Tag: Pass Blocking

Chiefs Joe Thuney ended regular season as NFL’s best pass blocking guard

#Chiefs lineman Joe Thuney ended the 2023 regular season as the NFL’s best pass-blocking guard, according to Pro Football Focus.

The play of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line has been crucial to Patrick Mahomes’ success in recent years, and the efforts of one lineman, in particular, have garnered some serious attention from the experts at Pro Football Focus.

Veteran guard Joe Thuney ended the 2023 regular season with the best pass-blocking grade of any player at his position in the NFL, according to the analytics company.

Thuney’s exceptional prowess up front has been a boon for the Chiefs, and without his presence, Kansas City’s front-five wouldn’t be nearly as dominant.

The savvy that Thuney has shown throughout the Chiefs’ 17 regular season games often goes unnoticed, but with the playoffs just days away, his remarkable talent in the trenches will be on full display to a national audience.

Expect Thuney to have a field day in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs as he fends off the Miami Dolphins’ depleted pass rush.

Chiefs Joe Thuney is best pass blocking guard in NFL, according to PFF

#Chiefs OL Joe Thuney is the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL, accoring to Pro Football Focus.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line has been one of the best units on the team through nine games. Their play has been particularly exceptional on the interior, as evidenced by veteran guard Joe Thuney’s outstanding 81.3 pass-blocking grade, which stands alone as the best among players at his position in the NFL.

Thuney is one of the Chiefs’ highest-paid players and has been worth every penny of Kansas City’s hefty investment in him, even while the team’s offense continues to find its stride through the second part of its 2023 schedule.

Paired with Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey in the middle of the Chiefs’ line, Thuney has a target on his back every week as opposing pass rushers attempt to harass reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes in the pocket.

Fans should expect Thuney to keep up his exceptional run in pass protection when Kansas City plays the Philadelphia Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11.

Chiefs guards Joe Thuney, Trey Smith combine for impressive streak

#Chiefs guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith share exceptional pass blocking streaks that have made them major assets in Andy Reid’s offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line is a talented bunch of experienced veterans, and with Super Bowl rings to show for their accomplishments, it is no wonder that guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith have set themselves apart on the stat sheet in 2023.

The impenetrable tandem has become the only two players in the NFL with an active streak of 270 pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack. This is a good indication of the duo’s effectiveness through six games of the season and should be a good omen for Patrick Mahomes’ health moving into the meat of the Chiefs’ 2023 schedule.

Kansas City’s offensive line got off to a shaky start in September, but with the help of Thuney and Smith, seem to have gotten back on track in recent weeks to become a significant asset for Andy Reid’s air attack.

Now, the pair of guards will just need to maintain their level of play to help push the reigning MVP to new heights in Kansas City’s Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Browns elite in pass protection according to multiple data sets

Not one but two data sets has the Browns OL at or near the top in pass blocking so far this year:

The Cleveland Browns under Kevin Stefanski have stated the goal of being a run-first team. In the passing game, Stefanski wants to mirror the passing plays with what looks like their running plays. That scheme has paid off well over in the first year-plus of Stefanski’s time in Cleveland.

It helps to have Bill Callahan coaching the offensive line. It helps to have general manager Andrew Berry willing to invest in the offensive line. It also helps to have a great running back duo, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, as well as a variety of offensive weapons for Baker Mayfield to throw to.

In 2021, the Browns offensive line has been elite in pass protection, making things easier on Mayfield. Mirroring their plays so the defense has to hesitate has made things easier for everyone involved.

The offensive line has graded out as one of the elite in data from both ESPN and Pro Football Focus:

ESPN has the Browns pass block win rate at 73% with the Philadelphia Eagles the only other team with a rate of above 70%.

PFF has the Browns graded fourth in pass blocking with a 73.8 grade while the Arizona Cardinals are the top rated team with a 76.3 grade.

The above chart helps visualize the teams both data sets are in agreement on including have the Browns, Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams at or near the top for each.

While the Browns pass blocking is great, the team falls in the bottom half of the league in overall passing yards. Much of that is due to the run game that is second in the league but it is good to know that Mayfield should have ample time when Stefanski and company need to lean on the passing game.

Notre Dame in NFL: An Insane 2019 Ronnie Stanley Stat

We all know Ronnie Stanley had an insane 2019 in terms of pass blocking but just how absurd was it in a historical context?

Notre Dame was recently credited by Sports Illustrated as being “Offensive Line U” for the stars they put in the league.

Going into 2019 Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson were established stars on the inside, even if Nelson had only played one NFL season.  Ronnie Stanley was by no means a disappointment entering 2019 but he wasn’t in the territory of either of those two, either.

Then again, few are.

Ronnie Stanley didn’t just take a nice stride in 2019 though, he just an enormous leap.  Pro Football Focus analyzed his season and called him the Pass Blocker of the Year at the end of the regular season.  Now they’ve released information on just how great his 2019 was.

A 14 year window and no pass blocker allowed fewer pressures than Stanley did in 2019.

This is to take nothing away from Stanley because he was clearly great and a key part in Lamar Jackson stunning the league and winning the league MVP.  However, it is worth noting that Stanley did miss two games for the Ravens last year and that Baltimore did run the ball 98 more times than any other team in all of the NFL last season.

That all said, Ronnie Stanley still had a monstrous season worthy of the All-Pro and Pro Bowl accolades he received.