The quarterback drops back to pass, has time and fires the football toward a wide receiver. The football zips toward a group of players. Hands fly, players jump, and the football pops loose and hits the ground. The defender did their job and denied the successful pass. The Pass Defended statistic accounts for the quantity of defended passes.
PD is Pass Defended, a pass caused incomplete, by contact with the football
What is an incomplete pass?
PD stands for pass or passes defended.
For the statistic to be recorded:
1. The defender has to get their hand on the ball to disrupt the pass. Either through a deflection or by knocking a nearly caught ball out of the receiver's grasp.
2. The play must result in an incomplete pass. A deflected ball that is caught is recorded as either a reception or an interception, depending on which team caught the ball.
PD's are used to assess a defender's performance but can also be used to judge a quarterback who makes poor decisions by throwing the ball into tight coverage by the defense.