Tag: sacks

Ravens OLB Justin Houston among NFL’s best pass rushers in key category

Ravens outside linebacker Justin Houston tied for third place in one key pass-rushing category according to Next Gen Stats

The Baltimore Ravens need all the pass rush they can get in 2023, and outside linebacker Justin Houston proved to be among the NFL’s best at getting off the line this season. He dipped into the fountain of youth during the 2022 season, and was the team’s most consistent pass rusher despite a slow finish.

In a year where he recorded nine and a half sacks, his average time to cross the line of scrimmage was tied for third-best in the league, which could provide an advantage to Baltimore next year assuming he returns to the team.

Ranking just behind New York Jets defensive lineman Bryce Huff and Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett, Houston tied with Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat and former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt at .75 seconds to get across the line in 2022.

For a 33-year-old veteran, this number is remarkable, especially given how opponents schemed against him over the course of the Ravens’ grueling schedule. Time will tell if Houston is able to maintain his elite explosiveness, but if he can, Baltimore should have no problem taking down quarterbacks for sacks next season.

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Chargers 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ edge defenders/linebackers

The Chargers’ linebacking corps was filled with talent in 2022, but the team faces key decisions at the position in the offseason.

The Los Angeles Chargers were an enigma in 2022, sometimes looking like Super Bowl contenders, and at others, seeming to be remarkably average. The hot-and-cold play of their defense was best shown in their playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where a great first-half showing was met with utter collapse in the third and fourth quarters, sealing the team’s fate.

Their linebackers, notably superstar pass rusher Joey Bosa, were partially to blame for the loss. Bosa’s bizarre helmet throw incident late in the game gave Jacksonville the opening they needed to complete their improbable comeback, and to some degree, defined his season.

But 10 other linebackers also took snaps for the Chargers in 2022, making contributions big and small to help get them into the playoffs in January. Khalil Mack managed to secure a Pro Bowl selection despite an average season by his standards, and middle linebackers Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill made their presence felt consistently from their central spots in Brandon Staley’s defense.

Mack tallied eight sacks on the year, leading the team while Tranquill tied with veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy for third place with five behind standout defensive lineman Morgan Fox, who had six and a half. Tranquill was also the team’s leading tackler, combining for 146 tackles on the year, which was more than 30 more than Derwin James, who managed 115.

Bosa missed most of the season due to injury but secured two and a half sacks in five contests. Fans will have to wait for next season to see if he can get back to the elite production that characterized his first several seasons in Los Angeles.

The third-year linebacker Murray showed flashes of brilliance on his 76 combined tackles and may see his role grow next year as the Chargers’ defense faces some tough decisions due to salary cap constraints.

Among the others who saw snaps at the position were Chris Rumph, Derek Tuszka, Troy Reeder, Amen Ogbongbemiga, and Nick Niemann, none of whom made more than 20 tackles or two sacks. Though their production was modest by comparison, all proved to be valuable depth for the team and could find themselves in crucial roles in 2023 depending on what they show in OTAs and training camp.

All in all, the linebacking corps was a critical part of Los Angeles’ defensive success in 2022, and there is no doubt that the high-end talent they possess at the position made a huge impact for them all season. Now, the team will need to make decisions over the coming months that will determine whether they can afford to keep their stars around, or if they will opt to test their depth and rely on some unsung heroes to man the position in 2023.

Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ defensive line

The Chargers were led by unsung hero Morgan Fox on their defensive line in 2022.

The Los Angeles Chargers pass rush has been one of their most useful strategic advantages on defense, and has the power and speed to overwhelm most offensive lines across the NFL.

But that strength is mostly bolstered by their elite edge defender corps, which hosts perennial Pro Bowlers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Their defensive line was comprised of 11 players who took snaps for the Chargers over the course of the 2022 season and accounted for just 11.5 sacks on the year.

Sixth-year lineman Morgan Fox accounted for six and a half of those sacks, leading the unit by a wide margin. Tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day notched two sacks on the season but led the team in combined tackles with 56 on the season, besting Fox by 18 in that category.

Among other key contributors up front for Los Angeles were Breiden Fehoko, Austin Johnson, Christian Covington, and Otito Ogbonnia, who combined for 71 total tackles but just one sack in the team’s 2022 campaign.

Tyeler Davison, Christopher Hinton, David Moa, and Joe Gaziano rounded out the Chargers’ depth on the line, but didn’t see much action as none in this group registered more than one sack or 10 total tackles.

Clearly, there remains a ton of room for improvement for the Los Angeles in this area, though they may find it difficult to upgrade their defensive line given the current state of their salary cap. Watch for the Chargers to look for a lineman in April’s draft, and for them to do their best to improve this group’s production in 2023.

Saints free agent review: DT David Onyemata, stay or go?

New Orleans Saints free agent review: defensive tackle David Onyemata, stay or go?

We’re up for another busy offseason for the New Orleans Saints, who need to make some tough decisions on pending 2023 free agents like defensive end Marcus Davenport, linebacker Kaden Elliss, and slot receiver Jarvis Landry as well as quarterback Andy Dalton and tight end Juwan Johnson. Another veteran player who will hit the open market in March is defensive tackle David Onyemata, their best player at his position the last few years.

Will the Saints have room in the budget for No. 93? Onyemata hasn’t returned to the heights he reached previously in his career, but he’s still a steady presence in the interior rotation and easily New Orleans’ most consistent pass rusher along the inside. Finding a follow-up to his three-year, $27 million contract may be difficult. Let’s review his 2022 season and guess at what’s in store for 2023:

No team had a better point differential against Tom Brady than the Saints

No team had a better point differential against Tom Brady than the New Orleans Saints, one of the few teams to outscore him in his career:

It’s finally over. Tom Brady announced his retirement on Wednesday after spending decades on top of the NFL, but no team had more success against him than the New Orleans Saints. Brady posted the lowest point differential of his career against the Saints in getting outscored by 31 points.

For context, just three teams outscored Brady in his career — the Kansas City Chiefs were next-best (-20), followed by the San Francisco 49ers (-8), with Brady’s old New England Patriots team coming close to breaking even (2). Brady outscored every other team in the league by 7 or more points in his long run as a pro.

That’s impressive by New Orleans. But the Saints also created more negative plays by Brady than many other opponents. They sacked him 30 times in 11 games, the fourth-highest sacks total of all opposing defenses; his former AFC East rivals, who he played more often, took a lead there with 66 sacks in 36 games by the Miami Dolphins, 64 sacks in 36 games by the Buffalo Bills, and 56 sacks in 37 games by the New York Jets.

It extends to takeaways, too. The Saints defense intercepted Brady 12 times in 11 games; the Dolphins had 27 interceptions, the Bills had 25, and the Jets had 16, as did the Indianapolis Colts in 15 games. Brady fumbled 7 times in 11 games with the Saints and Chiefs. The Denver Broncos had 10 fumbles in 14 games. The Jets and Bills had 14 each, and the the Dolphins had 16.

Whew. The Saints got the better of him almost every time they shared the field. It’s a shame Brady didn’t come to the NFC South sooner. Here’s to a happy and fulfilling retirement for him.

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Chiefs DE Frank Clark can ascend sack leaderboard, hit contract incentive vs. Bengals

#Chiefs DE Frank Clark has $500K, a spot on the all-time playoff sack leaderboard and a trip to the Super Bowl on the line vs. the #Bengals. | from @TheJohnDillon

Frank Clark has been an enigmatic part of the Kansas City Chiefs defense during the regular season but always seems to find an extra gear in the playoffs. He managed to bring down Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence last week in the Chiefs’ first playoff win of the postseason and will need to find his way into the Cincinnati Bengals’ backfield with regularity to lift Kansas City to another Super Bowl berth.

With a sack of Joe Burrow in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Clark could improve his position on the NFL’s all-time playoff sack leaderboard. He would pass both Reggie White, who he’s currently tied with, and one-time Chiefs player Terrell Suggs, who has a half-sack advantage over Clark heading into the matchup.

It is also worth noting that Clark has incentives in his contract that would pay him a hefty sum if the Chiefs manage to pull out a win on Sunday. CBS Sports salary cap wizard Joel Corry has the details:

As if the prospect of a Super Bowl berth wasn’t enough reason to play hard, the amount of pride and money on the line should provide Clark plenty of motivation to be a game-wrecker on Kansas City’s defensive line. Against a Bengals offense whose only weakness is their ailing offensive front, the veteran pass rusher seems primed to do something special.

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Ravens DL Calais Campbell says prospect of securing 100th-career sack makes 2023 return tempting

Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell said that the prospect of securing his 100th career sack makes a return in 2023 tempting

Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell has been among the best players in the league at his position for what feels like forever, and has made a huge impact for the team since being traded to them from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Entering a season that would see him turn 37 years old in September, Campbell’s future in the league is very much in question.

When asked if the prospect of securing his 100th career sack was weighing on him in his decision to come back in 2023, Campbell told reporters that it would certainly be a hard accomplishment to ignore given that he is so close.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Campbell said. “I had plenty of opportunities to get it this year and didn’t get it done. So, sometimes it’s like, ‘Well, man, it wasn’t that important to you because you didn’t get it done.’ I had the guy in my arms a couple times, and just missed him. So, I guess it’s not the top of the list, but it’s something I really want. At the end of the day, what’s meant to be will be. So, I definitely felt like I left some plays out there though this year, and that kind of hurt a little bit, but that’s football.”

Time will tell if Campbell will decide to return to Baltimore next season, and he is sure to weigh all of his options over the course of the next several months. The veteran is just one sack short of the illustrious 100-sack mark, and would be all-but guaranteed to achieve the feat if he were to return to the field in 2023.

Halftime analysis of Ravens’ Wild Card matchup against the Bengals

The Ravens fought hard against the Bengals in the first half of the AFC North Wild Card matchup

The Baltimore Ravens are fighting for their season heading into halftime in their Wild Card matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Though inconsistent early in the game, the Ravens’ offense found traction in the second quarter and coupled with the excellent play of their defense, Baltimore was able to jump out to a lead just before the halftime whistle.

A halftime points advantage by the score of 10-9 has the Ravens in a favorable position now, but against the Bengals, their lead may not be as secure as it seems. The Ravens will need to continue to adjust to Cincinnati’s game plan to pull off an improbable win on the road against their divisional rival.

Here are our thoughts on the Ravens’ first-half performance:

Ravens bring NFL’s longest active streak for multiple sacks in a game into Wild Card matchup vs. Bengals

Baltimore will look to extend their streak of games with multiple sacks against the Bengals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens have earned their place in the AFC playoffs with their 10-7 regular season record and will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round this weekend. Everything the team accomplished in 2022 was in spite of some adversity from injuries that they had faced since Week 1, especially pertaining to absences from star players such as quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Nonetheless, Baltimore has managed to bring the NFL’s longest streak of multi-sack games into the first round of the playoffs, and hopes are high that their fierce pass rush can help mitigate the threat posed by the Bengals’ prolific offense. The Ravens have seen contributions from outside linebackers Justin Houston, Tyus Bowser, David Ojabo and more, but have seen their sack production fall off ever since the bye week.

Despite the lack of recent production, Baltimore’s multi-sack streak has lasted for 13 weeks, and with some luck, the team could extend it with a strong showing this weekend. No less than 17 Ravens defenders have registered a sack this season, and with their season on the line Baltimore could look to add to that total in emphatic fashion against Cincinnati.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid proud of strides made by DE George Karlaftis in 2022 season

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid was proud of the progress that rookie DE George Karlaftis has shown throughout the 2022 regular season.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie DE George Karlaftis has come on strong in the second half of the 2022 NFL regular season and it hasn’t been lost on his head coach.

Karlaftis notched another sack in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders, marking his sixth sack in the last seven games. He finished the regular season with six total sacks, the fifth-most by a rookie in franchise history. Only Art Still (6.5), Tamba Hali (8), Jared Allen (9) and Derrick Thomas (10) have more sacks in a rookie season for the franchise.

Speaking to reporters following the Week 18 game, Chiefs HC Andy Reid expressed pride for Karlaftis and the progress he’s shown throughout the full 17-game season.

“I’m proud of that kid because it’s hard to make it through as a rookie, period, 17 games,” Reid said. “But getting better every week at that position is something that is as much mental as it is physical, and he is relentless. You see him at practice, he goes 100 miles an hour at practice. He transfers that into the games. My hat goes off to him.”

Reid has seen the results from practice and the meeting rooms translate into results on the field. Karlaftis finished the season No. 3 among rookie edge rushers in terms of sacks, behind only the Detroit Lions duo of Aidan Hutchinson (9.5) and James Houston (8). Only Hutchinson (53) recorded more pressures than Karlaftis (48) during the regular season according to PFF.

Availability has also been huge for Karlaftis. He started all 17 regular season games as a rookie for Kansas City, joining Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey (2021) as the only rookies in franchise history to hit that mark.

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