One key matchup: Can the Bengals' O-line counter the Rams' fearsome rush?

The most obvious potential mismatch in Super Bowl LVI is the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line against the Los Angeles Rams' defensive front - and it's not close. The basic metrics look pretty grim.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a league-high 51 sacks during the regular season behind a line that ranked 30th in ESPN's pass block win rate. He was sacked a staggering nine times in a divisional-round win against the Tennessee Titans, and the Kansas City Chiefs pressured him on a whopping 40.5% of his dropbacks in the AFC title game, according to PFF. Jonah Williams, the Cincinnati O-lineman with PFF's highest pass-block grade, is ranked just 57th out of 136 players who qualify based on playing time.

The Rams, meanwhile, led the league in pass rush win rate. Aaron Donald is one of the best interior defensive linemen in NFL history, but he's also one of four L.A. defenders - Von Miller, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, and Leonard Floyd are the others - to have earned a pass-rush grade of 72 or higher this season from PFF, playoffs included.

If Burrow winds up running for his life as Patrick Mahomes did in last year's Super Bowl, or if he constantly gets smashed like Cam Newton did in Super Bowl 50, you'll know why.

But here's the thing: Burrow and the Bengals are in the Super Bowl, and they've made it this far by working around their pass-protection deficiencies. The pocket constantly seems to be collapsing around Burrow, but he's still managed to play with an uncommon coolness. And Cincinnati's entire offense has effectively counterpunched schematically when it's had to. The question is whether the Bengals can handle what the Rams can bring.

Donald is a one-man game-wrecker. He not only led all interior linemen in beating his pass-rush blockers in less than 2.5 seconds, he did it five percentage points more frequently than anyone else (26%). Donald also saw more double teams than anybody - no matter where those pass rushers lined up - and it still didn't matter. His play is literally nearly off the charts. I mean, this almost looks fake:

Double team rate (x) by pass rush win rate (y), regardless of where players line up.

2021 regular season. Top 50 PRWR players shown.

(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats) pic.twitter.com/7OsnokOa8R

- Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 31, 2022

Donald doesn't just line up inside, either. He's been positioned either to the right or left of the center 417 times, per PFF. But he's also played 310 snaps at left end, 285 at right end, plus 96 at right end outside, and 79 at left end outside. Cincinnati's protection will have to know where he is, but he could be anywhere. And accounting for Donald is part of what allows Miller, Floyd, and Okoronkwo to thrive.

So, what can the Bengals do? Their game plan against the Chiefs in the AFC championship provides some clues. Despite the constant pressure - and despite the frequent double teams wideout Ja'Marr Chase saw - Burrow was sacked just once and hit only four times. He neutralized Kansas City's rush with quick passes, along with a heavier dose of play-action throws and screens.

During the regular season and in his first two playoff victories, Burrow threw screens just 8.6% of the time and averaged 5.4 yards per attempt on those passes, per PFF. Against Kansas City, Burrow upped that total to 14.3%. He was 4-for-6 for 63 yards, including this 41-yard touchdown toss to running back Samaje Perine that kick-started Cincinnati's comeback from a 21-3 deficit:

Your browser does not support the video tag. NFL Game Pass

Quick passes are a strength for Burrow - and an effective foil for the Rams' pass rush. Burrow averages 7.2 yards per attempt when he releases the ball in under 2.5 seconds, the second-best total in the league, per Next Gen Stats. And L.A. gives up 6.8 yards per attempt when QBs deliver quick passes, the third-worst figure in the NFL. Donald and Co. can't create havoc if the QB no longer has the ball in his hands.

Burrow also didn't use much play-action for most of the season - just 19.3% of his dropbacks during the regular season and the first two rounds of the postseason, per PFF. But against the Chiefs, Burrow play-faked 28.6% of the time.

Much as he did in college at LSU, Burrow likes to throw out of empty-backfield sets: 23.7% of his dropbacks, according to Sharp Football's Dan Pizzuta, with only the Rams' Matthew Stafford (29.1%) working out of empty more frequently. This provides the advantage of having as many as five receiving targets, but it also potentially leaves Burrow more exposed with fewer pass-protectors. Increased use of play-action and screens can mitigate the pass rush by keeping an extra body or two in to block, or to even chip before releasing into a route.

All of this is easier said than done, of course. The Rams have an all-world cornerback in Jalen Ramsey who can potentially be isolated against Chase, and they can also sometimes deploy five down linemen to force the Bengals into picking their poison with their protection calls. As counterintuitive as it's seemed, Burrow has found ways to keep winning despite taking numerous hits and withstanding relentless pressure. He only has to do it one more time to win a championship, but that exact challenge is also more formidable than any he's faced yet.

Dom Cosentino is a senior features writer at theScore.

Copyright (C) 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.