Several Detroit Lions top PFF’s ‘lockdown percentage’ at their position

Final week towards the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions protection crew was at their greatest. Kyler Murray, who was coming off a efficiency that included an ideal passer ranking towards the Los Angeles Rams, was stymied nearly utterly. He accomplished simply 61.7% of his passes for under 6.1 yards per try and a 76.5 passer ranking.

Whereas the whole Lions protection deserves props for his or her efficiency, one particular stat from PFF actually highlights how wonderful Detroit’s protection was on protection. A brand new statistic that they name “lockdown proportion” is outlined as this:

This metric focuses on protection, measuring how nicely a defender prevents a receiver from getting open. It excludes performs the place the defender deliberately offers up house to guard the first-down marker or restrict yards after the catch.

Within the web site’s Week 3 Lockdown Report, two Lions made their top-10 checklist: Carlton Davis was eighth with a lockdown proportion of 68.75% whereas Brian Department was ninth (second amongst safeties) with a 66.67 proportion.

However this wasn’t only a one-off efficiency from the Lions protection. In the identical publish from PFF, they listed the full-season lockdown proportion leaders, and right here’s the place each Lions defender ranks each total and in relation to their place:

Alex Anzalone: 62.5% — First amongst linebackers, ninth total
Brian Department: 58.62% — Second amongst safeties, thirteenth total
Carlton Davis: 54.17% — sixteenth amongst cornerbacks, twenty first total
Amik Robertson: 46.67% — twenty ninth amongst cornerbacks, thirty seventh total
Terrion Arnold: 42.62% — forty first amongst cornerbacks, fiftieth total

Not solely do the Lions have Anzalone and Department on the prime of their respective positions, however all 5 gamers rank within the prime 50. For context sake, a complete of 99 gamers certified for the checklist, so primarily everybody made the highest half of the checklist.

With little rationalization of the definition of this statistic or what counts as an “alternative,” it’s unclear if Kerby Joseph didn’t meet the 20 minimal threshold to make the checklist or if he’s under the highest 99. But it surely’s price noting his total protection grade of 78.4 is 14th amongst NFL safeties, and he grades out fairly nicely in different PFF statistics: