Per PFF’s pressure statistics, #Saints OT Ryan Ramczyk helped hold Raiders DE Maxx Crosby to 0 pressures for the first time in 28 regular season games.
That dates back to Dec. 13, 2020.#Saints only doubled Crosby 7 times by my count. Ramczyk was unyielding.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) November 2, 2022
For the New Orleans Saints, Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders was a statement of resurgence. A momentum-building win that the team hopes can propel them to the top of an NFC South division in disarray. A lot of talk has centered around running back Alvin Kamara and other playmakers on both sides of the ball, but one elite performance deserves to be highlighted: offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. The All-Pro tackle has had a stellar season so far ranking in the top-15 (along with Saints left tackle James Hurst) of Pro Football Focus’s pass rushing metric among tackles who have taken at least 250 pass blocking snaps.
But Sunday was an elite individual performance that achieved something that had not been done since Dec. 13, 2020. Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season was the last time Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was held without a single pressure in a game. That is, until Ramczyk and the Saints did it 28 regular season games later on Sunday.
The extra layer to this already-impressive feat is that Ramczyk did this in mostly one-on-one situations. New Orleans chose to double-team Crosby only 7 total times throughout their matchup, only 3 times in pass protection. The Raiders edge defender rushed the passer 28 times, matching up with Ramczyk 19 times, 16 in one-on-one situations and never sniffed quarterback Andy Dalton.
Crosby also had matchups with Hurst on a run play during which he lined up on the offensive left side and left guard Andrus Peat as a pulling guard on another rushing snap. New Orleans did not have to dedicate resources to slowing Crosby down for 60 minutes, because Ramczyk was able to handle it on his own. The former Wisconsin Badger may be playing his way into another All-Pro season with Sunday’s game vs. a premier pass rusher being one of the highlights.
Ramczyk was on point against Crosby in Week 8. Went heavy inside strike with a lot of success. pic.twitter.com/s5SmD49PUC
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) October 31, 2022