An unsung hero is someone who does great deeds, but gets little to no recognition for them. In football, the linemen who battle in the trenches are the unsung heroes that make the biggest impact on the game. In this weekly column, we shine a light on those unsung heroes and to help you make your lineup decisions. The offensive line advantage will be provided by Brad, with the defensive line advantage provided by Tommy Mo. Both also give their favorite matchups to look forward to for the week ahead.
Week 10 Recap
Offensive Side
So much for a pitch count for Nick Chubb last week. He was able to handle the same amount of carries as Kareem Hunt with 19!! Both were also able to eclipse the 100 yard milestone. The return of Wyatt Teller has vaulted this offensive line back to elite status. It was clear that he was the he was the jolt that group needed to be dominant again. He brings a different mentality up front, a much more aggressive one. Something that they lacked in the weeks he was gone. Although he did give up a sack this was a monster week for them up front. Nick Chubb definitely helped as well. Someone who runs as hard as he does makes you want to block a little harder, a little longer, and just plain better.
The Rams game was not nearly as much of a shootout as most thought it to be. Their run game was able to sustain some key drives as they had eight more minutes of time of possession than the Seahawks. Again, this Rams team is not easy to navigate for fantasy purposes as no running back had more than 40 yards. Cam Akers did lead the backfield in carries, however, with 10. One of the biggest pieces to this game though was the monumental loss of Andrew Whitworth (LT). The only good news of his injury was that he did not tear his ACL. He did tear his MCL and had some damage to his PCL which probably takes him out for the remainder of the regular season. There is a possibility of return for playoffs.
Defensive Side
The Washington defensive line was once again let down by the rest of the team. I think they are starting to feel like they are the only ones trying on that team, too. They started out so strong, but week after week to lose in different fashions is so defeating over the course of a season. You just get worn down. They definitely did not play up to their standards against the Lions and Chase Young was visibly frustrated. He’s a rookie and will learn to be smarter about his play, but they are still a top notch group. This Lions offensive line might be one of the most underrated groups on the year.
The Packers group led by the Smith Brothers was giving the statue that is Jake Luton fits all day. The weather was not doing him any favors either. James Robinson did have a nice day on the ground against this group, but that is just about this teams only weakness. Luckily for the Packers a few of his touchdown runs were called back due to penalties. Two of the three sacks the Packers got on the afternoon were from the aforementioned Smith Brothers, but the third was from Rashan Gary. This was his first sack since Week 2, coincidentally against Detroit. If he can put it together down the stretch to provide them with another layer of pass rush this group will be one of the most dangerous out there.
Offensive Line Advantage
Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers
This is another one of those games like the Rams/Seahawks from Week 10 where it really could have gone either way. I decided to go with the Lions here because Russell Okung (LT) for the Panthers is not likely to play again this week. As I said on Unmatched this week, Detroit is one of the sneakiest offensive lines this year. Their 3rd round pick Jonah Jackson has played over 95% of the snap this year and continues to get better. Taylor Decker is one of two lineman to play 100% of their snaps and he has been a pillar of consistency and leadership for them. The other is Frank Ragnow, neither of them has allowed a single sack this year. This young Panthers defense has put it together a little bit the last few weeks, but I think this Lions group gets the better of them this week.
New England Patriots @ Houston Texans
We just saw this Texans group get taken to the woodshed by the Browns last week. The work that the Patriots have done on this offensive line has been nothing short of spectacular. They took the exact right approach with David Andrews. Putting him on IR and forcing him to get healthy. Michael Onwenu has been the definition of team player. He has moved around the most when they were without Andrews and Shaq Mason. Being a rookie 6th round pick that makes it even more impressive. I don’t usually put a lot of stock into overall PFF grades for lineman, but Onwenu is at an All-Pro level at 89.4. This is heavily carried by his 90.9 run blocking grade. The return of Sony Michel once again clouds this backfield, but there is still an advantage up front here.
Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens
Earlier this season this might not have been even remotely an advantage for the Titans here. However, there are some injury bugs that make this possible. First off is Brandon Williams who suffered an ankle injury against the Patriots in Week 10. The second is Calais Campbell who missed that game with a calf injury. Both have not practiced this week and are listed as doubtful. The Titans are already top 5 in adjusted line yards per carry with 4.82. They also rank top 10 in every other offensive line category on Football Outsiders. We just saw this Baltimore team get ravaged by the Patriots in the rain without these two and the Titans have a monster in the backfield. This looks like a Derrick Henry smash game if there ever was one and it comes against what was an elite defense.
Defensive Line Advantage
Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Steelers front 7 has been on a tear this season, solidifying themselves as the #1 defense on the year with the #1 pass rush. Three of their front 7 are in the top 12 in sacks on the year. Led by TJ Watt with 9 (tied for 2nd most), Bud Dupree with 7 (tied for 8th) and Stephen Tuitt with 6 (tied for 12th). They have the most sacks in the league with 36, adding 4 last week alone. They are equally as good pass rushing as they are defending the run, ranking 2nd in both categories per Football Outsiders.
Their opponent, the Jaguars were the subject of one of my defensive line advantage picks last week, giving up 3 sacks to the Packers. They’ll be tested again this week as Brad Wire’s 21st ranked offensive line. As the Wisconsin Badgers Football twitter account points out below, you can rely on TJ Watt getting to the QB. And while TJ Watt gets the credit for this sack the rest of the defensive line is also there to make sure Burrow goes down. Look for a sack party in the Jaguars backfield.
In this world nothing is certain but….
Death, taxes, and @_TJWatt sacks
📺 Tune into the @steelers on FOX pic.twitter.com/IBJi441hAw
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 15, 2020
New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons
This matchup was already going to be a shootout, but now we may see less than optimal Saints offense vs the high scoring, lose it in the last minute Falcons now that Brees is on Injured Reserve. The Falcons are 13th worst in pressures per dropback (23%) and 13th worst in Adjusted Sack Rate (6.6%) per Fade The Noise Daily. That’s giving up a pressure on Matt Ryan almost 1/4 of the time he drops back. Compare that to a team like the Saints with allowing a QB pressure on 13.2% of dropbacks for Drew Brees. We already know about Saints defenders like Cam Jordan, but Trey Hendrickson is getting after it this year with a tied for 3rd best 7.5 sacks on the year. This defensive line is sneaky good and they will have plenty of opportunities to put hits on Ryan as Atlanta averages the 4th most pass attempts per game and has the 19th overall offensive line ranked by Brad Wire.
Trey Hendrickson is a problem off the edge 💪 @Saints
📺 #NOvsTB on NBC pic.twitter.com/F4MbUwOVtj
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 9, 2020
Favorite Individual Matchups
Brad Wire – Austin Jackson (LT – MIA) vs. Bradley Chubb (OLB – DEN)
Austin Jackson returned in Week 9 after missing 4 weeks, 3 games and their bye week. He has had his struggles coming back, but just like any rookie offensive tackle this year he has shown flashes of what made him a first round pick. The clip below is him from Week 3 against Jacksonville. Their trip to Denver features a budding young pass rusher who got the advantage of learning under an elite one. Bradley Chubb has 5.5 sacks on the year, but he has been shut out the last two weeks. The play of Austin Jackson here against Chubb will have a big affect on Tua’s timing and rhythm. In games where Chubb has gotten at least one sack the Broncos are 3-1, the one loss was to the Chiefs.
#WalkbackWednesday via Dolphins LT Austin Jackson using a snatch & trap technique to flip the blitzing LB on his back pic.twitter.com/PZodpkyvnc
— The Scouting Academy (@TheScoutAcademy) October 14, 2020
Tommy Mo – Bud Dupree (ROLB – PIT) vs. Jonah Williams (OT – CIN)
TJ Watt is the big name on the front 7 for the Steelers, but they bring it from multiple angles. And while TJ will surely get his reps in against 2nd year player Jonah Williams, the bulk of the day will be a trench fight between Dupree and Williams. Dupree is a monster in his own right, as I mentioned above with 7 sacks of his own. Williams was one of my favorite overall prospects coming into the league in 2019 and he’s done well in 2020 to show he was worthy of that 11th overall pick. We’ll see if Williams can protect Burrow’s blind side this week as Dupree and company will be coming after him all day with their league leading 36 sacks.
