PFF grades: Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua “elite” in win over Bills

Kobie Turner headlined the defensive side of the ball for Rams

Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams put together their best offensive outing of the 2024 season on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. It was a complete game in terms of pass protection and multiple receivers contributing at a high level. Josh Allen had the performance of a lifetime and still couldn’t help the Bills leave LA with a victory.

The notes and takeaways aren’t as positive on the defensive side of the ball, but that’s what happens when you see two quarterbacks playing at the best of their capabilities.

These are the top five graded players on each side of the ball according to Pro Football Focus (PFF):

Top five grades on offense:

1 – Matthew Stafford, QB: 93.5

This was clearly Stafford’s best game on the season so far.

Most importantly, he kept the ball out of harm’s way and did not make a turnover-worthy play in this game according to PFF. PFF credit the veteran with four big-time throws.

Stafford finished 23 of 30 (77% completion) for 320 yards and two scores.

2 – Puka Nacua, WR: 92.3

It was clearly early on that the game plan was going to run through Nacua. The second-year receiver finished with 12 catches (on 14 targets) for 162 yards and a touchdown through the air. On the ground he also rushed five times for 16 yards and another score.

Nacua was heavily involved in the screen game, which lowered his average depth of target (ADOT) to 6.9 yards in this game.

3 – Alaric Jackson, LT: 89.5

Jackson was excellent in this game. He did not allow a single pressure to a Bills defense that has multiple capable pass rushers. Jackson was even better in the run game where PFF graded him at a mark of 90.6.

4 – Rob Havenstein, RT: 85.6

Havenstein returned last week from injury and has stabilized the offensive line. The biggest boost he gives the team is in the run game, where he graded at 90.5 (second to only Jackson).

On the downside, PFF credited Havenstein with three pressures. This was tied with Steve Avila for the worst on the OL in this game.

5 – Cooper Kupp, WR: 80.8

Kupp’s ADOT has been lower than normal since he returned from injury earlier this season. He posed a more vertical threat against the Bills, including a long jump ball touchdown, and stretched his average depth of target to 13.8 yards. PFF credited Kupp with hauling in two of his three contested catch opportunities.

Kupp finished catching five of his eight targets for 92 yards and a score.

Other notes on offense:

As noted above, Avila allowed the most pressures on the offensive line. The second-year guard has not played up to expectations since returning from injury. Versus Buffalo, he earned a pass blocking grade of 27.9 and was flagged for holding that temporary moved the Rams out of field goal range while they were trying to put the game away.

Would the Rams be better off putting Jonah Jackson in the starting line up left guard as they push to make a playoff run? You hate to bench a second-year player; however, Jackson might be the better option right now.

Top five grades on defense:

1 – Kobie Turner, DT: 81.1

Turner tied rookie Jared Verse for a team lead in pressures at four. LA notched 15 total pressures against Allen.

The second-year defender’s strongest contributions came in the run game where he recorded two stops and finished with a rush defense grade of 81.1.

2 – Kamren Kinchens, DB: 73.2

LA’s rookie safety was blamed for the 51-yard touchdown to Khalil Shakir. This was the only time he was targeted in coverage on Sunday. He also earned a pass breakup.

Kinchens flashed in coverage, more so in the first half versus the second. After a rough start to his rookie campaign, he’s finding ways to be a useful contributor and should be in line for a starting job in 2025.

3 – Jaylen McCollough, DB: 69.7

McCollough played 24 snaps with 22 coming in coverage. The rookie UDFA was not targeted and made a single tackle. It’s likely safe to conclude that McCollough was stingy in coverage and Allen decided against looking his way.

4 – Tyler Davis, DT: 69.1

Davis played just 11 snaps with seven coming against the run and four versus the pass. The rookie DT did not record a tackle or a pressure. He a fared better against the run at 68.7 than as a pass rusher (56.3).

5 – Cobie Durant, CB: 64.7

While Durant’s overall grade isn’t too impressive on the surface, as the nearest defender in coverage he allowed just three receptions on eight targets for 26 yards and a pass breakup. That’s good for a passer rating of just 46.9. This was an outstanding game from Durant on a day where not much else was positive about the defense’s performance.

Other notes on defense:

Omar Speights was coming off of the best game of his career last week versus the New Orleans Saints. This week, he had an outright bad performance. While the rookie MLB was solid against the run (72.3), he missed two tackles and gave up a lot of production through the air. Speights was targeted four times, allowing four catches for 40 yards and a QB rating of 108.3.

Quentin Lake, the defensive captain, also had a rough day in coverage. Allen targeted him 10 times, of which he allowed seven receptions for 105 yards, a touchdown, a defensive pass interference call, a PBU, and a passer rating of 137.5.