Despite dealing with a significant number of changes along the offensive line, the Los Angeles Rams still managed to successfully keep Chicago Bears defensive end Khalil Mack from getting to quarterback Jared Goff in Week 11.
In fact, Mack was not able to get to anyone after finishing with zero tackles and zero sacks in the 17-7 win by Los Angeles. This may come as a bit of a surprise considering just how many adjustments they were forced to make up front heading into their primetime showdown.
Rookie right tackle Bobby Evans undoubtedly had the biggest task after having to fend off the best edge rusher in the NFL today. It seems his efforts against Mack did not go unnoticed.
Goff shared some heavy praise for how Evans fared against the All-Pro in his first career NFL start, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times:
“You think about Bobby Evans making his first start against Khalil Mack, who’s arguably the best rush-end in the league and it was a non-factor,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. “He did his thing. He stepped up, he did his thing.
“We were doing different things to help them out, but not that much, to the point where he was just playing well.”
There is no question that the job Evans did on Mack had a significant impact in Los Angeles being able to back into the win column, however, he was not the only one that managed to step up in an unfamiliar situation.
Aside from Evans having to fill in for right tackle Rob Havenstein, Austin Blythe was forced to move from guard to center to replace the injured Brian Allen while David Edwards slid in between them. Meanwhile, newly-acquired guard Austin Corbett had the benefit of working alongside left tackle Andrew Whitworth on the other side of the line.
As a result, there was plenty of concern regarding how well the offensive line would fare against a Bears defense that had no shortage of talent on the edge. Fortunately, head coach Sean McVay opted to go with a run-heavy approach on offense, which allowed this group to focus on getting a push forward as opposed to trying to stop their pass rush.
Although the Rams are still trying to find their rhythm on offense, it is encouraging to see them making the necessary adjustments in order to play to their strengths. The onus will now fall on the offensive line to continue building on their chemistry together heading into the final stretch of the 2019 NFL season.
