You didn’t need a news flash to tell you how bad the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line is. After all, that’s been the case for about, oh, well over a decade to this point.
But, we’ll give you an update on the crew as we head into the Week 13 bye anyway. (You’re so very welcome.)
On the advanced statistical scale created by ESPN Analytics, the Panthers currently rank 28th and 27th in a pair of telling blocking metrics. The first, with that 28th ranking, comes in team pass block win rate.
This number “conveys the rate linemen can sustain their blocks for 2.5 seconds or longer.” Carolina has accomplished that in just 52 percent of their pass-blocking snaps. By comparison, the Cleveland Browns rank No. 1 at 69 percent.
That 27th spot, as you may have already deduced, comes in team run block rate. This measures how often blockers prevent defenders from any of the following:
- Beating his blocker so he’s in better position to stop the runner.
- Disrupting the pocket or running lane by pushing his blocker backwards
- Containing the runner such that he must adjust his running lane
- Recording a tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage
The Panthers have amassed a 68-percent rate here, nine percent off the league-leading Washington Football Team.
To be fair, again, we can’t be surprised. What else can we really expect from a unit that’s lined up in eight different starting configurations over their 12 games?
