Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Offensive Line Still An Issue

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October 16, 2024

by David Earl

The Offensive Line is Not What PFF Claims

Before I discuss the fans’ reactions to Washington’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend, let me clarify some misconceptions about this team’s offensive line. While PFF very subjectively calls this unit a top 10, one hard number is not subjective: time in the pocket. To start, what does that number even entail? Pro Football Reference calculates this from the time the ball is snapped to the time the pocket collapses due to defensive pressure. Washington is currently tied with Tampa Bay for last in the league, allowing 1.7 seconds of time in the pocket, and that’s down from last week’s 2.2 seconds. The common response I’ve seen is that the quick passing scheme and the play style of Jayden Daniels contributing to this time, but that may very well be twisting the argument. Daniels’ 32 scrambles leads the NFL.  His scrambles are worked into the scheme in order to help mitigate the pressure from the defense on the quarterback. As a result, the pressure rate of 13% is second-best in the league, indicating just how many times the defensive rush resulted in the quarterback rushing his throw. For perspective, the closest pressure rate to Washington when blitzed more times is Carolina at 15.2% and Tampa Bay at 17.1% with two other teams at 19% and the remaining 4 teams with more pressures against over 20% pressure rate.

So all this information is great but what does it say about Jayden Daniels and the Washington offense? Of the top 10 most blitzed teams in the league, Daniels faces the least amount of pressure, not necessarily from the result of an improved offensive line. Instead, it is due tothe offensive scheme used by Kliff Kingsbury to mask these deficiencies combined with Daniels’s pocket awareness and ability to quickly process the defense. For those who continue to doubt Daniels’ ability to process what the defense gives him post snap, take a look at this play. On the 2nd and goal touchdown throw to Terry McLaurin, Daniels recognized the coverage and saw that McLaurin drew man coverage into the end zone. Daniels took a strong look at Dyami Brown underneath, holding the corner and pulling up the safety. He then turned to McLaurin and with a back-peddling safety already out of position he threw to a location along the back of the end zone. McLaurin came in behind the safety and to the spot where the pass was thrown for an easy touchdown. This example can be found multiple times in every game.

So back to my point – thanks to Kingsbury’s scheme and Daniels’ overall play, Washington’s 8.15% sack rate allowed by this offensive line is ranked 21st. Last season Washington had a time in pocket of 2.4 seconds, ranked them 25th in the league and a sack rate of 9.27%, ranked 28th, and allowed the second most sacks per game at 3.8. The difference here was that last year, Washington ran an unbalanced offense, throwing the ball 66.13% of the time.  That play last season was dominated by long developing intermediate to deep pass plays.  The game plans are more balanced this season, with a run play percentage of 50.27%. It is this balanced approach and playing off the run with the quick passing game that has done the most for Daniels behind this offensive line group. Yes, the addition of Tyler Biadasz at center looks like a long-term solution, and right guard Samuel Cosmi seems to have solidified that position as well. The development of rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman has been encouraging, but he still needs help against more elusion edge rushers. This offensive line still has a way to go when it comes time to face playoff defenses down the stretch.

As far as Washington’s offense in the Ravens game, the running game was never able to get going, which many expected against the best run defense in the NFL. They averaged 2.9 yards per carry, with Daniels held to just 22 yards on 6 attempts, which is 3.7 yards per attempt). Daniels had another efficient game in the air, though, finishing with 269 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, completing 69% of his passes, and no interceptions for a 110.3 passer rating. More impressively, is his 120.2 quarterback rating against man coverage, 128.6 against the blitz, and 124.4 in passes beyond 10 yards . These are just a few stats posted by and generated from Next Gen Stats. As for Kingsbury, he has continued to do a good job disguising his plays through motion and misdirection out of similar formations while adding dynamic plays such as the flea flicker screen pass to Austin Ekeler for 25 yards. If Adam Peters can add to this offensive line and maybe another wide receiver before the trade deadline, this offense could make a run into the postseason much easier because of the play of the defense thus far.

The Defense

What were we to expect against the top offense in the league especially running the ball? The coverage issues were prominent all game as neither man nor zone defenses were able to contain the pass. Lamar Jackson averaged 11 yards per completion while completing 77% of his passes. Aside from an interception due to a wide receiver being unable to make the catch, the receivers were running open on every play, resulting in 16 of their 18 first downs occurring through the passing game. Then, the run defense yet again was unable to put up even a competitive attempt, allowing 4.8 yards per attempt as Baltimore ran for a total of 176 yards, capped by 2 rushing touchdowns by Derrick Henry. Washington faced the best rushing attack in the NFL, but the investment on the defensive line plus the additions of Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu at linebacker should have been simply been better.

While they continue to be one of the worst run defenses in the league, the pass rush against Baltimore was non-existent. Granted, they had injuries to deal with, but the lack of coverage from the secondary only compounded their issues even more. Aside from the early pressure from the defensive line that generated 2 early sacks, Lamar Jackson was relatively comfortable in the pocket the entire game. Even when the line generated some pressure, they lacked gap discipline too often which allowed Jackson lanes to move up into to run or pass. Yes, much of this happened in the second half, when the running game was taking its toll, but it’s also the inconsistency at all 3 levels of the defense, especially the secondary, that has held the defense back. As a result, the offense has had to play near perfect to win these games. When facing high-caliber team such as Baltimore, when the offense needs a stop by the defense, they are ultimately in trouble.

What’s Wrong With The Cowboys

The expectations in Dallas were high heading into this season, especially after locking down their two cornerstone pieces on offense with long-term contracts for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Their offense is typically among the top-scoring offenses in the league, but is currently ranked 19th, averaging 21 points per game. They are currently the worst rushing team in the league, averaging 77.2 yards per game, and have amassed among the lowest runs resulting in 1st downs per game average, with 5. Alongside a poor running game, Dallas’ passing offense has only yielded mediocre results in most categories. Their 63.45% pass completion rate is ranked 21st in the league, and their overall team passer rating is 82.9. With the offense struggling to produce, Dallas’ defense has become a liability itself since the departure of Dan Quinn. The Cowboys’ defense as allowed 5.7 yards allowed, which is ranked 24th, and ranked 16th in yards allowed per rush attempt at 4.5. They have also allowed an average opposing passer rating of 97.1. The frustrations are mounting, which may ultimately cost Mike McCarthy his job if a turnaround does not occur over the next couple weeks. The unfortunate part here for Cowboys fans is the common denominator in this team’s inability to get back to a Super Bowl is owner and general manager Jerry Jones. The next few weeks will be interesting to follow – if the posted report above from Clarence Hill Jr is any indication, the pushback this year toward Jerry Jones from the media as well as the fans could reach unprecedented levels.