Lions right tackle Penei Sewell has gone a good long while without allowing a sack

Penei Sewell will always hold the distinction of being the first draft pick Brad Holmes made as Detroit Lions' general manager, seventh overall in the 2021 draft. He has quickly become one of the best right tackles in the NFL, earning the first of what will surely be many career Pro Bowl nods last year.

When Taylor Decker missed time earlier this season, Sewell had a two-game dalliance back at left tackle like he did early in his rookie season when Decker was out. Left tackle was his position in college at Oregon, so it isn't/wasn't a foreign position for him.

Sewell is Pro Football Focus No. 1 right tackle through Week 7 this season, and a top-10 offensive tackle overall (No. 7) as graded by PFF. Penalties have been a bit of a thing some times, with five total, four holding penalties and two coming on the same drive in Week 7 against the Ravens, wiping out a fourth-down conversion.

Sewell holds himself to a very high standard, so he surely has internally worn those holding penalties and used them as actionable mistakes moving toward Week 8.

Penei Sewell has gone a good long while without allowing a sack

Here's a bit about the last time Sewell allowed a sack, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.

"Penei Sewell messed up. He pushed his man to the outside, seemingly expecting Jared Goff to step up in the pocket. But Goff didn’t, and went down for a sack...

That happened against the Chicago Bears, on Nov. 13, 2022 at Soldier Field. Sewell has not allowed a sack since, spanning 586 passing blocking snaps now.

In Week 8, Sewell will get the primary task of blocking Raiders' edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Crosby is one of the best edge defenders in the league, equally good as a pass rusher and run stopper. He leads the league in quarterback pressures with 43, one ahead of the Lions' Aidan Hutchinson. He moves around in certain alignments, but he primary lines up at left end-which of course means he'll be across from Sewell a lot.

Sewell has a proverbial "clean sheet" as a pass blocker this season. If he comes out of Week 8 with it still intact, he will have done some noticeable work against the relentless and talented Crosby on the Monday night stage.