PFF grades: Tyler Higbee “elite” before leaving game with injury

Cobie Durant headlines defense with an interception and sack

Monday night was one of the most fun games by the Los Angeles Rams that I can remember, and they put on a standout performance on primetime with the city of Los Angeles weighing heavy on their hearts.

The Rams blew out the Minnesota Vikings in the opening round of the playoffs 27-9.

How did Pro Football Focus (PFF) rate the individual contributions in this game? Let’s take a look at the top fives grades on offense and defense in this one:

Top five grades on offense:

1 – Tyler Higbee, TE: 92.7

Higbee played only 12 snaps before suffering a chest injury in the first half and leaving the game to go to the hospital. That doesn’t sound like good news in terms of his availability for the divisional round of the playoffs, but his status is not yet clear. Still, Higbee provided a clear boost to the tight end group and is clearly an upgrade from the contributions the Rams have seen over this season.

The veteran finished with five catches for 58 yards. He was a focal point of the passing game early, and the Rams seemed to struggle after he left.

2 – Matthew Stafford, QB: 78.2

Stafford started out strong but the Rams only put three points on the board in the second half. Higbee’s absence likely played a big part considering he seemed to be a significant part of the game plan.

PFF credited Stafford with two big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. He completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4%; 76.9% adjusted) for 209 yards and two scores. He was sacked twice.

3 – Kyren Williams, RB: 73.7

LA’s workhorse back earned 76 yards on 16 carries (4.8 average). 40 of these yards came after contact (2.50 average). Williams forced four missed tackles and his longest run went for 17 yards.

Williams earned yardage beyond what was blocked up by the offensive line in this game.

4 – Rob Havenstein, RT: 73.4

The Rams only allowed nine pressures on Matthew Stafford. Havenstein did not allow a single pressure in this game and earned a PFF pass blocking grade of 79.9 (highest on the offense). His run blocking grade of 67.0 was also the highest for the Rams, which tells you there wasn’t much room for running backs in which to operate.

5 – Hunter Long, TE: 72.4

Long caught one of his two targets for 13 yards. He dropped a contested catch along the sideline on a play that looks as if it were designed for Tyler Higbee with a one-on-one matchup with Harrison Smith.

Other notes on offense:

The following players added at least two pressures in pass protection:

• Kyren Williams, RB
• Alaric Jackson, LT
• Beaux Limmer, C

Limmer had a pass blocking grade of 43.0. Jackson finished at 51.9, though he had a tough matchup in Jonathan Greenard for most of the game.

Top five grades on defense:

At least five snaps played

1 – Cobie Durant, CB: 86.7

Durant intercepted a Sam Darnold pass intended for Jordan Addison. He also sacked Darnold on a blitz from the slot corner position.

Most impressive is the fact that he led LA in coverage grade in this game at 83.8. In coverage he allowed just one reception on two targets for seven yards, the pick, and a passer rating of just 18.8. He was flagged for holding which gave Minnesota a fresh set of downs.

2 – Jared Verse, OLB: 84.6

The Rams defense accumulated 42 (!) total pressures in this game. Verse accounted for the second-highest figure with seven, though the box score will reflect a relatively quiet day for him. The man was everywhere and helped set the tone on defense.

3 – Ahkello Witherspoon, CB: 81.3

Witherspoon earned a 94.9 pass rushing grade on his lone blitz attempt. He sacked Darnold and forced the ball loose, which Verse recovered and took to the house for a major momentum shifting play.

In coverage Witherspoon allowed two receptions on three targets for eight yards and a passer rating of 70.1. Not a bad day at the office.

4 – Kamren Kinchens, DB: 77.9

Perhaps the most important contributions by rookie safety Kamren Kinchens was that he laid multiple big hits and was an enforcer from the secondary. He earned a tackling grade of 82.9 from PFF, which led the defense.

The rookie was also strong in coverage with a grade of 76.5. He was not targeted, though he was flagged for a late hit on Darnold after the quarterback initiated his slide.

5 – Byron Young, OLB: 77.3

Young led the Rams with eight pressures. This was by far his most productive outing on the season as a pass rusher. His previous highest total came in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals with five. Young also earned a positive run defense grade at 76.4.

Other notes on defense:

Veteran safety John Johnson technically led the defense in PFF grades but he played only four snaps and didn’t meet our usual threshold. He earned a mark of 88.0 in this game, with his action coming late when other backups subbed in. Johnson was recently activated from injured reserve—taking up LA’s final activation spot.

Will Johnson be more active in the divisional round against the Philadelphia Eagles?