New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is having another great season and is atop multiple categories on Pro Football Focus.
The New England Patriots have had an excellent season thus far. Given all of the obstacles they have had to overcome, namely injuries to key players, the Patriots have to be happy about their 7-2 record.
The defense is improving as the season has gone on. The injuries have caused some hiccups, but players are stepping up in place of their injured teammates. What has helped the Patriots stay on track is the performance of their offense.
Despite being 40-years old, Tom Brady has shown no signs of slowing down. Brady leads the NFL with 2,807 passing yards. He has thrown 19 touchdowns, which is tied for second, and thrown only two interceptions. His 67.3 completion percentage is fourth in the league, while his 108.3 passer rating is second.
This performance is all coming behind what has been a shaky offensive line at times and depleted weapons. Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell were lost to injury prior to the season. Rob Gronkowski has missed one game. Chris Hogan is dealing with a shoulder injury. Danny Amendola has missed some time as well.
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Despite all of that, Brady has still been dominant leading the Patriots offense. His statistics are impressive, and his analytics are strong as well. How strong exactly are they? Pro Football Focus grades Brady out as one of the best players in the NFL.
Recently, Pro Football Focus handed out awards for the best performers in certain areas. Best offensive player, the best defensive player were some examples, along with the best player in certain situations, such as specific routes ran and throws.
Not surprising, Brady is the leader of multiple categories. The best overall offensive grade this season belongs to Brady. Pro Football Focus has given him a grade of 93.8. That is actually a drop from last season’s grade of 98.
Here is what they had to say about Brady’s prowess this season offensively.
"After leading all quarterbacks with a 98.0 overall grade last season, Brady is at it again with the top overall grade among offensive players at 93.8. He has continued to evolve his skill set in recent years, extending plays and making more downfield throws outside of structure while also improving his work when facing pressure. Brady has the top PFF grade at both the intermediate (10 to 19 yards) and deep (20-plus yards) level, as the New England offense has been more aggressive throwing down the field this season, and Brady continues to run it with accuracy and precision."
As Pro Football Focus mentions, a big reason for Brady being the top offensive player is his ability to succeed in different areas of the field. As a result, it should come as no surprise that Brady is the best passer with two specific routes as well; dig/crossing routes and go routes.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brady is one of the best passers in the middle of the field. He has a passer rating of 137.7 over the middle of the field with seven touchdowns, both far and away the best in the NFL. In fact, those numbers should be even better as nine Brady passes have been dropped on dig/crossing routes.
Brady has also performed well on go routes. Here is part of what Pro Football Focus had to say about Brady’s go-route precision.
"He has the top PFF grade, No. 2 adjusted completion percentage and No. 3 passer rating on go routes. His ability to stretch the field while maintaining his short and intermediate area dominance is the reason he’s still the best quarterback in the NFL."
It is incredible that Brady has been able to succeed at this level despite spotty offensive line play. He endured more sacks the first five games of the season than he did in 12 last season.
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When taking a deeper look, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has performed at this level despite the lackluster blocking at times because Brady is the best passer according to Pro Football Focus while under pressure.
Brady defies conventional wisdom when facing pressure. Usually, quarterbacks will see their statistics take a significant nosedive when facing pressure. Brady’s stats worsen slightly but are still on a different level compared to every other signal caller in the league.
"Most quarterbacks see a significant drop-off in passer rating when under pressure — more than 30 points on average — but Brady has defied the odds this season. His 107.2 passer rating leads the NFL, as does his 58.7 completion percentage and average of 9.2 yards per attempt. His work under pressure is even more impressive. On plays in which he gets hit by a defender, his passer rating of 125.3 more than doubles the NFL average of 55.9. He also leads the league with four touchdowns on such plays."
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What Brady has accomplished this season is truly astonishing. Given his age and the performance of some of the people around him, it is awe-iinspiringseeing his statistics. However, that is why Brady is regarded as arguably the greatest quarterback of All-Time, and he is showing no signs of letting up.