The Los Angeles Rams’ young pass rush has silenced any and all doubters about how they would fare without Aaron Donald, ranking among the NFL’s best units through 11 weeks this season. Jared Verse and Byron Young have already established themselves as an outstanding tandem on the edges, but that duo will be tested in a big way on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The pairing of Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson might just be the best offensive tackle tandem in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Mailata has the second-best pass-blocking grade (92.1) of any tackle in football this year, and Johnson is close behind at No. 4 with a grade of 87.3.
Combined, they’ve allowed just 12 total pressures on 487 pass-blocking snaps, which is an incredibly low rate. They’re equally good in the run game, too, ranking fourth and sixth, respectively, in run-blocking grades this season.
The chart below truly shows how good they’ve each been in 2024. They have two of the highest island rates of any tackle, which means they’re rarely getting help from a guard, running back or tight end in pass protection. They also have the two highest grades over expectation when left on an island.
offensive tackle island rate and performance when on an island pic.twitter.com/sVwTRx9ZKa
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) November 21, 2024
This isn’t to say Verse and Young can’t have success against Mailata and Johnson, but it’ll be much more difficult for them to generate pressure than usual. Johnson has only allowed at least one pressure in three games this season and Mailata has allowed zero pressures in three of his six starts this year.
What will help is the presence of Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske on the interior. That’s where Los Angeles could have more success pressuring Jalen Hurts, ideally flushing him from the pocket with internal pressure and allowing Verse and Young to contain him on the edge.
Disrupting Hurts is one of the best ways to beat the Eagles and break the rhythm of their offense, so it’s essential for either the defensive tackles to win their matchups or for Verse and Young to put together a fantastic performance on the outside.
