Falcons vs. Giants Pro Football Focus Scores

The Falcons have managed to shock most everyone in the NFL by starting the season with two wins. The solid start to the season has been driven by some key veterans and the contributions of some great draft picks and free agent signings, as evidenced by the scores from Pro Football Focus. Here are some of the key scores from the game on Sunday.

Offense

On the positive side, no one will be shocked to see that our two best performers were QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones. It's clear that this offense will go as far as these two can take us, and Sunday was an encouraging sign that they can take us very far. Ryan had the highest grade with a +3.7, bouncing back greatly from his ho-hum performance against the Eagles. Jones put up another ridiculous score with a +3.3, showing why he deserved every last penny of his new contract. Other notable scores: LT Jake Matthews (+2.1), RG Chris Chester (+2.1), RT Ryan Schraeder (+0.6) and LG Andy Levitre (+0.5).

On the downside, TE Jacob Tamme had the weakest score with a -1.3, though it should be noted he got -2.6 for his run blocking but a +1.4 for his pass receptions. The only other "red" score was TE Levine Toilolo with a -1.2 overall. Other notable scores: WR Leonard Hankerson (-0.9), C Mike Person (-0.5), WR Roddy White (-0.5). In all, the negative scores were far more contained in this game, which is a very encouraging sign.

Defense

If you were impressed by Vic Beasley's performance on Sunday, you weren't alone. The rookie DE scored a whopping +5.3 against the Giants - driven by his phenomenal +4.3 pass rush score. His +0.3 run defense score indicates he isn't the liability against the run that some had projected. It was a highly encouraging game for the first rounder, and given that it was only his 2nd professional game, Falcons fans have a lot to be happy about. Surprisingly, the second highest score belongs to LB Nate Stupar, who garnered an impressive +3.2 overall score, with +1.2 in pass coverage and +2.2 in run defense. If he can keep this up, he may end up earning more playing time with Brooks Reed out. Some other notable scores: DT Paul Soliai (+2.1), DE Tyson Jackson (+2.2), DE O'Brien Schofield (+1.7), DT Ra'Shede Hageman (+1.4) and CB Desmond Trufant (+1.3).

On the flip side, it will come as no surprise that Robert Alford and Ricardo Allen had the worst scores for our defense. Alford put up a -2.7 while Allen garnered a -2.1. Both men struggled initially in covering Beckham, though it should be noted that both appeared to recover well in the second half. Adrian Clayborn had a rough game in run defense, netting a -2.4 run defense score and a -2.0 overall. Other notable scores: LB Paul Worrilow (-1.6), CB Philip Adams (-1.0), LB Allen Bradford (-0.4).

Special Teams

Matt Bosher continued his ridiculous season with a +5.1 overall score, fueled by his +1.9 on kickoffs and his +3.2 on punts. As normal, Matt Bryant gets a +10x∞ on the DW scoring metric, as I'm completely ignoring what PFF says about Bryant going forward.

What are your thoughts about these PFF scores for the Falcons?