Brian O’Neill’s 2019 Matchups

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Jun 28, 2019

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The young Tackle showed great promise in his first career season in the NFL last year. O’Neill went 531 snaps in 2018 and didn’t give up a single sack. We can expect even more improvement in year #2, but the edge rushers O’Neill will be prepping for in this upcoming season are a bit tougher than the last. Take a look below.

Week 1: Adrian Clayborn (Atlanta Falcons)

2018 Stats: 11 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks, 3 TFL, 1 Forced Fumble (14 Games)

Adrian Clayborn is back in Atlanta after spending one season with the New England Patriots and winning a Super Bowl. Not a bad situation. Clayborn is on the back-half of his career but still plays a productive role in a defense. Expect to see a combination of Clayborn and Vic Beasley rushing the edge against Brian O’Neill in week 1.

Week 2: Za’Darius Smith (Green Bay Packers)

2018 Stats: 45 Tackles, 8.5 Sacks, 10 TFL, 1 Forced Fumble (16 Games)

The Packers added not one, but two new edge rushers to their defense for the 2019 season. Preston Smith is the spotlight name but don’t underestimate Za’Darius Smith. He has an excellent combination of size, speed, and power. O’Neill will have his hands full in his first road game of the season.

Week 3: Arden Key (Oakland Raiders)

2018 Stats: 30 Tackles, 1.0 Sack, 4 TFL (16 Games)

The Raiders ranked dead-last in the NFL in 2018 with just 13 sacks as a team on the season. A pair of defensive ends both under the age of 25 will look to change that in 2019. Key didn’t do anything overly impressive in his rookie season, but as we all know this is the NFL and things can change quickly with hard work.

Week 4: Khalil Mack (Chicago Bears)

2018 Stats: 47 Tackles, 12.5 Sacks, 6 Forced Fumbles, 2 Fumble Recoveries, 10 TFL (14 Games)

If you read the Riley Reiff matchup article, you’ll remember that I mentioned the Bears moved Mack to Reiff’s side specifically in the first matchup last season because they could see Reiff was struggling. It’s unknown if they’ll do that again with Vic Fangio now gone…but regardless this will be O’Neill’s toughest matchup of the season (in my opinion) in 2019.

Week 5: Markus Golden (New York Giants)

2018 Stats: 30 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks, 5 TFL (11 Games)

The Giants went and signed Golden in free agency to give their pass rush some help. Golden has proven in the past that he can get to the pass rusher but I am confident Brian O’Neill should handle this matchup with some ease.

Week 6: Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)

2018 Stats: 39 Tackles, 4.0 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery, 9 TFL (16 Games)

I’m glad this game is being played in Minnesota. Brandon Graham is a tough matchup for anyone. He doesn’t post high-popping numbers but he’s one of the most efficient pass rushers in all of football and displays consistent pressure each and every week. In last year’s matchup against the Vikings, Graham posted 3 Tackles, 1 Sack, and 1 pass batted down.

Week 7: Da’Shawn Hand (Detroit Lions)

2018 Stats: 27 Tackles, 3.0 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 4 TFL (13 Games)

I really believe that Da’Shawn Hand and Austin Bryant are going to end up battling it out in camp for the starting LDE spot. I’m giving Hand the upper hand based off of experience and his impressive 2018 outing. Hand was one of PFF’s higher graded 4-3 DE’s in 2018 and he wins with power over speed, which is something that could give O’Neill fits.

Week 8: Ryan Kerrigan (Washington Redskins)

2018 Stats: 43 Tackles, 13.0 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 11 TFL (16 Games)

Ryan Kerrigan is another pass rusher who converts speed to power extremely well. He has 26 total sacks in the last two seasons and he’s highly touted as one of the league’s premiere pass rushers. Mr. O’Neill will be tasked with the job of protecting Kirk Cousins from his former teammate, who will be licking his chops at the opportunity of putting him on his back.

Week 9: Alex Okafor (Kansas City Chiefs)

2018 Stats: 36 Tackles, 4.0 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery, 5 TFL (16 Games)

If you ask any Saints fans about Alex Okafor, they’ll probably tell you they’re highly upset he’s not in New Orleans anymore. The Chiefs lost Justin Houston and Dee Ford in the spring and signed Alex Okafor in free agency and traded for Frank Clark in Seattle as they convert into their new 4-3 defense. Okafor is another guy who won’t post the numbers that pop off the paper but he’s incredibly efficient and he’ll give you all he’s got for 60 minutes of football.

Week 10: Demarcus Lawrence (Dallas Cowboys)

2018 Stats: 64 Tackles, 10.5 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 15 TFL (16 Games)

An elite matchup for Brian O’Neill in primetime football. This game is sure to present some problems for the Vikings offensive line as it’s being played in “Jerry-World” on Sunday Night Football. Crowd noise will play a factor and it doesn’t help that O’Neill has to stop one of football’s best pass rushers to go along with it.

Week 11: Von Miller (Denver Broncos)

2018 Stats: 48 Tackles, 14.5 Sacks, 4 Forced Fumbles, 3 Fumble Recoveries, 14 TFL (16 Games)

I know right? Demarcus Lawrence and Von Miller in back-to-back games? A nightmare scenario for Brian O’Neill. But as they say…to be the best you have to beat the best, and Lawrence/Miller are two of the best in the game. This game does have the benefit of no crowd noise since it’s being played in Minnesota but Von Miller is still an extreme threat to Kirk Cousins’ head, regardless. O’Neill will likely need some help in pass protection in this one.

Week 12: Bye Week

Week 13: LJ Collier (Seattle Seahawks)

2018 Stats: N/A

We don’t know what to expect in this matchup that features a rookie. But we do know one thing…Seattle has the loudest stadium in all of football and it’ll be jam-packed for Monday Night Football as the season draws to a close. Crowd noise is and will always be kryptonite for any offensive line.

Week 14: Da’Shawn Hand (Detroit Lions)

Week 15: Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers)

2018 Stats: 23 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery, 7 TFL (7 Games)

Joey Bosa missed a majority of the 2018 season due to injury and still found a way to post 5.5 sacks in 7 games. Not bad. If you are unfamiliar with the Chargers current stadium, let me tell you about it. It was actually built for soccer and it only holds around 20,000 people or so. The average NFL stadium holds around 70,000. Crowd noise shouldn’t be too much of a factor in this Sunday Night matchup but much like Von Miller…Joey Bosa is still going to give you problems, regardless if he has the crowd noise in his favor or not.

Week 16: Za’Darius Smith (Green Bay Packers)

Week 17: Khalil Mack (Chicago Bears)

Which matchup are you most excited to watch for Brian O’Neill in the upcoming season?