PFF adds an in-game grading feature to its NFL analysis

Pro Football Focus changed how many fans followed the NFL by providing grades and advanced statistics to help quantify how every player performed on a play-by-play basis from high-profile quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes to more anonymous guards and linebackers.

Now instead of waiting until the next day, PFF will provide grades during the game with a slight delay in hopes that rabid fans will use it as a complement to the television broadcast to get a better idea of what's happening in every aspect of a game. The new service will begin with Thursday night's game between Tampa Bay and Atlanta.

“It was always something that we wanted to do,” said Khaled Elsayed, vice president of data at PFF. “What we realized from ourselves from using it, is it’s a tremendous second screen experience to be able to watch the grades grow as the game is going along as well."

PFF began in 2007 and has grown significantly over the last decade. All 32 teams and more than 200 college teams subscribe to the service, which grades every player on every play and is viewed by many as one of the better ways to evaluate players.