The Falcons have been far from perfect as a team in 2019, but Dan Quinn’s defense is finally getting the pressure up front needed for his scheme to work.
ESPN has an interesting new metric to analyze offensive and defensive line play — Pass Block Win Rate (PBWR) and Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR) — that helps look at more than just sack totals.
The numbers through the first two weeks of the season were calculated and the results show an Atlanta team that has the second-best pass rush win rate in the NFL.
The article also lists the top 10 players at edge rusher and defensive tackle, with two Falcons making the list. Takk McKinley has a 30 percent PRWR (No. 5 in the league). Grady Jarrett actually leads all defensive tackles in PRWR with 32 percent — eight percent higher than third-ranked Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
In two games, Jarrett has ten tackles, three QB hits and two sacks. His often overlooked play was rewarded with four-year, $68 million extension in the offseason from Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
While most people put Donald in a class of his own at the defensive tackle position, Jarrett has consistently been ranked at or near the top in metrics like PRWR and regularly by Pro Football Focus.
Jarrett is just 26 years old. He will be in Falcons uniform until he’s at least 30. Maybe by then, he’ll get the recognition he deserves as one of the NFL’s best defensive players.
