With the season officially in the books, the football analytics website Pro Football Focus has released its top 101 players from the 2016 NFL season list.
Four Kansas City Chiefs—tight end Travis Kelce, safety Eric Berry, cornerback Marcus Peters and wide receiver Tyreek Hill—were named to the list.
No. 37 – Kelce, previously unranked
Few teams survive with a tight end as their top offensive weapon, but that's what happened to the Chiefs this season, and Travis Kelce was good enough to get them to the playoffs. Kelce racked up 1,125 receiving yards — the most in the league among TEs — and averaged a massive 7.7 yards per reception after the catch, turning shallow Alex Smith targets into big plays. Smith didn't throw an interception when targeting Kelce, and it's just a shame he dropped a key target from Smith on one of the few occasions he went deep against the Steelers in the playoffs.
Best performance: Week 13 vs. Falcons, 94.9 grade
Key stat: Kelce gained 652 yards after the catch, 240 more than any other tight end.
No. 57 – Berry, previously 52nd
Eric Berry continued his fine play for the Chiefs in the heart of the Kansas City defense. Berry earned strong grades against both the run and pass, making 18 defensive stops on the season and picking off four passes. Overall, he did very little wrong, and played well in a role that saw him back deep as a free safety more this year than in the past.
Best performance: Week 15 vs. Titans, 87.0 grade
Key stat: Berry played just 18.8 percent of his snaps in the box as a strong safety in 2016.
No. 96 – Peters, previously unranked
A season ago, Marcus Peters led the league in interceptions, but was nowhere to be found on this list because of how regularly he was beaten to offset those picks. This year, he was a far tougher player to have success against, and still maintained a high level of playmaking, picking off six passes and breaking up another 11. For the season, he allowed a passer rating into his coverage of just 66.0, and his coverage numbers outside of the interception total were better across the board.
Best performance: Week 17 vs. Chargers, 95.1 grade
Key stat: Peters allowed 25 fewer catches and 371 fewer yards in 2016 than he did as a rookie.
No. 100 – Hill, rookie
Tyreek Hill became one of the league's most dangerous playmakers for the Chiefs in his first season. He was a threat to score anytime he touched the ball, and by the end of the season, had found pay-dirt 12 times—six times as a receiver, three times running the ball, and on three returns.
Best performance: Week 12 vs. Broncos, 80.9
Key stat: Hill averaged 13.1 yards every time he touched the football as a rookie.
Check out the complete list here.
