PFF names LB Kevin Pierre-Louis their ‘Secret Superstar’ of Week 2
After the Washington game ended on Sunday, there were very few things to be excited about if you sport the Burgundy & Gold following a 30-15 loss to the Cardinals, one that seemed like it could have been a whole lot worse.
However, one of the few players who provided a bright spot was Washington linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who was signed this offseason from the Chicago Bears. Pierre-Louis finished the game with 15 total tackles and was constantly finding a way to make plays from sideline to sideline.
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Kevin Pierre-Louis named Washington Wire's player of the game in 30-15 loss
At Washington Wire, we named him our Player of the Game for his efforts on defense, and now Pro Football Focus is giving him the honor of ‘Secret Superstar of the Week.’
Pierre-Louis is the perfect example of an NFL Journeyman — he’s on his fifth team in five years and never really saw ample time on the field until late in 2019 with the Bears. He entered in Week 4 for the Bears when injuries hit the unit and performed well, producing an 89.8 PFF grade. He then logged only three snaps until seeing the field for 187 snaps over the final four games. In that span, Pierre-Louis was the league’s highest-graded off-ball linebacker (89.3), and he was productive in coverage and as a blitz weapon. As a result, Pierre-Louis was the player on Washington’s roster we felt had the best chance of breaking out in 2020. Based on his Week 2, the late-career breakout might actually happen.
Pierre-Louis was lights-out in coverage, making numerous stops in a blink of an eye. He had five passing stops on the day en route to a 93.0 coverage grade. Both of those marks led all off-ball linebackers in Week 2. Pierre-Louis might have followed a journeyman’s path to this point, but he looks like a secret superstar in the making.
The breakout from KPL is coming at a perfect time, too, with both Thomas Davis and Cole Holcomb banged up. It is unclear when either of them will be able to return to the field and provide an impact, but in the meantime, Pierre-Louis has stepped up and become one of the better defenders for Washington outside of the front-four.
