Akbar Gbaja-Biamila or Jon Alston? The NFL Stat Breakdown

This is as close as it gets. Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Jon Alston split the statistical categories evenly — 2 apiece — making this one of the most genuinely contested DE comparisons in NFL history. When the numbers are this balanced, the debate comes down to which statistics matter most to you.

Jon Alston's Tackles of 66 compared to Akbar Gbaja-Biamila's 22 represents a 200% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Akbar Gbaja-Biamila falls 92.7% below the career average of 300 in this category while Jon Alston exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Jon Alston's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Games Played, where Akbar Gbaja-Biamila posts 30 against Jon Alston's 39 — a gap of just 30%. Jon Alston can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 2-2 tally suggests. In any debate, Games Played is the statistical ammunition for the Jon Alston side.

Defensive impact in the NFL is notoriously difficult to quantify. Sacks and tackles capture individual production, but disruption, coverage grades and run-stopping ability paint the complete picture of defensive excellence.

With categories split evenly, this comparison ultimately comes down to which statistics matter most to you. Jon Alston claims the tiebreaker through Tackles advantage — a 200% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NFL debate.