On paper, the Washington Commanders defensive line looks like it should be one of the top units in the country out of the 32 NFL teams, but through two weeks the line hasn't done much besides be average.
The defensive trenches for the Commanders were thought to be one of their strengths under first-year, defensive-minded head coach Dan Quinn and although it hasn't quite lived up to expectations, the guys in that room will have a shot at getting back on track when they face the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
The Bengals' offensive line has had issues protecting quarterback Joe Burrow for the better part of three seasons or so and has struggled mightily to begin the 2024 season as well. With the struggles being so glaring, let's see where the likes of Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell, and Dante Fowler Jr. will be able to take advantage.
Attack G Cordell Volson and T Trent Brown on passing downs
The Bengals have struggled in all areas along their offensive line, but a major point of the NFL game has transitioned into a quarterback-dominant one, and with that teams have paid extra close attention to ensuring their pass protection to help their respective quarterbacks have as much time to throw from the pocket as possible.
Cincinnati has made an effort over recent years to address their concerns when it comes to blocking for their quarterback, but it hasn't come to fruition in the least bit and that has carried over in 2024. Among their top offensive lineman only center Ted Karras, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., and guard Alex Cappa have graded out above 60.0 in pass blocking through two games per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The others, tackle Trent Brown and guard Cordell Volson, have struggled mightily in this facet - this is where the Commanders' defensive line should target when bringing pressure.
Zoltán Buday of PFF dug deeper and detailed the struggles the Bengals' offensive line faced last weekend in their heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Left guard Cordell Volson went up against elite interior defender Chris Jones for much of Cincinnati’s bout with the Chiefs, and it showed in his stats," wrote Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus. "Of the 12 pressures allowed by the Bengals' offensive line, Volson was responsible for five — one sack, one hit and three hurries. He finished the day with an 11.0 PFF pass-blocking grade, the second-lowest figure among all guards in Week 2."
Stack the box
Just when you thought things couldn't get much worse for Cincinnati's offensive line, it does. Yes, their pass blocking isn't great, but their run blocking might just be worse.
So far through two weeks of game action, the Bengals have only put up a total of 144 rushing yards, are only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, and have one of the lowest rushing yards per game in the league at 72 yards per game. Yes, Joe Mixon is no longer on the team and the backfield looks a bit different, but at the end of the day, a successful run game only goes as far as the offensive line allows.
After two NFL games, the Cincinnati Bengals starting offensive line doesn't have a single guy above a 70.0 run-blocking grade by PFF. Volson has the closest with a 69.3 grade while the rest of the offensive line sits in the mid-sixties and even into the fifties.
Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus continued to dig into the Bengals' struggles from last week and in particular highlighted their lackluster ability to create any running room for their backs to run through.
"Cincinnati’s offensive linemen struggled to create creases in the running game, highlighted by the fact that all five players earned sub-65.0 PFF run-blocking grades in Week 2."
Stacking the box on obvious running downs and focusing on the weak aspects of the Bengals' pass blocking are areas where the Washington Commanders' defense can take advantage of the Bengals. After suffering a tough loss a week ago the Bengals will likely want to come out with something to prove after starting 0-2, but if the Commanders play their cards right and attack these areas they will put themselves in a great position to pull off the upset on Monday Night Football.
