Jared Dubin uses TruMedia’s research platform to explore what makes Justin Herbert so tough to defend:

“His 118.3 passer rating on throws between the sideline and the numbers, per Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, ranks sixth in the NFL. His 108.5 passer rating on throws on the move from outside the pocket ranks seventh. And according to PFF, 12.9 percent of his pass attempts have traveled at least 20 yards in the air. That figure ranks 12th among the 27 signal-callers who have thrown at least 20 such passes, while his 101.2 passer rating on those throws ranks ninth among the same group. His 10 touchdown tosses on those throws, meanwhile, ranks second behind only Wilson's 11.”

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Tampa Bay’s pressure should bother Jared Goff on Monday, writes Jared Dubin:

“[The Rams] style of offense makes for a fascinating matchup with Todd Bowles' defense. The Bucs can bring pressure from all different angles, and they have gotten a ridiculous amount of pressure on play action dropbacks: per Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, opposing passers have been pressured 51.1 percent of the time they have faked a run before looking to throw against Tampa Bay. For perspective, consider that the league average pressure rate on such throws is around 35 percent.”

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The Ravens offensive struggles are not because opponents have figured them out, writes Jared Dubin:

“A slight step backward in pass blocking has led to Jackson taking sacks more often than he did a year ago, but also being pressured considerably more often as well. Last season, Jackson was pressured on only 31.2 percent of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus and TruMedia. This year, that figure has spiked to 37.7 percent. In turn, his scramble rate (how often he has scrambled as a percentage of pressures) has dipped from 28.5 percent to 24.1 percent, and his yards per scramble average has plummeted from 10.5 to 6.4 yards.”

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The Bears defense is one of the best in the league this season, despite a lack of pressure on the quarterback, writes Jared Dubin in his Monday Night Football preview:

“What's fascinating about the pass defense is the Bears have done it despite surprisingly generating pressure at a below-average rate (32.2 percent of opponent dropbacks, compared with a 35.1 percent league average, per Pro Football Focus and TruMedia), indicating that there is still untapped upside for the unit, considering the talent Chicago has up front. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins has been among the most heavily-pressured passers in the league this season, seeing defenders in his face on 38.2 percent of his dropbacks. Cousins is just 38 of 68 for 545 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions under pressure this season, with a passer rating nearly 30 points worse than the one he's posted when throwing from a clean pocket.”

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The Steelers are undefeated in part because of their unique and changing offensive scheme, writes Jared Dubin:

“But just because the Steelers aren't quite among the league leaders in offense, doesn't mean they're not worth taking a look at. In fact, this is one of the more interesting offenses in the league right now, in large part due to the way it's been designed.

First, the Steelers have dramatically increased their usage of pre-snap motion. They used it on only 26.6 percent of snaps from 2016 through 2019, per Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, compared with 42 percent of snaps this year. And with that increase in motion has come a dramatic remaking of the team's passing game.”

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