Two Worst Pass Blocking Teams Will Face Off Monday
By Ben Nielsen
Monday night could feature some very bruised and battered quarterbacks.
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Both New England and Kansas City rank as the two worst pass protection teams according to Pro Football Focus. By overall grade the Chiefs rank ahead of the Patriots but PFF says the Chiefs have allowed more quarterback pressures than New England through three weeks. Seven of the 10 projected starting offensive linemen rank in the bottom 10 of their positions in pass blocking, both of New England’s guards rank second and third in worst pass blocking.
Not only are both teams struggling to protect the passer but both defenses are among the league’s best in creating pressure on defense. The Chiefs are the third ranked team pass rush according to PFF with New England ranking 8th. Between Chandler Jones, Justin Houston, and Tamba Hali you three of the best pass rushers in all of the NFL through three weeks of the season. The fire power of these two teams is quite impressive.
So which quarterback survives the pass rushing onslaught on Sunday? Probably not the future hall of famer Tom Brady.
Both Brady and Alex Smith have been under a similar amount of pressure the season with both quarterbacks having 45 dropbacks which resulted in them having to make a quick decision. In those snaps Smith has a better accuracy percentage (completion percentage plus drops) and completion percentage than Brady. Smith’s ability to take off on the scramble also aids his ability to turn potential negative plays in to positive gains.
What may end up being the difference on Monday is the Chiefs home field advantage. Chiefs fans should be incredibly revved up to sent the Chiefs to .500 and back on track to potentially make the playoffs. Add in the Monday night factor and the fact we’re going to break the stadium sound record again and trying to get protection schemes set up properly could end up being a problem for the Patriots.