PFF Grades: Top Rams performers and notes from first segment of season

The first “half” of the season couldn’t have gone much better for the Los Angeles Rams. They sit at 5-2 and were competitive in both of their close losses.

While there were significant questions about the health of Matthew Stafford and the offensive line in the early going of the season, those uncertainties have been put in the rearview in a major way. LA is healthy and capable of making a playoff run.

These are the top performing individuals that helped the Rams to their impressive early record and prime them for success over the remaining 10 regular season games, all according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) grading.

Top five performers on offense

(including only players with at least 100 snaps; player rankings use a 50% snap filter unless noted otherwise)

1 – Puka Nacua, WR: 92.6

In what may be the least surprising part of this post, Nacua leads the Rams and the NFL in PFF receiving grade. He’s just ahead of NFC West rival Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite missing 1.5 games, Nacua is on pace for 1,736 receiving yards. This would fall behind Calvin Johnson’s all-time record at 1,964 and trails Cooper Kupp’s historic 2021 season of 1,947 yards.

Nacua is expected to return this week against the New Orleans Saints. Whether the Rams continue to give him a high volume workload remains to be seen, but Nacua is clearly among the NFL’s best at his position.

2 – Matthew Stafford, QB: 91.0

I’ll admit I didn’t see a career season coming for Stafford, but that is exactly what we are seeing from the veteran. He’s on track to finish with the single-best PFF grade of his career and second in the NFL behind the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold.

With the context of the back injury and more than a decade-and-a-half of performance, it simply would not have been a wise bet to expect Stafford to play this well in 2025. He had other plans in mind.

The most impressive aspect of Stafford’s year so far is the fact he’s manufacturing big-time throws at the highest rate of his career (if you ignore injury-shortened seasons) and putting the ball in harm’s way at a low frequency.

These are the top QB’s of 2025 followed by their big-time throw and turnover-worthy play rates:

• Sam Darnold: 8.9% / 1.8%
• Matthew Stafford: 7.3% / 2.5%
• Dak Prescott: 5.8% / 2.1%
• Drake Maye: 5.0% / 2.3%
• Justin Herbert: 2.9% / 1.4%
• Jordan Love: 5.3% / 2.7%
• Josh Allen: 3.7% / 1.2%

3 – Davante Adams, WR: 80.5

Adams ranks 11th among all receivers. There are troubling signs in his analytical profile—such as a catch rate that recently improved to 50% and other markers that are trending downward from his prime—though he’s still playing at a high level and is a serviceable compliment to Nacua. The veteran’s six touchdowns is tied for second among all receivers behind only Amon-Ra St....