• The 49ers are standing out: San Francisco has missed the fewest tackles in the league this season.

• Minkah Fitzpatrick is excelling again: The Steelers safety leads the league in tackling grade.

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

At PFF, we typically focus on players who excel at forcing missed tackles, particularly in the running game. Today, however, we’re shifting our attention to the defensive side of the ball, analyzing how each team is performing through the first three weeks of the season.

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Most missed tackles: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41)

The Buccaneers lead the league with 41 missed tackles through the season’s first three weeks. They have missed at least 10 tackles in each game, with their worst performance coming in Week 2 when they missed 18. Alarmingly, five players on their roster, each with at least 50 snaps this season, have missed 25% or more of their tackle attempts.

Fewest missed tackles: San Francisco 49ers (14)

Conversely, the 49ers have only one player — safety George Odum — who has played 50 or more snaps and missed more than 25% of his tackles. Deommodore Lenoir has been their highest-graded tackler early in the season, with zero missed tackles on his eight times.

Best tackler by PFF tackle grade: S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers

Fitzpatrick has been outstanding through the first three weeks of the season, earning a 90.0 PFF tackling grade. He hasn’t missed a tackle on 15 attempts and has recorded five defensive stops. Tackling has been a strength throughout Fitzpatrick’s career, as he has earned a PFF tackling grade above 75.0 in each of the past three seasons. He missed less than 10% of his tackle attempts in both 2022 and 2023.

Worst tackler by PFF tackle grade: DI Daron Payne, Washington Commanders

Daron Payne has struggled mightily this season, missing 60% of the five tackles he’s attempted so far, leading to a 22.3 PFF tackling grade — the lowest among all NFL players with 50 or more snaps through three weeks.

This issue isn’t new for Payne, as he’s earned a PFF tackling grade below 50.0 in each of the past three seasons and missed at least 17% of his tackle attempts in both 2022 and 2023.

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