Tonight, I finally ran the quarterback hits numbers for the first time this season. It's an official stat now, but the information is hard to find -- so we bring it to you! Our count here includes hits on "non-plays" canceled by penalty, but this list is just hits after the pass, not hits plus sacks.
74-A.Kampman GB 11
69-J.Allen MIN 9
92-S.Rogers CLE 9
93-K.V.Bosch TEN 9
90-D.Dockett ARI 8
90-M.Williams HOU 8
93-D.Freeney IND 7
77-C.Jenkins GB 7
94-A.Smith ARI 7
94-D.Ware DAL 7
90-G.Adams TB 6
99-A.Carter WAS 6
94-C.Grant NO 6
91-G.White TB 6
The big step forward here belongs to Mario Williams, who had only 4 hits last year after we adjusted for scorer tendencies. Now his hits are more in line with his sacks. (Last year, Williams had way more sacks than hits; this year, he has 7 sacks and 8 hits.)
The other name that jumped out at me was Antonio Smith from Arizona. He's a big part of that improved Arizona pass rush that helped the Cardinals to the top of the division. Smith has zero sacks this year, so perhaps Arizona fans don't realize how well he's played. However, Smith also already has more quarterback hits (7) than he did last year (5). Those hits show he's getting to the quarterback, and the pressure does affect the quarterback even if he gets a pass off.