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Andrew Whitworth got off to a shaky start this season, just as the entire Rams offensive line did. He struggled out of the gates, not only committing several penalties, but failing to keep pass rushers away from Jared Goff.
He turned it around as the year went on, but part of the reason for that was the help he received on the left side of the line. Whitworth only allowed one sack all season, which is an impressive feat for any left tackle, let alone a 38-year-old.
He also got more help than any other left tackle in the league in 2019, which is a surprising revelation. It wasn’t particularly close, either.
As you can see on the following chart from Seth Walder, Whitworth is all by himself on the top right. Being high on the graph is a good thing – it indicates a high strong pass-rush win rate – but appearing on the right side of the axis also means he and another player doubled a pass rusher more than anyone else.
Double-team rate when at left tackle (x) by pass block win rate when at left tackle (y).
Top left = less double team help, higher win rate.
PBWR = how often each player sustains pass blocks for at least 2.5s.
ESPN stats, NFL Next Gen Stats data. pic.twitter.com/AjUtVUaOKH
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 2, 2020
There’s no doubt the Rams used their tight ends and backs to chip pass rushers often this season. However, most of the help went to the right side with Bobby Evans. The Rams used a lot of two-tight end sets down the stretch, which had Johnny Mundt lining up next to Whitworth, but it’s surprising how high the double-team rate was.
Los Angeles would also use the left guard sometimes to help out Whitworth, rather than keeping the veteran on an island by himself. Perhaps the Rams no longer feel comfortable leaving Whitworth on his own, which could impact whether he’s back in uniform next season.
Even still, Whitworth finished the season with the second-highest pass-block win rate of any offensive tackle in football
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