The sudden turnaround in the Los Angeles Rams offense has been largely credited to the stellar play of quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley. However, little has been said about the improvements made along the offensive line — in particular left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
The Rams have long been plagued by lackluster play from their left tackle in years past, which has ultimately led to their stagnant offense. Fortunately, those days are long gone thanks to Whitworth’s outstanding play so far in the 2017 NFL season. According to Pro Football Focus, Whitworth was among the offensive tackles who did not allow a single pressure in Week 3:
These OTs kept their QBs perfectly clean in pass protection pic.twitter.com/ds50l6Hjrc
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 26, 2017
Furthermore, PFF added that Whitworth has given up the fewest quarterback pressures so far in the 2017 NFL season.
Whitworth has given up the least amount of QB pressures among all OTs with 1 on 86 pass block snaps. 2nd in Pass Block Efficiency with 98.8 https://t.co/6obhvUDjXx
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) September 27, 2017
There was originally some hesitance regarding Whitworth’s signing in the offseason. Critics speculated whether giving a 35-year-old left tackle such a lucrative deal was a smart thing to do. With Whitworth now serving as the stabilizing factor in an otherwise improving offensive line, it just may be the best move Los Angeles made all summer.
The efforts of the offensive line often go unnoticed in football. However, the sight of Goff’s clean jersey following games says everything about the impact they have had on the offense’s performance so far this year.
