From the Vault: Bengals Film Study: A Hobbled Whitworth Still Better than Most

Andrew Whitworth stonewalls James Harrison as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hines Field in 2009.

Flash back to 2009, when the Bengals swept the Steelers and won the AFC North. James Harrison was one of the premier pass rushers in the league, but Whitworth was arguably the best left tackle and healthy. On this play, Harrison is aligned wide in a 2-point stance and upon the snap of the ball immediately rushes full bore.

But, as shown in the picture, Whitworth is able to mirror his explosive rush perfectly. With a good base, bent at the hips and balance intact and his feet under him, Whitworth freezes Harrison and slaps away Harrison’s hands in an attempt to bend the corner.

Immediately after this screen grab, Whitworth froze Harrison in his tracks and completely stoned him.

Andrew Whitworth denies James Harrison’s counter move as Carson Palmer completes a pass to Chad Ochocinco as the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hines Field.

Later in the game, Whitworth again mirrored Harrison’s outside rush. As shown in the picture, Whitworth uses his hand technique to slap away Harrison’s arm as he attempted to gain outside leverage.

Harrison decided to use a counter move, but Whitworth, with his strong, healthy legs, anchored and became a brick wall. He used his powerful punch on Harrison’s upfield shoulder, rendering his pass rush completely ineffective.