{"id":57038,"date":"2019-01-23T06:24:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T11:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=57038"},"modified":"2019-01-24T18:14:17","modified_gmt":"2019-01-24T23:14:17","slug":"super-bowl-liii-new-england-patriots-offensive-line-vs-los-angeles-rams-defensive-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/01\/23\/super-bowl-liii-new-england-patriots-offensive-line-vs-los-angeles-rams-defensive-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Bowl LIII: New England Patriots Offensive Line vs Los Angeles Rams Defensive Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> are back in their third Super Bowl in as many years<\/a>, thanks in large part to their fantastic offensive line. The line was one of the best in the league throughout the season before turning their play up to another level in the postseason. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots offensive line, the Super Bowl brings a whole new challenge. Led by the fantastic Aaron Donald<\/a><\/strong>, the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> defensive line is one of the best in the league. The offensive line has their work cut out for them, but this grouping ultimately has the ability to win the battle in the trenches.<\/p>\n

Super Bowl LIII: New England Patriots Offensive Line Can Neutralize Los Angeles Rams Defensive Line<\/h1>\n

To say Aaron Donald is good at what he does is a drastic understatement. Donald is easily the league\u2019s best defensive tackle, recording a league-leading 20.5 sacks, 59 tackles, and 41 quarterback hits. He\u2019s always in the backfield, as evidenced by his league-leading 25 tackles for loss. Donald\u2019s the best interior pass rusher and run defender in the league, and he does all this in spite of facing constant double teams.<\/p>\n

2018 wasn\u2019t a one-year fluke season from Donald. The five-year NFL veteran has earned First-Team All-Pro honors four times in his career, compiling 59.5 sacks, 149 quarterback hits, 263 tackles, and 97 tackles for loss since entering the league. Donald earned a massive six-year, $135 million extension and is already worth every penny. Containing Donald needs to be New England\u2019s top priority on offense.<\/p>\n

Of course, Donald isn\u2019t the only big-name player on the Rams defensive line. Former second-overall pick Ndamukong Suh<\/a> <\/strong>lines up alongside Donald, and the two form perhaps the most intimidating interior pass rush in all of football. While he\u2019s not the player he once was, Suh still finished his season as the 21st<\/sup>-ranked defensive tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus. He\u2019s more than capable of winning his matchups, as evidenced by his 4.5 sacks, 59 tackles, and 19 quarterback hits.<\/p>\n

The Rams best pass rushers come from the inside, and that\u2019s bad news for New England. It\u2019s no secret the best way to beat Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> is to get quick pressure up the middle and not allow him to step up in the pocket. New England lost two Super Bowls because they couldn\u2019t stop interior pressure, but do the Patriots have the pieces to ensure history won\u2019t repeat itself?<\/p>\n

New England Patriots Interior Offensive Line<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, the New England Patriots have arguably the best offensive line in the league. New England\u2019s offensive line enters the Super Bowl with a clean bill of health and the personnel to match up with the Rams star-studded interior.\u00a0Shaq Mason<\/strong><\/a> and David Andrews<\/a><\/strong> are among the league\u2019s elite, ranking as the first and seventh-ranked players at their position, respectively. If any duo can take Donald out of a game, it\u2019s these two.<\/p>\n

These two are the stars, but the rest of the unit is nothing to scoff at. Joe Thuney<\/a><\/strong> took a massive leap in 2018, elevating his play and finishing the year as the eighth-best guard in football. Together, this grouping forms the best interior offensive line in all of football. Suh and Donald wreaked havoc upon the league throughout 2018, but they\u2019ve never faced an interior line as good as this one.<\/p>\n

The Tackles<\/h2>\n

New England\u2019s tackles are the relative weak points on the line, but that says more about how good the interior offensive line is. Marcus Cannon<\/a><\/strong>, a former second-team All-Pro, had a solid season in the right tackle position. While he didn\u2019t light the world on fire as he did back in 2016, he still gave Brady all the protection he could possibly need. The eight-year NFL veteran finished his season as Pro Football Focus\u2019 27th<\/sup>-ranked tackle, and he should be able to handle any edge rushing threat the Rams send his way.<\/p>\n

Trent Brown<\/a><\/strong> is more hot-and-cold, but he\u2019s riding a strong hot streak. At 6\u20198\u201d, 380 pounds, Brown\u2019s massive frame started to wear down during long stretches without bye weeks. His worst games in the regular season came against Tennessee after playing ten consecutive games and late in December. Given an extra week to rest before the playoffs, Brown was back looking like his early-season self against some elite competition. Now given another week off before the Super Bowl, Brown should be as rested and healthy as ever. When he\u2019s at his best, he\u2019s arguably the best pass blocker<\/a> in the league.<\/p>\n

Altogether, this line has come together to provide elite protection for the 41-year old quarterback. Tom Brady has thrown 90 passes thus far and has yet to take a sack. While some of that is due to Brady\u2019s natural quick release, there\u2019s no denying the offensive line has taken their play to another level. This hasn\u2019t been a case of favorable matchups, either, as the line has had to face some elite pass rushers in Joey Bosa<\/a>, Melvin Ingram<\/a><\/strong>, Dee Ford<\/a><\/strong>, Justin Houston<\/a><\/strong>, and Chris Jones<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Rams Defensive Line Weakness<\/h2>\n

The Los Angeles Rams have an otherworldly talent in Aaron Donald and an above-average starter in Ndamukong Suh. New England will need to do everything in their power to ensure that Donald does not take over this game. Donald typically lines up over an \u201cA\u201d gap (between center and guard), so the Patriots should double-team him every single time. Nobody can completely shut down Donald, but Andrews, Thuney, and Mason are good enough to slow him down and minimize his impact.<\/p>\n

This leaves whichever guard isn\u2019t doubling Thuney to take on Suh all by himself. This task, while ultimately a tough one, is one that Thuney and Mason are both capable of handling. Suh is still a good player, but he isn\u2019t the world-wrecking force he once was. Contrarily, both Thuney and Mason are among the best in the league. They\u2019ll need help on occasion, but overall they should be able to handle the one-on-one matchup. If they can\u2019t, one of the tackles will need to help chip Suh. This, in turn, could force New England to rely on their tight ends for edge blocking. While this situation wouldn\u2019t be ideal, it\u2019s still a scenario New England could deal with.<\/p>\n

The weakest part of the New England offensive line is on either edge. Fortunately, the Rams biggest defensive weakness is that their edge defenders and linebackers aren\u2019t really that good. Michael Brockers<\/a><\/strong> is probably the best edge defender on the Rams, and he finished his 2018 season with just one sack and four quarterback hits. The only other edge defender of note is\u00a0Dante Fowler<\/strong><\/a>, who finished the season with just four sacks.\u00a0If left to block the outside, Cannon and Brown should win this matchup handily. Even if they\u2019re needed to help with Suh and Donald, Rob Gronkowski<\/a><\/strong> and Dwayne Allen<\/a><\/strong> are both capable of holding their own in pass protection.<\/p>\n

The Rams defensive line is no joke, but it\u2019s probably the worst unit the Patriots have seen in the playoffs. Nobody is as good as Aaron Donald, but the rest of the surrounding talent cannot match up to the surrounding talent of the Chiefs and Chargers. New England didn\u2019t allow a sack in either of the prior matchups, and they should have similar success in Super Bowl LIII.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>