Not for the Fridge: The most perplexing PFF grades from NFL Week 1

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL campaign has officially come and gone. We finally have something to evaluate besides offseason roster moves, reporting and training camp clips. From this point forward, it's about what teams do (or don't) on the gridiron.

Perhaps there's no better way to properly assess the landscape from a leaguewide perspective than Pro Football Focus (PFF). And as of this writing, their Week 1 grades are officially live.

PFF considers various factors when examining a player/team based on their play-by-play performance, which you can read about on their website. But to simplify and condense things, they based their grading system on 'contribution to production.'

However, PFF metrics can sometimes be deceiving. Their ratings may not always correlate with the good old-fashioned eye test. Below, we highlight three of the most enigmatic analytical outliers of Week 1.

Jalen Hurts was PFF's lowest-graded QB in Week 1

Somehow, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young scored better than Jalen Hurts. In what world did the former outperform the latter in their regular-season openers?

Young's 43.3 completion percentage in Week 1 was the lowest of all quarterbacks. He successfully connected on 13 of his 30 attempts — only three other passers had as many or fewer completions. His first of two interceptions was on the opening play of Carolina's inaugural offensive drive of 2024, perfectly encapsulating his struggles. Last year's No. 1 overall pick also took four sacks for a loss of 26 yards despite his offensive line thriving in pass protection. 

Hurts wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he didn't have to when compared to Young. The Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller threw for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two picks on 20-of-34 passing. Moreover, his 13 carries went for an uncharacteristically inefficient 33 yards. 

Again, it wasn't Hurts' best day at the office. But he made the Green Bay Packers pay whenever they applied pressure and made some clutch second-half throws. Perhaps none more notable than the 67-yard bomb to A.J. Brown less than a minute into the third quarter, though.

Not to mention, Young and the Panthers got walloped 47-10 by the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, Hurts guided the Eagles to a 34-29 victory over the Packers in a high-scoring affair. Something's not adding up here.

Justin Jefferson wasn't PFF's highest-graded Vikings WR, Jalen Nailor was

Justin Jefferson, regarded by many as the best wide receiver in football, wasn't even the highest-graded wideout on his team in Week 1. That title went to Minnesota Vikings 2022 sixth-round pick Jalen Nailor.

Nailor converted his one target into a 21-yard touchdown reception. It was a great play to get separation, but Jefferson found the end zone too and outpaced the former in every other statistical category.

Jefferson led the Vikings in catches (four), yards (59) and a score. His 44-yard highlight reel reception was Minnesota's longest play of the game. Nonetheless, PFF believes Nailor did more with less, based on their respective 71.2 and 68.5 receiving grades.

If the New York Giants put any stress on the Vikings, Jefferson could've gone nuclear.

What did PFF like about Daniel Jones' Week 1 performance more than Matthew Stafford's?

This one makes absolutely no sense. Matthew Stafford almost willed the Los Angeles Rams to overcome a 14-point second-half deficit in a hostile road environment. Remarkably, he came close to completing the comeback sans one of his two standout receivers for most of the contest.

Conversely, Daniel Jones stunk up the joint against a middle-of-the-pack Vikings defensive unit in front of his home crowd, failing to lead one touchdown drive.

Jones took five sacks and lost 20 yards on said takedowns. But he's more to blame for his backside constantly being on the turf than his offensive line.

PFF identified that Jones was responsible for seven of the 18 pressures he faced versus the Vikings, the third-highest rate in the league. Contrarily, his pass blockers up front posted the second-lowest pressure percentage in Week 1. In other words, the sixth-year pro put himself into trouble rather than avoiding it despite having clean pockets to work with.

With Puka Nacua limited to a 32 percent snap share because of a PCL sprain, Stafford leaned on one-time All-Pro Cooper Kupp. Their well-chronicled chemistry almost propelled the Rams to defeat the Lions after trailing 17-3.  

Excluding a rare red zone interception, Stafford was slinging the rock to unproven pass-catchers like Tyler Johnson and Colby Parkinson. He was dialed in, completing 34 of his 49 passes for 317 yards, one touchdown and the pick. 

Stafford was also notably operating behind a makeshift offensive line, given the unfortunate stroke of injuries the group is dealing with.

PFF has got some 'splainin to do here.