Grades updated Rechecked every few hours on game days
The read
Marcus's best number is passer rating allowed: 71, 23rd of 96 among cornerbacks.
Lately he is playing better. Passes defended per target is 29% over the last 2 games (14 targets), against 0% before that. The change points one way, but a few plays could still explain it.
Written from his numbers, not from film. 5 games are behind the season figures.
How he stacks up
Every graded stat at a glance, against all the cornerbacks in the league.
Passes defended per target8120%19th of 96small sample
Passer rating allowed777123rd of 96
Yards allowed per target716.329th of 96small sample
Missed tackles666%31st of 90small sample
Completion rate allowed6455%35th of 96small sample
Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying cornerbacks. Faded bars are still small samples.
How he has progressed
Where he has ranked among cornerbacks after each week, and every game behind it.
Season rank climbed: 21st to 71st percentile since Wk 2.
The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.
Yards allowed per target game by game
Week
Opponent
That game
targets
Season rank after
1
vs SEA
14.5
2
–
2
vs PIT
8.0
4
21st pct
3
vs JAX
5.1
7
38th pct
4
vs BUF
4.0
7
71st pct
Lower is better for this stat. One game is a small sample: a single stat over 5 targets can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.
The numbers, in context
Each one against every cornerback with at least 10 targets. Right on the strip is better.
Yards allowed per target
▲Above typical
6.3lower is better
29th of 96 cornerbacks · top 31%
11.2worse to better4.2
The yards the receiver he is covering gets each time he is targeted. Fewer is better.
The box score: Interceptions are rare and say little about the hundred plays where he is just covering.
Does it show up in winning? Across 143 games league-wide, teams won 72% of the time when their cornerback was in the best third on yards allowed per target, and 55% when he was in the worst third.
Passer rating allowed
▲Well above typical
71lower is better
23rd of 96 cornerbacks · top 24%
115worse to better62
The passer rating of quarterbacks throwing at him. 158.3 is perfect for the passer, so lower is better for the defender.
The box score: Not in the box score.
Does it show up in winning? Across 143 games league-wide, teams won 72% of the time when their cornerback was in the best third on passer rating allowed, and 53% when he was in the worst third.
Completion rate allowed
▲Above typical
55%lower is better
35th of 96 cornerbacks · top 37%
74%worse to better45%
The share of passes thrown at him that are completed. Fewer is better.
The box score: Not in the box score.
Does it show up in winning? Across 143 games league-wide, a good or bad game on completion rate allowed from a cornerback has not lined up much with his team winning (64% wins in the best third, 53% in the worst).
Passes defended per target
▲Well above typical
20%
19th of 96 cornerbacks · top 20%
0%worse to better24%
How often a pass thrown at him ends with him breaking it up. A cornerback does this far more often than he intercepts.
The box score: Passes defended are counted, but never against how often he was tested.
Does it show up in winning? Across 143 games league-wide, a good or bad game on passes defended per target from a cornerback has not lined up much with his team winning (60% wins in the best third, 68% in the worst).
Missed tackles
▲Above typical
6%lower is better
31st of 90 cornerbacks · top 35%
20%worse to better0%
The share of his tackle chances he missed. Fewer is better.
The box score: Tackle totals reward the player who gets the most chances, not the one who finishes them.
Does it show up in winning? Across 168 games league-wide, teams won 55% of the time when their cornerback was in the best third on missed tackles, and 43% when he was in the worst third.
How he plays
Tendencies: how his game differs from the cornerbacks around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.
Depth of passes at him
Style
8.9 yds
Is thrown at underneath, more than most cornerbacks. A typical one is 10.6 yds.
5.4 ydslow to high14.2 yds
How far downfield the passes thrown at him travel on average. It shows whether he is tested deep or underneath, which is a role, not a grade.
Playing time
He has played in 4 of his team's 4 games with snap counts, on the field for about 76% of the team's defensive plays when he plays.
48%
SEA
99%
PIT
58%
JAX
100%
BUF
?
LV
Each column is a game: the share of his team's defensive snaps he played. 80% means about 8 of every 10 plays. “Out” means he did not play; a question mark means snap counts are not posted yet. Shaded games are the recent stretch.
Game by game
Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.
Marcus Jones game by game
Game
Result
Snaps
Tkl
Solo
Ast
TFL
Sacks
Press
PBU
Int
Missed
Yds/target
Rating against
Comp % against
PBU/target
Wk 1vs SEA
L 10–13
48%
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
14.5
119
100%
0%
Wk 2vs PIT
W 20–3
99%
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
8.0
77
50%
0%
Wk 3vs JAX
L 6–35
58%
4
3
1
0
0
0
3
1
0
5.1
59
43%
43%
Wk 4vs BUF
W 29–26
100%
5
4
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
4.0
66
57%
14%
Wk 5vs LV
W 45–17
–
4
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
–
–
–
–
The box score
The traditional totals, with where each ranks among cornerbacks. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.
Marcus grades about average among punt returners so far, with no number far from the middle.
Written from his numbers, not from film. 4 games are behind the season figures.
How he stacks up
Every graded stat at a glance, against all the punt returners in the league.
EPA per punt fielded67+0.1812th of 34small sample
Yards per return5711.4 yds11th of 24small sample
Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying punt returners. Faded bars are still small samples.
How he has progressed
Where he has ranked among punt returners after each week, and every game behind it.
Season rank climbed: 43rd to 72nd percentile since Wk 2.
The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.
EPA per punt fielded game by game
Week
Opponent
That game
punts
Season rank after
1
vs SEA
−0.38
2
–
2
vs PIT
+0.20
5
43rd pct
3
vs JAX
+0.56
1
56th pct
4
vs BUF
+0.52
2
72nd pct
One game is a small sample: a single stat over 3 punts can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.
The numbers, in context
Each one against every punt returner with at least 5 punts fielded. Right on the strip is better.
EPA per punt fielded
▲Above typical
+0.18
12th of 34 punt returners · top 36%
−0.19worse to better+0.29
Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. From his team's side, for every punt he fields, fair catches included.
The box score: Return average ignores fair catches and the starting field position.
Does it show up in winning? Across 54 games league-wide, a good or bad game on EPA per punt fielded from a punt returner has not lined up much with his team winning (61% wins in the best third, 53% in the worst).
Yards per return
●Typical
11.4 yds
11th of 24 punt returners · top 46%
5.2 ydsworse to better14.9 yds
Average yards when he returns the punt (fair catches excluded).
The box score: This is the box score number.
How he plays
Tendencies: how his game differs from the punt returners around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.
Fair catch rate
Style
50%
Fair catches often, more than most punt returners. A typical one is 41%.
19%low to high68%
How often he fair catches instead of returning, a choice about risk.
Game by game
Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.
Marcus Jones game by game
Game
Result
Fielded
Yds
EPA/punt
Yds/return
Wk 1vs SEA
L 10–13
2
0
−0.38
–
Wk 2vs PIT
W 20–3
5
39
+0.20
13.0 yds
Wk 3vs JAX
L 6–35
1
1
+0.56
1.0 yds
Wk 4vs BUF
W 29–26
2
17
+0.52
17.0 yds
The box score
The traditional totals, with where each ranks among punt returners. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.
Ranks are among players at the same job who have enough plays to be graded. Grades and rankings come from play-by-play, charting and snap-count data, so they cannot see blocking, route running or assignments. See how the grades work.
Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.
