Toughest Opposing Pass Rush Groups On Chiefs 2022 Schedule

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Winning NFL games can be determined by a few different factors. One of the more prevalent ones, especially in today’s pass happy league, is the matchups. Who is going to come through in one-on-one battles when the X’s and O’s square off?

When looking at the 2022 schedule for the Kansas City Chiefs, there are many exciting opponents on the docket. Some star players have been dominating as veterans for quite a while. Whereas in recent seasons, some younger players have stepped right in and taken off at the onset of their professional careers.

Last week, we listed the toughest opposing running backs on the Chiefs schedule. You can read that here. We also looked into the toughest opposing pass catching groups as well. To read that article, click here. Eventually, we will individually rank the opposing quarterbacks on Kansas City’s schedule as well.

Today, we will be looking into the opposing defenses on the list of Chiefs games. Who are the toughest opposing pass rush groups that Kansas City will face in 2022? Patrick Mahomes benefitted from a much stronger offensive line last season. Can they handle the test of these teams? Here are the top five pass rush groups on the Chiefs 2022 schedule. Let’s kick it off.

5) Los Angeles Rams

So much of the Los Angeles Rams being able to crack this top five is carried by the massive weight of Aaron Donald. One of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, Donald was recently rewarded with a deserving pay raise. He has been on a torrid pace from a sack number perspective ever since entering the league back in 2014. The Pitt Panthers product has accumulated at least eight sacks in every season of his career. And over the course of the last five years, Donald has registered at least 11 sacks each season. His 98 career sacks in eight years are tremendous for any player. Yet, the fact that he produces so consistently from the defensive tackle position, not defensive end, makes it that much more impressive. His ability to crash and push the pocket from the interior is rare.

However, there is not much depth outside of Donald. Thus, the Rams were unable to climb higher on this list. The most notable of the rest of the Los Angeles pass rushers? That would be Leonard Floyd. After a rocky run in Chicago, he has truly found a niche role within the Rams defense. Being used primarily on wide alignments and wide angles, Floyd has tapped into his quickness when rushing the passer. With steady production from other depth options, the Rams can be one of the stingiest pass rushes for opposing offenses to face. That includes seeing results from secondary pieces like A’Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines, Justin Hollins or Terrell Lewis.

4) San Francisco 49ers

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The San Francisco 49ers are a pass rush that uses multiple blitz packages and alignments to throw offenses off. Their mix of speed and power is not common within every pass rush around the NFL. Though some of the faces have changed throughout their building, this defensive line is still rather deep. And, the top leaders of the pass rush are capable of exploding for monster numbers at any moment.

The top duo of Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead are relied upon the most. Not only have they proved themselves time and time again, but the 49ers have not hesitated to give them freedom during specific matchups. If they think they have a chance to reduce rush angles quicker by reducing inside, Bosa or Armstead will gladly take it.

The depth of this group is quite strong as well. Javon Kinlaw is hoping for better health, as are others. Yet for Kinlaw, he has the lateral agility and foot quickness to consistently win as a 1-tech. Outside of that, names like Kemoko Turay, Kerry Hyder, Maurice Hurst, Jordan Willis and Charles Omenihu are all above average rotational pieces. San Francisco primarily relies on Samson Ebukam from the LEO spot. His length and short area burst allow him to set a firm edge. Meanwhile, the 49ers are not hesitant to let their linebackers receive blitz opportunities either. There are oftentimes just too many blocking assignments for the offense to take care of.

3) Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers already had one top-flight edge rusher entering the 2022 offseason, Joey Bosa. All of a sudden, LA went out and traded for star Khalil Mack, while giving up practically nothing to the Bears. Quite frankly, the Chargers may have brought in a more well-rounded pass rusher in Mack, compared to Bosa. Bosa is still undoubtedly a versatile chess piece for the Chargers, nonetheless. Just with those two alone, Los Angeles will be able to win many outside battles within the trenches.

The rest of the pass rush boasts stout strength and superb instincts. Projected defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Sebastian Joseph-Day can both squeeze through tight areas and win with a wicked first step. For one of those players, Tillery, this is an ultra-important final year of his rookie contract.

Finally, there are a few other depth pieces that can handle the dirty work. They will not always receive top recognition. But at the same time, the Chargers can rely on them to wear different hats within the defense. This includes names like Austin Johnson, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko and Morgan Fox. They can simply pull out any club from their bag and win with it, so to speak. It will also be interesting to see what kind of role is in store for newly signed rush linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

2) Buffalo Bills

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Already one of the best rosters in the entire NFL, the Buffalo Bills somehow improved their defense in 2022 free agency. Defensive end Von Miller was pried away from the Los Angeles Rams defense and was given a massive new contract by the Bills. Signing a player of that caliber is a bonus for any team. But for a team with expectations like Buffalo has, this was quite the boon for an already dominant defense. To boot, Buffalo did not appear to be in on the Miller sweepstakes.

He joins an extremely powerful and long pass rush group. The Bills have seen quick developments from top draft picks like Ed Oliver, Gregory Rousseau and AJ Epenesa over the last few years. On the other hand, Shaq Lawson is back in town. Buffalo knows that they will receive fierce effort from him as a rotational piece. The rest of the depth is quite extensive for the Bills. With names like DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle, this pass rush has some incredible beef upfront. Buffalo truly gets everyone going and involved within this pass rush group. All of them know their specific roles and have continued to improve.

1) Las Vegas Raiders

We go from one team that made an exciting addition to their pass rush in the Bills, to another one in the Las Vegas Raiders. Unlike Von Miller’s move, the Raiders added a player who has always been severely underappreciated among NFL circles. That would be Chandler Jones, who decided to leave the Arizona Cardinals. With his consistent production, Vegas now has two highly combative edge rushers who know how to win one-on-one battles and routinely get home. Opposite of Jones, Maxx Crosby has been one of the steals from his draft class, coming out of Eastern Michigan. He was just rewarded with a new contract extension this offseason as well.

Beyond those two, there were some other minor free agent additions that could turn out to be bargains for the Raiders. Guys like Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols and Tyler Lancaster can all infuse a great sense of physicality at the point of attack. Furthermore, defensive tackle draft selections like Matthew Bulter and Neil Farrell Jr. were also solid late round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.