Week 6 Grades: How Did Bengals' Offensive Line Perform Against Giants?

The Bengals' offense struggled on Sunday night.

Oct 13, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) looks to pass against New York Giants defensive tackle Jordon Riley (95) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Though some may say it doesn't feel like it, the Bengals walked out of Sunday Night Football with a win and improved to 2-4 on the season. Amarius Mims had a nice welcome to the NFL moment in primetime against underrated edge player Azeez Ojulari and we got to see Orlando Brown Jr. matchup with Giants' star pass rusher Brian Burns.

There was a lot of fun tape to breakdown from this matchup. Let's get into the grades!

Overall Grades

Ted Karras grabbed the top spot this week with an 89.00 overall grade against the Giants, his best of the season. The Bengals kept his job relatively simple in the pass game with him sliding to Dexter Lawrence on every snap, but he held up well. Karras was a force in the run game and was able to generate some impressive movement on double teams. Orlando Brown Jr. was the only other player that finished with a grade over 70, but that is great to see when considering who he was matched up with all night.

Run Blocking Grades

The Bengals' run blocking grade was the lowest of the year between the three categories (Overall, Run and Pass). Two players finished with grades under 45, but the lowlight of the group was Amarius Mims (23.53 run blocking grade). So far this season, I have been underwhelmed with Mims as a run blocker. When seeing his frame and build, I expected a highly athletic tackle who was going to be an impressive people mover in the run game. However, not only has he struggled to secure solo blocks on the edge so far, but I have noticed a shocking lack of success from him in space. Whether at the second level or on the perimeter, he struggles to track defenders and get hands on.

Mims is a rookie and I expect him to get better as the season goes on, but we have to hope he turns a corner sooner rather than later.

Pass Blocking Grades

Like the overall grades, Karras and Brown Jr. led the pack regarding the pass-blocking grades from Week 6. Karras was once again above an 80 grade, while Brown Jr. finished with a 75.76 grade in protection. It feels like Burrow has more time in the pocket every week than the week prior. Giving your elite quarterback time to dissect defenses or create (like we saw with his explosive rushing touchdown) is never a bad thing. It is also refreshing to see that the youngest members of this group, Cordell Volson and Mims, both have grades above 60 in protection. The future is here!

Summary

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by this group week in and week out. Even in what felt like one of their worst performances of the year when watching the broadcast live, this group stands tall over the offensive lines Bengals fans have seen in the Joe Burrow era. Though it feels like the run game is still not clicking, whether it is backs missing lanes, tight ends missing blocks, or offensive linemen getting beat, it seems like they are only one guy away on so many of their rushing attempts. The most exciting aspect of the 2024 Bengals offensive line room is how they are holding up in pass protection. They have their struggles sometimes, but the group has improved so much compared to only a few seasons ago.

Hopefully, this team can put everything together before they get too deep into the season, and they can maximize this lethal offense to make a deep playoff run.

Cincinnati Bengals Week 6 OL Grades

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