Irvin unleashed himself. He constantly put pressure on Cam Newton in the pocket and made the reigning MVP as uncomfortable as possible. Irvin showed up as a run defender too after a slightly rough start in that area. But as the game picked up, he amped up his play and did his job to contain the Panthers' perimeter rushing.

One of the only "top" players at the position to have a poor Week 12 showing was Vontaze Burfict of the Bengals. He had a hand in a few big plays here and there, but for the most part, Burfict was lumbering around. He looked largely disinterested, especially when asked to make plays in space. His effort picked up some in the second half, but it was still not nearly what it needed to be for an NFL player of his caliber. Hopefully this does not continue next week.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Sean Lee	DAL	20	21	9	21	6	77
2	Bruce Irvin	OAK	18	19	12	21	6	76
3	Anthony Barr	MIN	16	19	13	21	6	75
4	K.J. Wright	SEA	20	21	7	21	6	75
5	Telvin Smith	JAX	18	22	8	20	6	74
6	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	21	19	7	20	6	73
7	Thomas Davis	CAR	19	19	9	19	6	72
8	Nigel Bradham	PHI	18	20	7	21	6	72
9	Chad Greenway	MIN	20	17	9	19	6	71
10	Devon Kennard	NYG	18	19	9	17	6	69
11	Lavonte David	TB	17	17	9	20	6	69
12	Jonathan Casillas	NYG	19	19	7	17	6	68
13	Josh Bynes	DET	18	16	7	20	6	67
14	Darron Lee	NYJ	16	18	8	18	6	66
15	Myles Jack	JAX	17	15	9	18	6	65
16	Vincent Rey	CIN	16	18	7	17	6	64
17	Damien Wilson	DAL	16	17	7	18	6	64
18	Mark Barron	LA	14	19	9	16	6	64
19	Rob Ninkovich	NE	15	17	9	17	6	64
20	Craig Robertson	NO	15	18	7	18	6	64
21	Kevin Pierre-Louis	SEA	16	18	7	17	6	64
22	Philip Wheeler	ATL	15	16	8	18	6	63
23	Cory Littleton	LA	15	17	7	18	6	63
24	Shaq Thompson	CAR	16	16	7	17	6	62
25	Kyle Van Noy	NE	14	16	10	16	6	62
26	Donald Butler	MIA	16	17	7	16	6	62
27	Mychal Kendricks	PHI	16	17	7	16	6	62
28	Daryl Smith	TB	16	16	7	17	6	62
29	Dannell Ellerbe	NO	14	15	10	16	6	61
30	Karlos Dansby	CIN	15	16	7	16	6	60
31	Justin Durant	DAL	14	16	7	17	6	60
32	Mike Catapano	NYJ	16	15	8	15	6	60
33	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	16	16	7	15	6	60
34	Vontaze Burfict	CIN	14	16	7	15	6	58
35	Jelani Jenkins	MIA	17	15	8	12	6	58
36	Malcolm Smith	OAK	15	14	7	16	6	58
37	Shea McClellin	NE	15	14	7	15	6	57
38	Keenan Robinson	NYG	15	15	7	14	6	57
39	Neville Hewitt	MIA	13	15	7	15	6	56

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Paul Worrilow—insufficient snaps
• Sean Weatherspoon—insufficient snaps
• Andrew Gachkar—insufficient snaps
• DeAndre Levy—injury
• Zaviar Gooden—insufficient snaps
• Dan Skuta—insufficient snaps
• Arthur Brown—insufficient snaps
• Koa Misi—insufficient snaps
• Stephone Anthony—insufficient snaps
• Jaylon Smith—injury

Inside Linebackers

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

We’ve been talking up Atlanta rookie inside linebacker Deion Jones all season, and Jones had what may have been his best game against the Cardinals last Sunday. Jones didn’t show up in the stat sheet in some incredible way—three solo tackles—but the tape showed a guy in control of his game and his opponent. 

One issue with smaller linebackers like Jones is how well they face up against the run. Well, Jones broke through to stop running back David Johnson on a first-quarter, goal-line stand and later stuffed Johnson for a one-yard loss.

But it was his near-interception of Carson Palmer's pass late in the third quarter that will really blow you away. Johnson started at the line of scrimmage reading run, diagnosed the deep throw to Michael Floyd and somehow trucked 15 yards downfield in the blink of an eye. As the ball came in, Jones jumped two feet off the ground to deflect the pass and nearly came down with it. It was an extreme effort and the kind of play we’re getting used to from Jones. That’s why he’s our top inside linebacker this week.

Meanwhile, the Panthers got an object lesson in great vs. good when Luke Kuechly was sidelined with a concussion and A.J. Klein was in his place.

It’s not that Klein was bad—he had a good game with five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. And maybe it’s not fair to compare him to Kuechly, who has the NFL’s best combination of instincts and athleticism at his position. But with Klein, you could see him pull up and hesitate on certain plays for just a split second, whereas Kuechly would crash through and dominate. In the NFL, a split second is all it takes. That’s the difference between good and great.

San Francisco's close loss to Miami was most notable for Colin Kaepernick's strong performance, but inside linebacker Nick Bellore had quite a game himself. Bellore lined up in the traditional inside linebacker positions with Michael Wilhoite and Gerald Hodges, but he also served as the lone inside man when the 49ers went nickel and also stood up at the line in various defensive tackle gaps. He was less dynamic in pass coverage but did a nice job on a few designed blitzes, and he was good on his tackling targets in space.

On the downside, there was what the Redskins had to deal with in the Cowboys offense on Thanksgiving night. Mason Foster, Will Compton and Su'a Cravens were routinely overpowered and befuddled by Dallas' lethal combination of quick-strike passes, option looks, misdirection plays and straight-up old-school bullyball. It was a stark reminder to the rest of the league's linebacker corps just how difficult Dallas' attack is to stop.

The matchup between the Texans and Chargers was filled with impressive play from inside linebackers. On both sides, the inside linebackers were facilitators and playmakers off whom the rest of the defense could feed. The Chargers players, though, were especially on their game. Denzel Perryman, a blossoming star at linebacker, and Korey Toomer, a former Raiders castoff, made it tough for the Texans to accomplish anything at the second level. The duo worked in unison to shut down a number of run plays while also doing their part in the passing game.

Though they did not face each other, both the Ravens' and the Steelers' linebacker duos were menacing this week. To no surprise, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was the best of the bunch. He caused mayhem for the Colts on Thanksgiving and negated what little chance they had of moving the ball without Andrew Luck.

From the other AFC North squad, it was Zach Orr who had the more impressive performance for the Ravens. C.J. Mosley posted his usual good-not-great game, but Orr had quite a day in run defense, often doing an excellent job of filling the lanes that his defensive line provided for him.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Deion Jones	ATL	23	31	9	12	6	81
2	Tahir Whitehead	DET	22	30	9	13	6	80
3	Eric Kendricks	MIN	19	28	11	11	6	75
4	Jordan Hicks	PHI	17	28	12	12	6	75
5	Ryan Shazier	PIT	19	30	8	12	6	75
6	Denzel Perryman	SD	18	31	8	12	6	75
7	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	21	30	7	11	6	75
8	Zach Orr	BAL	18	30	9	11	6	74
9	Clay Matthews	GB	18	26	13	11	6	74
10	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	18	28	10	11	6	73
11	Paul Posluszny	JAX	18	29	9	11	6	73
12	Korey Toomer	SD	18	30	7	12	6	73
13	Nick Bellore	SF	18	27	11	11	6	73
14	Dont'a Hightower	NE	18	31	7	11	6	73
15	Brian Cushing	HOU	17	29	8	11	6	71
16	Kwon Alexander	TB	17	25	12	11	6	71
17	C.J. Mosley	BAL	18	28	7	11	6	70
18	Zach Brown	BUF	18	27	8	11	6	70
19	Christian Kirksey	CLE	18	28	7	11	6	70
20	Derrick Johnson	KC	18	29	7	10	6	70
21	A.J. Klein	CAR	16	27	9	11	6	69
22	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	18	26	8	11	6	69
23	Max Bullough	HOU	20	25	7	11	6	69
24	Rey Maualuga	CIN	20	25	7	10	6	68
25	Joe L. Thomas	GB	17	24	12	9	6	68
26	David Harris	NYJ	18	25	7	12	6	68
27	Kevin Minter	ARI	17	25	8	11	6	67
28	Deone Bucannon	ARI	21	21	9	10	6	67
29	Alec Ogletree	LA	17	24	11	9	6	67
30	Gerald Hodges	SF	13	28	8	12	6	67
31	Sean Spence	TEN	17	27	7	10	6	67
32	Preston Brown	BUF	19	22	8	11	6	66
33	Danny Trevathan	CHI	15	27	7	11	6	66
34	Lawrence Timmons	PIT	15	27	7	11	6	66
35	Bobby Wagner	SEA	15	27	7	11	6	66
36	Avery Williamson	TEN	13	26	9	11	6	65
37	Ramik Wilson	KC	16	25	7	10	6	64
38	Brandon Marshall	DEN	17	23	7	10	6	63
39	Todd Davis	DEN	18	21	7	10	6	62
40	Michael Wilhoite	SF	13	25	8	10	6	62
41	D.J. Alexander	KC	15	23	7	10	6	61
42	Kiko Alonso	MIA	16	20	7	11	6	60
43	Audie Cole	MIN	14	22	8	10	6	60
44	Nick Kwiatkoski	CHI	15	21	7	10	6	59
45	Mason Foster	WAS	16	20	7	10	6	59
46	Kelvin Sheppard	NYG	12	23	8	9	6	58
47	Cory James	OAK	15	20	7	10	6	58
48	D'Qwell Jackson	IND	15	17	8	10	6	56
49	Su'a Cravens	WAS	16	17	7	10	6	56
50	Antwione Williams	DET	13	18	8	9	6	54
51	Will Compton	WAS	15	18	7	8	6	54
52	LaRoy Reynolds	ATL	12	19	7	8	6	52
53	Edwin Jackson	IND	14	14	9	9	6	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• NaVorro Bowman—injury
• Ray-Ray Armstrong—injury
• Jerrell Freeman—suspension
• Sean Weatherspoon—injury
• Luke Kuechly—injury
• Blake Martinez—injury
• Jake Ryan—injury
• Stephen Tulloch—insufficient snaps
• Demario Davis—insufficient snaps
• Sio Moore—insufficient snaps
• Antonio Morrison—insufficient snaps
• Manti Te'o—injury

Cornerbacks

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Denver’s Chris Harris has been one of the most consistent corners in the league. Sunday night against Kansas City was no different. Harris was targeted eight times, giving up three catches for eight yards. He was only beaten once in coverage all game and also had some nice tackles, including a tackle for loss. 

On the other side, it was another night to forget for Phillip Gaines. Playing outside in the Chiefs' base defense and in the slot on obvious passing downs, Gaines surrendered six catches for 209 yards. Three of those catches went for over 20 yards, including a touchdown and another penalty. If not for a couple of passes he was able to break up, Gaines' grade would have been one of the worst of the week.

The Steelers' starting corners combined to give up four catches on 10 targets for 41 yards. Ross Cockrell had a sack, and William Gay broke up a pass himself, had a sack and an interception. Pittsburgh continues to get good play out of its corners, and that is reflected with the duo being ranked third and fourth, respectively, this week.

Darrelle Revis is clearly not the same player he once was. He went from being rarely thrown at to being the main target for offenses. This week, Revis gave up four of six targets for 41 yards and two touchdowns—neither of which he was in position to make a play on—a couple of first downs and a key 20-plus-yard reception to Julian Edelman.

Week 12 proved to be a challenging one for several highly paid NFC cornerbacks. With stars like Mo Claiborne and Desmond Trufant sidelined due to injury, the conference struggled to produce above expectations. The only NFC corners who finished in the top 10 this week were Xavier Rhodes and Robert Alford.

Rhodes played well on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions, limiting his assignment to three receptions and two first downs. The duo of Marvin Jones and Golden Tate can torture less disciplined cornerbacks with their superb route running and timing of their breaks, but Rhodes showed awareness and control; he was in proper positioning to compete at the catch point throughout the game.

Alford had a solid outing, as well. Without Desmond Trufant as a buffer, Alford was targeted seven times, allowing just two receptions. Both went for first downs, and one was a blown coverage, but the positives from his performance outweighed the misstep. Alford is a tough competitor with plus-quickness on underneath routes.

On the other end of the spectrum were the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers cornerbacks. Each team’s respective unit has consistently struggled due to their youth. It’s normal for first- and second-year corners to take time to find their footing, but the pressure has gotten the best of the developing talent for those teams.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	24	26	16	7	9	82
2	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	24	23	17	7	9	80
3	William Gay	PIT	22	24	18	7	9	80
4	Ross Cockrell	PIT	24	23	16	6	9	78
5	Byron Maxwell	MIA	23	24	15	5	9	76
6	Xavier Rhodes	MIN	22	21	18	6	9	76
7	Dre Kirkpatrick	CIN	22	23	16	5	9	75
8	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	22	23	16	5	9	75
9	Casey Hayward	SD	24	22	15	5	9	75
10	Robert Alford	ATL	21	20	18	6	9	74
11	Adam Jones	CIN	22	21	16	6	9	74
12	Trevor Williams	SD	22	23	15	5	9	74
13	Darius Slay	DET	19	21	18	6	9	73
14	Eric Rowe	NE	22	21	16	5	9	73
15	Alterraun Verner	TB	20	20	18	6	9	73
16	Bashaud Breeland	WAS	20	21	18	5	9	73
17	A.J. Bouye	HOU	19	21	16	7	9	72
18	Logan Ryan	NE	21	20	16	5	9	71
19	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	NYG	19	18	19	6	9	71
20	D.J. Hayden	OAK	22	19	16	5	9	71
21	Richard Sherman	SEA	19	18	18	7	9	71
22	Ronald Darby	BUF	19	20	16	6	9	70
23	Tony Lippett	MIA	19	21	16	5	9	70
24	Eli Apple	NYG	19	19	18	5	9	70
25	Artie Burns	PIT	20	19	16	6	9	70
26	Patrick Peterson	ARI	18	18	17	7	9	69
27	Nickell Robey-Coleman	BUF	18	19	17	6	9	69
28	Jamar Taylor	CLE	19	19	16	6	9	69
29	Delvin Breaux	NO	18	19	17	6	9	69
30	Kevon Seymour	BUF	18	19	16	6	9	68
31	Aqib Talib	DEN	19	19	16	5	9	68
32	Brent Grimes	TB	18	18	19	4	9	68
33	Josh Norman	WAS	17	18	17	7	9	68
34	Stephon Gilmore	BUF	18	18	16	6	9	67
35	Lamarcus Joyner	LA	18	17	18	5	9	67
36	Corey White	BUF	17	18	16	6	9	66
37	Marcus Peters	KC	18	18	16	5	9	66
38	Janoris Jenkins	NYG	17	18	17	5	9	66
39	Shareece Wright	BAL	19	17	15	5	9	65
40	Brandon Carr	DAL	18	18	15	5	9	65
41	Bradley Roby	DEN	18	17	16	5	9	65
42	Sean Smith	OAK	18	19	15	4	9	65
43	Tavon Young	BAL	18	19	15	3	9	64
44	Rashaan Melvin	IND	19	16	15	5	9	64
45	Aaron Colvin	JAX	17	17	16	5	9	64
46	Trumaine Johnson	LA	17	17	16	5	9	64
47	Trae Waynes	MIN	16	17	16	6	9	64
48	Buster Skrine	NYJ	17	17	16	5	9	64
49	Tyrann Mathieu	ARI	17	16	16	5	9	63
50	Prince Amukamara	JAX	16	16	16	6	9	63
51	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	15	17	16	6	9	63
52	Patrick Robinson	IND	17	15	16	5	9	62
53	Darius Butler	IND	16	16	16	5	9	62
54	Captain Munnerlyn	MIN	15	16	17	5	9	62
55	Jalen Collins	ATL	16	17	14	5	9	61
56	Brian Poole	ATL	15	14	16	7	9	61
57	Orlando Scandrick	DAL	16	15	16	5	9	61
58	Kareem Jackson	HOU	17	15	15	5	9	61
59	Daryl Roberts	NYJ	16	16	15	5	9	61
60	Neiko Thorpe	SEA	15	17	14	6	9	61
61	Jerraud Powers	BAL	16	15	15	5	9	60
62	Bryce Callahan	CHI	14	15	16	6	9	60
63	Perrish Cox	TEN	15	15	16	5	9	60
64	Quinten Rollins	GB	14	15	16	5	9	59
65	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	15	14	15	6	9	59
66	Kenneth Acker	KC	15	16	14	5	9	59
67	Bobby McCain	MIA	17	14	15	4	9	59
68	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	16	15	14	5	9	59
69	T.J. Carrie	OAK	15	14	16	5	9	59
70	Nevin Lawson	DET	15	14	15	5	9	58
71	Damarious Randall	GB	15	14	14	6	9	58
72	Nolan Carroll	PHI	14	14	15	6	9	58
73	Jimmie Ward	SF	15	14	14	6	9	58
74	Brice McCain	TEN	14	15	15	5	9	58
75	Marcus Cooper	ARI	14	15	14	5	9	57
76	Cre'von LeBlanc	CHI	13	15	15	5	9	57
77	Jalen Mills	PHI	14	16	14	4	9	57
78	Rashard Robinson	SF	13	14	15	6	9	57
79	James Bradberry	CAR	14	14	14	5	9	56
80	Daryl Worley	CAR	13	14	14	6	9	56
81	Leonard Johnson	CAR	14	13	15	5	9	56
82	Joe Haden	CLE	14	15	14	4	9	56
83	Quandre Diggs	DET	14	14	13	6	9	56
84	Sterling Moore	NO	13	13	16	5	9	56
85	Tracy Porter	CHI	13	14	14	5	9	55
86	Tramaine Brock	SF	14	14	13	5	9	55
87	Trevin Wade	NYG	13	13	14	5	9	54
88	Antwon Blake	TEN	13	14	13	5	9	54
89	Malcolm Butler	NE	14	13	13	4	9	53
90	Jeremy Lane	SEA	12	13	14	5	9	53
91	Jason McCourty	TEN	14	12	13	5	9	53
92	Robert McCain	CAR	12	13	12	6	9	52
93	Phillip Gaines	KC	13	12	13	5	9	52
94	Ladarius Gunter	GB	12	12	13	5	9	51
95	Vontae Davis	IND	12	11	13	5	9	50
96	Leodis McKelvin	PHI	11	13	13	4	9	50
97	Craig Mager	SD	12	12	13	4	9	50
98	Kendall Fuller	WAS	12	13	12	4	9	50
99	E.J. Gaines	LA	10	11	14	5	9	49
100	B.W. Webb	NO	12	11	13	4	9	49
101	LeShaun Sims	TEN	11	11	13	5	9	49
102	Anthony Brown	DAL	11	12	11	5	9	48
103	D.J. White	KC	11	11	12	5	9	48
104	Antonio Hamilton	OAK	10	10	12	5	9	46
105	Darqueze Dennard	CIN	10	9	12	5	9	45

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jimmy Smith—injury
• Jason Verrett—injury
• Brandon Flowers—injury
• Desmond Trufant—injury
• Sam Shields—injury
• DeShawn Shead—injury
• Morris Claiborne—injury

Free Safeties

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Buccaneers safety Bradley McDougald had a solid outing against the Seahawks this week. He made two flash plays in the fourth quarter, both critical to the Buccaneers sealing an upset victory. On a third down late in the game, the Seahawks looked to hit receiver Tyler Lockett to convert and keep the drive alive. McDougald read the play perfectly, however, breaking on it quickly and landing a huge hit on Lockett, separating the ball from the receiver and saving the first down.

His second big play sealed the game. The Seahawks again looked to Lockett, this time on a route down the seam. McDougald read the route the whole way, staying on top of it and breaking on the ball as soon as it was thrown. McDougald beat Lockett to the catch point and came away with the interception.

Broncos safety Darian Stewart had an uncharacteristic performance this week against the Chiefs. Stewart has been one of the better safeties this year and was set to be the top free agent on the market at the end of the season. But before the game, the Broncos gave him a new contract.

Stewart's performance following that new contract was his worst of the season, as he spent most of the game missing tackles. He missed two tackles in the backfield—one in the second quarter after he burst through the line of scrimmage untouched, and the other in overtime on a similar play. He filled in well on a run play in the third quarter but again missed a tackle. A few series later, Stewart read a screen play perfectly, breaking down on it and avoiding the blockers to get to the running back. But again, Stewart missed the tackle and gave up extra yards.

The biggest missed tackle, however, came in overtime. He broke down on an underneath route to tight end Travis Kelce on third down but missed the tackle again, allowing Kelce to pick up the first down and get the Chiefs even closer for a game-winning field goal. Kelce picked up 16 yards on the play when Stewart could have stopped him after about five. The Chiefs kicked the field goal on the next play, as it bounced in off the upright. Who knows what might have happened if the kick had to travel an extra 10 yards.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	GB	24	24	6	16	8	78
2	Bradley McDougald	TB	24	24	6	16	8	78
3	Ricardo Allen	ATL	24	24	5	16	8	77
4	Harrison Smith	MIN	23	24	6	16	8	77
5	Devin McCourty	NE	24	23	6	16	8	77
6	Mike Mitchell	PIT	24	23	6	16	8	77
7	Lardarius Webb	BAL	23	23	7	15	8	76
8	D.J. Swearinger	ARI	23	23	6	15	8	75
9	Justin Simmons	DEN	22	23	6	16	8	75
10	Dwight Lowery	SD	23	22	6	16	8	75
11	Byron Jones	DAL	22	23	6	15	8	74
12	Glover Quin	DET	21	24	5	16	8	74
13	Isa Abdul-Quddus	MIA	23	23	5	15	8	74
14	Tre Boston	CAR	22	21	6	15	8	72
15	Ron Parker	KC	21	21	6	16	8	72
16	Jairus Byrd	NO	22	21	5	16	8	72
17	Rodney McLeod	PHI	21	23	5	15	8	72
18	Steven Terrell	SEA	22	20	6	16	8	72
19	Andrew Adams	NYG	22	20	5	16	8	71
20	Jeff Heath	DAL	21	20	5	16	8	70
21	Duron Harmon	NE	21	20	5	16	8	70
22	Reggie Nelson	OAK	20	20	6	16	8	70
23	Kevin Byard	TEN	21	20	5	16	8	70
24	George Iloka	CIN	21	20	5	15	8	69
25	Andre Hal	HOU	21	20	5	15	8	69
26	Vonn Bell	NO	20	21	5	15	8	69
27	Robert Blanton	BUF	20	20	5	15	8	68
28	Michael Griffin	CAR	19	19	6	16	8	68
29	Adrian Amos	CHI	20	20	5	15	8	68
30	T.J. Green	IND	20	20	5	15	8	68
31	Michael Thomas	MIA	21	19	5	15	8	68
32	Antoine Bethea	SF	20	19	6	15	8	68
33	Corey Graham	BUF	20	19	5	15	8	67
34	Ed Reynolds	CLE	20	20	4	15	8	67
35	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	19	19	5	15	8	66
36	Rashad Johnson	TEN	19	19	4	16	8	66
37	Will Blackmon	WAS	19	20	4	15	8	66
38	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	19	18	4	15	8	64
39	Maurice Alexander	LA	19	18	5	14	8	64
40	Darian Stewart	DEN	19	19	5	12	8	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Clayton Geathers—inactive
• Earl Thomas—inactive
• Ibraheim Campbell—insufficient snaps
• Kentrell Brice—insufficient snaps
• Cody Davis—insufficient snaps
• Nat Berhe—insufficient snaps

Strong Safeties

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Bacarri Rambo, who the Dolphins signed Oct. 25, had a strong performance this week. He started off the game on a big play, breaking down from his single deep safety assignment to land a big hit on an underneath route, forcing a fumble that a teammate recovered. On the next series, Rambo lined up over the slot receiver, read the out route from the slot perfectly, broke on it to undercut the throw and got his hand on the ball to break up the pass.

J.J. Wilcox continues to fill in well for the injured Barry Church in Dallas. The Cowboys safety faced a tough challenge against a talented Washington offense that boasts one of the top tight ends in the game in Jordan Reed. Washington will often dump the ball off to Reed on a checkdown and allow him to avoid or break tackles to pick up yards after the catch.

But Wilcox didn't allow it. He set the tone in the first quarter, breaking down on a pass to Reed in the flat. He made a strong tackle just after the ball arrived, keeping the gain to a minimum and stopping any chance of Reed picking up yards after the catch.

Wilcox also made two flash plays. First was a play that came from film study. Washington likes to run a play with three receivers running deep clearing routes from one side of the field while a fourth receiver or a tight end runs a crossing route underneath it. It's the team's version of a 3rd-and-long screen pass. Wilcox had seen the play before, as he instantly recognized the route and broke from the far side of the field down to the crossing route, landing a huge hit as the ball arrived to break up the pass.

Later on, Wilcox blew up a run, charging up to the line of scrimmage on a safety blitz late in the play clock. Washington didn't have time to adjust its blocking assignments, and Wilcox blew up the run play by taking on the lead blocker and shoving him back. His teammates came in behind him to make the tackle on the running back to complete the play.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Kam Chancellor	SEA	20	20	16	16	6	78
2	Bacarri Rambo	MIA	20	19	15	16	6	76
3	Keanu Neal	ATL	19	19	15	16	6	75
4	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	20	19	15	15	6	75
5	Eric Berry	KC	19	20	15	15	6	75
6	Malcolm Jenkins	PHI	19	19	15	16	6	75
7	Jahleel Addae	SD	19	18	16	16	6	75
8	Da'Norris Searcy	TEN	19	19	15	16	6	75
9	Tony Jefferson	ARI	19	19	15	15	6	74
10	Morgan Burnett	GB	19	18	15	16	6	74
11	Eric Weddle	BAL	18	18	15	16	6	73
12	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	19	18	15	15	6	73
13	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	18	19	15	15	6	73
14	Rontez Miles	NYJ	18	18	15	16	6	73
15	Josh Shaw	CIN	18	18	14	16	6	72
16	T.J. Ward	DEN	18	17	15	16	6	72
17	Landon Collins	NYG	17	17	16	16	6	72
18	Jaylen Watkins	PHI	17	18	15	16	6	72
19	Andrew Sendejo	MIN	18	17	15	15	6	71
20	Patrick Chung	NE	17	17	15	16	6	71
21	Karl Joseph	OAK	17	17	15	16	6	71
22	Kurt Coleman	CAR	18	16	15	15	6	70
23	Clayton Fejedelem	CIN	17	16	15	16	6	70
24	Miles Killebrew	DET	16	17	15	16	6	70
25	Sean Davis	PIT	18	17	14	15	6	70
26	Jaquiski Tartt	SF	16	17	15	16	6	70
27	Chris Conte	TB	17	17	14	16	6	70
28	Kavon Frazier	DAL	17	17	13	16	6	69
29	Johnathan Cyprien	JAX	17	16	15	15	6	69
30	T.J. McDonald	LA	16	17	15	15	6	69
31	Adrian Phillips	SD	16	16	15	16	6	69
32	Duke Ihenacho	WAS	17	16	15	15	6	69
33	James Ihedigbo	BUF	16	16	15	15	6	68
34	Deon Bush	CHI	16	17	14	15	6	68
35	Tavon Wilson	DET	17	16	14	15	6	68
36	Quintin Demps	HOU	15	17	15	15	6	68
37	Mike Adams	IND	16	16	14	16	6	68
38	Daniel Sorensen	KC	16	17	14	15	6	68
39	Matt Elam	BAL	16	16	14	15	6	67
40	Derrick Kindred	CLE	16	16	14	15	6	67
41	Rafael Bush	DET	17	16	14	14	6	67
42	Eddie Pleasant	HOU	16	16	14	15	6	67
43	Donte Whitner	WAS	17	15	14	15	6	67
44	Jonathan Meeks	BUF	15	15	14	15	6	65

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Shawn Williams—inactive
• Barry Church—inactive
• Daimion Stafford—inactive
• Harold Jones-Quartey—insufficient snaps
• Will Parks—insufficient snaps
• Robert Golden—insufficient snaps

Kickers

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Baltimore's Justin Tucker is having a career year to this point, with Week 12 being one of the top games he has ever turned in. His performance is up there with Dan Bailey's Week 1 game as one of the best showings by a kicker this year. Tucker made all four of his field-goal attempts, including kicks from 52, 54 and 57 yards, and tossed in an extra point for good measure. He is now a perfect 27-of-27 on the season on field goals and still has not missed an extra point in his career. While Tucker had some struggles from distance in recent years, he is on top of his game and a joy to watch.

Detroit's Matt Prater had some Thanksgiving heroics while continuing his strong 2016 campaign. He had some challenging early years with Denver, but he's been rock-solid the past two seasons for Detroit and is an asset because of his accuracy from distance. According to PFF, Prater made nearly 78 percent of his 44 field-goal attempts from 50 yards or more. As the Lions look to continue challenging for a playoff berth, they can trot out their kicker in close games and know he can deliver.

Philadelphia's Caleb Sturgis, Atlanta's Matt Bryant and the always dependable Dallas Cowboy Dan Bailey fill out the remaining spots in the top five. Sturgis is having the best year of his young career, and while it is too early to say if the improvements are permanent, he has been consistent for the Eagles this year and is also connecting on long kicks at the best rate of his career. Bryant, the 41-year-old veteran, rarely does anything flashy, but he is proving his 2015 season is the outlier and not the new normal.

The only question surrounding Bailey at this point is whether a team would choose him or Tucker with a game on the line this year, as the two of them have separated from the pack as the top kickers in the league thus far.

There are several odd names at the bottom of this week's list, starting with Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins, who continues his recent struggles. Hopkins is not showing any consistent mechanical flaws, which is both good news and bad news. On the plus side, there is not a specific underlying issue affecting his kicks on a regular basis. On the downside, his issues are inconsistent, and he is showing more variation in his mechanics than is ideal. Hopkins may take a couple of weeks to get sorted out, but he still has some of the best raw talent in the league.

Also near the bottom are veterans Robbie Gould and Adam Vinatieri, who are likely making quick stops in this neck of the woods before returning to strong performances. More concerning are the continued struggles of Cincinnati's Mike Nugent and Buffalo's Dan Carpenter, who are turning in below-average seasons. Carpenter continues to deal with issues on extra points, and there is now enough statistical data to show there is something affecting him on these kicks that does not affect him on field goals. Meanwhile, Nugent has struggled everywhere, particularly from long distance (0-of-3 from 50 yards or more this season).

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Justin Tucker	BAL	36	40	5	3	84
2	Matt Prater	DET	32	35	5	3	75
3	Caleb Sturgis	PHI	33	34	5	3	75
4	Matt Bryant	ATL	31	34	5	3	73
5	Dan Bailey	DAL	32	33	5	3	73
6	Wil Lutz	NO	31	34	5	3	73
7	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	33	31	5	3	72
8	Ryan Succop	TEN	31	33	5	3	72
9	Mason Crosby	GB	31	33	5	3	72
10	Andrew Franks	MIA	31	32	5	3	71
11	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	31	32	5	3	71
12	Cairo Santos	KC	31	32	5	3	71
13	Chris Boswell	PIT	32	30	5	3	70
14	Jason Myers	JAX	32	29	5	3	69
15	Kai Forbath	MIN	30	31	5	3	69
16	Phil Dawson	SF	30	31	5	3	69
17	Brandon McManus	DEN	31	30	5	3	69
18	Greg Zuerlein	LA	31	29	5	3	68
19	Steven Hauschka	SEA	31	29	5	3	68
20	Nick Novak	HOU	30	29	5	3	67
21	Connor Barth	CHI	30	28	5	3	66
22	Nick Folk	NYJ	32	26	5	3	66
23	Cody Parkey	CLE	30	27	5	3	65
24	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	31	25	5	3	64
25	Roberto Aguayo	TB	32	21	5	3	61
26	Josh Lambo	SD	29	23	5	3	60
27	Graham Gano	CAR	32	19	5	3	59
28	Robbie Gould	NYG	31	20	5	3	59
29	Mike Nugent	CIN	29	21	5	3	58
30	Adam Vinatieri	IND	29	21	5	3	58
31	Dan Carpenter	BUF	30	19	5	3	57
32	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	30	19	5	3	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Punters

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

It was a rather dismal week for punters overall, with just eight posting grades at or above 70. There wasn't a specific consistent issue across the NFL, but like Week 11, Week 12 of the 2016 season is going to go down as one of the more disappointing campaigns for the punter group as a whole.

However, let's start with the good. Sam Koch of the Ravens is in the top spot—though still only grading out at 73, several points lower than the best punter typically scores in a given week. Koch showed his typically strong directional game, booming a 63-yarder in the process. However, Koch's hang time was below average this week, representing the one weak point in his game and holding him back from a higher score.

The second-ranked punter is somewhat of a shock, as Matt Wile, in his first-ever NFL game, tied Koch's grade. Wile showed a massive leg, kicking just two punts on the week, but making the most of his limited action with distances of 57 and 59 yards. Surprisingly, Atlanta waived Wile on Tuesday.

Rounding out the top five are Minnesota's Jeff Locke, Kansas City's Dustin Colquitt and Dallas' Chris Jones, all of whom showed the same pattern of strong hang time and distance but only average ball placement. Locke has shown a stronger leg this year than he has in the past and continued that trend, while Colquitt and Jones performed better than their averages going into this week. Just below the top five are some of the big names, with Los Angeles' Johnny Hekker, Oakland's Marquette King and Seattle's Jon Ryan occupying the next three spots. All of them are likely to move back into the upper echelon in Week 13.

At the bottom of the list, Tennesee's Brett Kern continues a disappointing 2016 campaign after a phenomenal 2015, posting the worst score of the week and coming in below average in all aspects of the game. He showed a big leg last year with strong directional ability, but this year, he has struggled to hit his stride and has been slightly below average thus far. He has the talent to bounce back but seems to be out of rhythm and not connecting the same way he did in 2015.

Washington's Tress Way, Cincinnati's Kevin Huber, Arizona's Drew Butler and Chicago's Pat O'Donnell all struggled as well, with the first three finding themselves near the bottom rather often this year, though O'Donnell has been adequate for a Bears team that has used his services a lot.

Surprisingly, Thomas Morstead, the top punter of the first half of 2016, finds himself just outside the bottom five. He had two uncharacteristic touchbacks this week that drove down his accuracy score, though his power and hang time were in line with how he has performed throughout the rest of the year. Look for a bounce-back performance from the Saints punter next week.

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 12

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Sam Koch	BAL	17	12	38	3	3	73
2	Matt Wile	ATL	19	19	29	3	3	73
3	Jeff Locke	MIN	18	17	31	3	3	72
4	Dustin Colquitt	KC	16	18	31	3	3	71
5	Chris Jones	DAL	15	19	30	3	3	70
6	Johnny Hekker	LA	17	15	32	3	3	70
7	Marquette King	OAK	14	16	34	3	3	70
8	Jon Ryan	SEA	13	12	39	3	3	70
9	Brad Wing	NYG	14	11	38	3	3	69
10	Riley Dixon	DEN	14	15	34	3	3	69
11	Bryan Anger	TB	16	18	28	3	3	68
12	Jordan Berry	PIT	13	19	29	3	3	67
13	Ryan Allen	NE	14	12	35	3	3	67
14	Pat McAfee	IND	12	16	32	3	3	66
15	Jacob Schum	GB	16	15	29	3	3	66
16	Shane Lechler	HOU	15	14	30	3	3	65
17	Drew Kaser	SD	18	14	27	3	3	65
18	Donnie Jones	PHI	13	13	33	3	3	65
19	Brad Nortman	JAX	14	12	32	3	3	64
20	Britton Colquitt	CLE	12	14	32	3	3	64
21	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	12	16	30	3	3	64
22	Sam Martin	DET	12	17	28	3	3	63
23	Matt Darr	MIA	11	13	33	3	3	63
24	Bradley Pinion	SF	13	14	30	3	3	63
25	Andy Lee	CAR	13	16	28	3	3	63
26	Colton Schmidt	BUF	10	15	31	3	3	62
27	Thomas Morstead	NO	16	15	25	3	3	62
28	Tress Way	WAS	8	17	30	3	3	61
29	Kevin Huber	CIN	16	9	29	3	3	60
30	Drew Butler	ARI	11	12	28	3	3	57
31	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	12	10	28	3	3	56
32	Brett Kern	TEN	10	12	26	3	3	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Matt Bosher—injury