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PASS RUSHING ADVANTAGES
Bengals -16.7 at Chiefs Pass Rush
49ers -10.7 at Eagles Pass Rush
Eagles -2.7 vs 49ers Pass Rush
Cincinnati Bengals -16.7 at Kansas City Chiefs
Cincinnati has the lowest rated pass blocking offensive line out of the four teams left according to our NFL Betting/Props Cheat Sheet. Pro Football Focus and ESPN's pass block win rate ranking both rank the Bengals 30th, while Football Outsiders values Cincinnati with a ranking of 16th. With a ranking of 30th, it is no surprise that Cincinnati doesn't have a single offensive linemen on ESPN's PBWR top ten at any position. Pro Football Focus once again grades center Ted Karras as the only Cincinnati offensive lineman to grade above average at pass blocking with a rank of fourth out of 38 at his position.
Cincinnati faces off against a Kansas City pass rush ranked as high as third by Football Outsiders and as low as 15th by ESPN's pass rush win rate metric. Pro Football Focus grades the Chiefs pass rush eighth. Despite an average ranking by ESPN's PRWR metric, defensive tackle Chris Jones is ranked the #1 pass rusher on their top 10 list. Jones also grades as the second best pass rusher at his position per PFF. Linebacker Willie Gay Jr grades as the 13th best pass rush at his position. The rest of the Chiefs front seven grades below average.
San Francisco 49ers -10.7 at Philadelphia Eagles
Every team this season has been at a disadvantage against the Eagles pass rush who have been a consistent #1 pass rush across the board. San Francisco pass blocking has been hard to rank. Pro Football Focus grades the 49ers the highest at 5th, while ESPN pass block win rate ranking is 20th, and Football Outsiders is in-between at 10th. With a ranking of 20th, it's no surprise that there isn't a single 49er on the top ten list of ESPN's PBWR. PFF grades tackle Trent Williams fifth out of 83 at pass blocking and center Jack Brendel eighth out if 38. The other three offensive linemen grade average to below average.
The #1 pass rushing defensive line this season has been Philadelphia. Ranked #1 by ESPN, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders. Three Eagles rank in the top 10 of ESPN's pass rush win rate metric, Edge rushers Haason Reddick ranks second and Josh Sweat tenth, while defensive tackle Javon Hargrave ranks third per ESPN's PRWR. Pro Football Focus grades six of the Eagles front seven above average at pass rush. Hargraves grades third out of 101, Reddick fourth out of 116, and Sweat 16th out of 116.
Philadelphia Eagles -2.7 vs San Francisco 49ers
Eagles pass block 1st PFF, 21st FO, 12th ESPN
49ers pass rush 5th PFF, 16th FO, 5th ESPN
TOP PASS BLOCKING ADVANTAGES
Chiefs +17 vs Bengals Pass Rush
Kansas City Chiefs +17 vs Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City's offensive line has been top tier all season at pass protection. Pro Football Focus grades the Chiefs the lowest at ninth, Football Outsiders has Kansas City fifth, and ESPN's pass block win rate ranks the Chiefs #1 overall. When you have four of your five offensive linemen in the top 10 of ESPN's PBWR ranking it's no wonder why the Chiefs are #1. Guards Joe Thuney ranks #1 and Trey Smith ranks fourth at their positions, tackle Andew Wylie is ninth, and center Creed Humphries ranks #1 at his position. PFF also grades four of the five Chief's offensive linemen above average at pass blocking. Guard Joe Thuney is #1 out of 74 and center Creed Humphries is third out of 38.
The Bengals enter this AFC Championship match-up with a below average pass rushing ranking. Pro Football Focus ranks the Bengals the highest at 17th, ESPN's pass rush win rate ranking is 21st, and Football Outsiders ranks Cincinnati the lowest at 28th. Despite the low ranking by ESPN, edge rushers Trey Hendrickson ranks fourth on their PRWR ranking. Three of the Bengals front seven grade above average at pass rush. Hendrickson grades seventh out of 116, defensive tackle D.J. Reader grades fifth out of 101, and linebacker Germaine Pratt grades 14th out of 48.
By Ben Martinez & Chris Dell
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