A matchup in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers and edge rushers Nick Bosa and Chase Young might keep most offensive coordinators up at night.
But not Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He has arguably one of the best tackle duos in the NFL in All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell and left tackle Taylor Decker.
Penei Sewel
“I’m not saying that we’re not worried about the edges, because we are, we certainly are,” Johnson said Thursday. “But it helps you sleep a little bit better at night knowing that some of their best players are going against some of your best players as well.”
Sewell will be mostly tasked with trying to keep Bosa away from Detroit quarterback Jared Goff and off running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. It’s an all-star matchup between Bosa, who has 10.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits on the year (per Pro Football Focus), against Sewell, who has allowed one sack all season and was graded as the top tackle in the NFL by PFF, ahead of No. 2 ranked Trent Williams.
“He’s very strong, very athletic and also very technically sound,” Sewell said of the matchup with Bosa Sunday. “He kind of has it all it terms of an edge rusher and pass rusher. It’s going to be a big battle.”
For Sewell, who also faced the 49ers and Bosa in his NFL debut in 2021, Sunday will be somewhat of a homecoming. At the start of the season, Decker was injured, thus he was playing left tackle. It was reported that Sewell gave up two hits, four hurries, and six pressures in all.
This time around, Sewell Bosa and the 49ers are playing a whole other game. Even at the age of 23, he has developed into possibly the most gifted and athletic tackle in the game today.
“There’s so much that he’s capable of and he’s still growing,” Johnson said of Sewell. “That’s the crazy thing, he’s still learning, he’s still growing.”
For the first time this season, Sewell was named a captain. He has faced many strong edge rushers and has stopped them all. Players such as Brian Burns, Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, Maxx Crosby, and Danielle Hunter (twice). In addition to giving up only one sack (to Zack Baun of the Saints), he has only let Goff get hit six times in 752 pass block reps all season.
“I think the ability’s always been there. It’s been refining technique,” Johnson said of Sewell’s progression over the years. “I think he’s excellent with both pass-pro and the run game. I don’t know if there’s a better combination of the two at the tackle position in the league right now.
“But really, where I’ve seen the most growth is the leadership factor. You see guys looking to him now. He is a tone-setter for us here on offense. And really, I would say him for the offensive line and then (Amon-Ra) St. Brown at the skill positions. Those two guys with how they play, fearless, aggressive mentality, they’re not going to back down to anything. Really, those two guys are what we’re all about on offense.”
