Pendlebury tallied 33 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal against the Swans. He also recorded 718 metres gained.
It all added up to a career-best player ratings score of 33.5.
Pendlebury's big night out propelled him past Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield and Geelong skipper Joel Selwood on the player ratings table.
Gary Ablett, who recorded a score of just 14.2 in Gold Coast's loss to Fremantle on Saturday night, remains the No.1 player in the AFL.
Ablett's running tally 718 points has him 82 clear of Pendlebury.
North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey was the other big mover after round two.
The 35-year-old jumped to No. 6 on the player ratings table thanks to his haul of 31.2 points in the Kangaroos' win over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.
Harvey's statistics were very impressive: 486 metres gained, 25 disposals, five score assists and three goals.
Pendlebury has scored the most points of any player this season. His haul of 52.5 has him narrowly in front of Geelong skipper Joel Selwood (50.2) and Essendon recruit Paul Chapman (46.5).
When it comes to first-year players, St Kilda duo Eli Templeton (24) and Luke Dunstan (20.5) are leading the way.
Twitter: @AFL_AdamMcNicol
