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 are going to shine a light on those unsung heroes and highlight some key match-ups to help you make your lineup decisions for Week 6. The offensive line advantage will be provided by Brad, with the defensive line advantage provided by Tommy Mo.
Offensive Line Advantage
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Detroit Lions
The Jaguars have a luxury matchup this week against the lowly defense of the Detroit Lions. The Jaguars offensive line this year has been solid on the ground, but not great. However, they have been one of the weaker teams in pass protection allowing 13 sacks so far. The good news for Jacksonville, Detroit only has 5 sacks on the year and is allowing 5.57 YPC. Jacksonville on the other hand is averaging 4.5 adjusted line yards per carry, good for 11th overall per footballoutsiders.com. This should be a get right game all around for Jacksonville and I expect some big breakout runs from James Robinson along the way. Below is a play from Week 1 against the Colts that shows what this Jaguars team is capable of on the ground.
An example here of finish from #Jaguars LG Andrew Norwell: pic.twitter.com/GTwVG4LcCL
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) September 15, 2020
Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
We just watched the Ryan Fitzmagic led Dolphins dismantle this 49ers defense. Myles Gaskin only put up 57 yards on 16 carries, but that is also behind a porous offensive line. The 49ers also let Fitzpatrick hit a few deep shots, compiling a season best 350 yards on just 22 completions. This Rams group has vaulted all the way up to #11 in my oline rankings and has been the biggest surprise for me this year. After the season they had last year I did not think Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein would be able to hold it together as well as they have. They have only given up 7 sacks on the year and are averaging 4.75 adjusted line yards per carry. Normally this wouldn’t be an advantage for the Rams, but the losses of Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, and even Dee Ford put San Francisco at a disadvantage. A little bit of good news for the 9ers is that Kerry Hyder Jr. has stepped up, already posting 3.5 sacks this year after only having 2 sacks in the last two seasons combined. Arik Armstead is the anchor that they need, but being heavily depleted two guys can only do so much. From coach speak this just might be the perfect week to fire up Cam Akers, I know a few of my fantasy teams would greatly appreciate it.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals
I know the Colts didn’t look the best in Week 5 against the Browns and part of that was to be expected without starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo. They have a much better matchup this week against the Bengals who will be without newcomers D.J. Reader and Mike Daniels as possibly without Sam Hubbard. The Bengals biggest name left is Geno Atkins who just returned in Week 5 and played only 19 snaps. The Colts still have only allowed 5 sacks on the year, but they have left a lot to be desired on the ground, only having 3.95 adjusted line yards per carry, which lands them currently at 24th in the league. The good news? The Bengals are giving up almost 5 adjusted line yards per carry. Even with Geno Atkins getting healthier this looks to be the breakout game we have finally been waiting for from Jonathan Taylor. *Insert meditating Quenton Nelson here*
Defensive Line Advantage
Washington Football Team @ New York Giants
2020 has been the Chase Young and Montez Sweat show in Washington as the pair have already combined for 5.5 sacks on the season. While some forgot about Sweat, everyone knows Chase Young is coming and still haven’t been able to stop him. Young’s presence is allowing for Montez Sweat the opportunities to not draw double teams, which have allowed him to assume the lead in sacks with 3 from the opposite side of Young. The Giants are 25th in sacks given up with 3.2 sacks per game, and Washington is getting to the QB on 8.77% of snaps. Even if you’re not a big stats guy, these numbers make a recipe for disaster for the Giants this week and expect Daniel Jones to have even less time to throw those deep balls to Slayton. And in case you need a reminder, here’s what 4.42 speed off the edge can do to an offensive tackle…
Montez Sweat AKA Young J-Pepps just obliterated Goff@_sweat9 breakout on the way
pic.twitter.com/k9NdL0c7qt— Hogg (@HoggNFL) October 11, 2020
Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
Talk about unsung heroes, the combo of Grady Jarrett and Charles Harris have been getting after opposing offensive lines and combining for 4.5 sacks on the year. Harris isn’t even listed as a starter on the team’s depth chart so he’s been making good with the opportunities he’s given. The Falcons defense is notoriously bad, giving up 32 points per game (2nd worst only ahead of Dallas), which means lots of opportunities for pass rushing. The Vikings will be without Dalvin Cook this week, so look for them to increase their (2nd worst in the league) passing attempts per game. The Vikings give up a sack on 8.55% of snaps, 27th worst in the league, and the Falcons get to the QB on 3.30% of snaps (30th). So while this isn’t necessarily a matchup where the Falcons will dominate the Viking’s line, the Vikings are outmatched on paper when it comes to this week’s game.
Battle of the Week
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Both of these matchups have a lot of intrigue and a lot of talent in the trenches for both teams. The divisional rivalry between the Browns and Steelers has some good battles across the board highlighted by Tommy Mo‘s Favorite Individual Matchup. On the flip side there is another good battle as we get to see how the rookie Jedrick Wills Jr. will handle T.J. Watt. However, the interior for the Steelers D-Line and Browns O-Line is one to keep a close eye on. If Wyatt Teller is playing there will be an all night brawl in there. The Browns interior from left to right Joel Bitonio (6th/75 for Guards per PFF), JC Tretter (2nd/35 for Centers per PFF), and Wyatt Teller (1st/75 for Guards per PFF) going against the Steelers Tyson Alualu (1st/117 for Interior Defender), Cameron Hayward (11th/117), and Stephon Tuitt (9th/117). Might have to switch off RedZone since I have a feeling this will be one amazing game.
Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the few afternoon games might just keep me off RedZone all day as the Packers travel down to Tompa Bay. I just bumped the Packers up to #1 in my Offensive Line rankings and this will be a really good test for them. Tampa Bay has had one of the best run defenses for a few years since Todd Bowles arrived with Bruce Arians. They have only allowed 3.17 adjusted line yards per carry and already have amassed 17 sacks led by Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett who account for 7 of those. On the flip side of that we get to see what Tristan Wirfs can do after getting ragdolled by Khalil Mack last week. His matchups don’t get much easier with the Smith Bro’s on the outside. I talked about Wirfs’ rough upcoming schedule in my preseason rankings breakdown and hopefully he fares a little better this week with the longer rest. Both sides of the ball for both teams will be in for a good showdown.
Favorite Individual Matchups
Brad Wire – Taylor Moton (T- CAR) vs. Khalil Mack (OLB- CHI)
Moton has had a strong start to the 2020 campaign much like this Panthers unit as a whole. Per PFF, Moton has graded as the #10 overall Tackle. Khalil Mack has an innate ability to take over games. We all saw what he did in Week 5. This is not a juggernaut matchup, but it is one that I will be keeping an eye on. The less we hear about Moton throughout the game, the better.
Tommy Mo – Myles Garrett (DE- CLE) vs. Alejandro Villanueva (T-PIT)
Myles Garrett is currently 2nd in the league in sacks with 6, only behind the great Aaron Donald. Alejandro Villanueva has been a stalwart on the Steeler’s offensive line since 2016. This is Garrett’s first game against the Steelers since the Mason Rudolph incident last year. I would expect quite a reunion between the two, with some fireworks on the field, but this time with helmets remaining on.
