Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims has played an unbelievable 111 pass-blocking snaps this season without giving up a single pressure, according to Pro Football Focus. That is a jaw-dropping stat, and it is crucial to understand that no other NFL tackle is even close to matching that combination of volume and perfect protection. The guy is just dominating, and it set up one of the most brutal rookie debuts you could imagine for Rueben Bain Jr.
Mims Has Been Flat-Out Untouchable Against the League’s Best
Seriously, this isn’t Mims just feasting on backups. He has already gone up against some of the league’s top pass rushers,we’re talking Bain, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, and T.J. Watt,and not once has he surrendered a pressure. That is a murderers’ row, and he’s stonewalled them all. To underscore his dominance, Mims specifically held Watt without a pressure on 29 pass rush snaps alone. When Bain lined up for his first NFL game, he drew Mims, and it became clear almost immediately that Mims presented nearly the worst possible matchup for what Bain does best.
Rueben Bain Jr.’s Rookie Debut Was a Rude Awakening
Bain consistently won in college with pure leverage, strength, and an incredible ability to convert power into pressure, even though he’s undersized for an NFL edge defender. But Mims is a behemoth, standing 6 foot 8 and roughly 340 pounds with the reach to engage Bain before the rookie could even dream of getting into his chest. Cincinnati’s tackle repeatedly used patient hands and his feet to keep Bain completely outside, forcing the rookie to try to go straight through him instead of around. Todd Bowles, his coach, admitted after the game that Bain looked like a young pass rusher mentally, specifically pointing out how Mims kept forcing him outside. Instead of recognizing it and countering inside, Bain kept trying to attack what Mims was taking away. Even outside linebackers coach Larry Foote acknowledged Bain was frustrated. This kid dominated college football with 24 career sacks, including 9.5 in his final season at Miami, but the NFL is a different beast entirely.
The Brutal Lesson That Could Pay Off For Bain
Power alone is just not going to consistently work against players with Mims’ size and technique. NFL tackles are going to force Bain to develop more answers in his pass-rushing arsenal. His debut absolutely was not good enough, and the Bucs needed more from him. But here is the encouraging part: Bain didn’t struggle against some average, run-of-the-mill tackle. He got the ultimate welcome to the league from one of the best. Mims has since gone on to erase some of the best pass rushers in football, showing that Bain was just the first on a list of elite defenders he has stifled. If Bain can learn from that experience, getting Amarius Mims immediately might eventually prove more valuable for his long-term development than getting an easy matchup. It’s a tough pill to swallow now, but that kind of challenge can forge a player into something special.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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