Week 10 O-Line Rankings

 

1. Dallas Cowboys (Previous Rank: 1) – The most shocking result of week 9 had to be the Cowboys trailing the Broncos 30-0. The game was an utter disaster in every way for the Cowboys, and the offensive line did their part to contribute to the mess. They allowed a season-high 15 pressures and had their worst run-blocking performance since week one. However, it’s hard to ding the Cowboys too much for this performance in terms of ranking their full body of work considering Tyron Smith was out and should be back for the next game. Nine of the 15 pressures allowed came from Terrence Steele who was playing out of position at LT in his place. The Cowboys have yet to play a full game with their projected starting five this season, but if Smith is good to go next week, we could finally see it. If this offensive line plays poorly with those five against a terrible Falcons defense we can revisit, but for now, the Cowboys still have the best overall body of work of any offensive line in the league. 
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Previous Rank: 3) – Bye Week 
3. Cleveland Browns (Previous Rank: 5) – There were two primary reasons for the Browns dropping to fifth in the rankings. One, the news of Conklin going to the IR, and two, Jedrick Wills seemingly playing hurt and looking mediocre most of the year when he’s been out there. The combination of the two left the Browns vulnerable at the most important offensive line positions to a point that not even having the best interior group in the league could warrant them remaining in the top three. However, Wills played great in the Browns blowout win vs. the Bengals who have a credible defense. The three interior guys were terrific as usual. If Wills is starting to regain form, the Browns still have a top three offensive line even without Conklin. 
4. Los Angeles Rams (Previous Rank: 2) – The Rams were another top-ranked line that struggled in week nine. They had their worst game of the year as a group allowing five sacks, 15 pressures, and committing four penalties, all season highs. The Rams had been the most disciplined offensive line in the NFL all season, so the four penalties might have been the most shocking result of all. The only good news is that Andrew Whitworth somehow may have played his best game of the year in the midst of the other four all having down games. In the big picture, I think that game was a case of the Rams as a team letting their guards down and underestimating the Titans because of the Henry news. Everyone is entitled to one bad game so there’s no need to start worrying about this group yet as they still rank top five in PA% at 18.8%.  
5. New England Patriots (Previous Rank: 7) – Look who’s back in the top five. The Patriots three-game win streak has been spearheaded by this group’s resurgence. They paved the way for over 150 yards rushing against a good Panthers defense and only allowed three pressures in the game. Moving Onwenu to RT has changed things for the Pats. He’s been great there, and Karras continues to play well in his original guard spot. The improved play of Isaiah Wynn is another component of the Patriots improvement upfront. In the last three games, he has a PA% of 1.9% which is about as good as it gets for an LT. This o-line has risen to top-10 in PA% and as run-blockers they’re a long way away from that team that rushed for -1 yards vs. the Bucs. 
6. San Francisco 49ers (Previous Rank: 4) – It was a weird week for offensive line play. The 49ers were yet another top unit that faltered in week nine. Even the great Trent Williams had some hiccups allowing four pressures and his first sack of the season. As a group, they allowed a season-high 18 pressures and five sacks. Part of what hurt this unit was the fact that they had to completely abandon the run, which is this group’s strength. The 49ers had 49 pass snaps to just 10 run snaps, and this offensive line just isn’t built to do that at an elite level, and very few are. The 49ers o-line will be fine moving forward as they aren’t going to be consistently playing from so far behind to the point where they must completely abandon the run game. 
7. Kansas City Chiefs (Previous Rank: 6) – It’s time for people to start respecting what this offensive line is doing. Creed Humphreys has a chance to make one of the all-pro teams as a rookie, Trey Smith might be the best rookie guard in the league, Thuney has been a top-three pass-blocking guard, and while Brown has only been middle of the pack as a pass-blocker, he’s been a big plus in the run game. KC’s o-line is top 10 in PA% and their one of the best run-blocking units in the NFL. There is cause for concern with Remmers and Niang both dealing with injuries. The Chiefs had to turn to Andrew Wylie for most of last game at RT, but an offensive line with four strong players can overcome a weak link. The Cowboys have been doing it all year.  
8. Los Angeles Chargers (Previous Rank: 8) – People are raving about Herbert’s performance against the Eagles, but the Chargers o-line only allowing three pressures facilitated his great game. This offensive line has allowed less than five pressures in two of their last three outings, and the trio of Slater, Feiler, and Linsley are on a hot streak. Slater has only allowed two pressures in the last three games, and Linsley and Feiler haven’t allowed any. The right side of the line still leaves room for concern, but even Schofield and Norton were solid Sunday. It wasn’t all perfect as this group had some hiccups in the run game allowing three tackles for loss which greatly contributed to their pedestrian 3.3 YPC on the ground. 
9. New Orleans Saints (Previous Rank: 12) – The Saints offensive line put on a pass pro clinic this week. They only allowed three pressures on 48 pass snaps (6.25%), and they were solid in the run game. All you need to know about how well this o-line is playing is Trevor Siemian is playing well. Another sign is the fact the Saints o-line ranked near the bottom of the league in PA% and since getting healthier they’ve now risen into the top 20 with a PA% of 24.7. The league’s best tackle duo appears to be back in Armstead and Ramczyk, and Hurst is going to completely nullify the loss of Andrus Peat if he keeps playing well at LG.     
10. Indianapolis Colts (Previous Rank: 11) – The Colts offensive line continues to trend in the right direction after another strong outing vs. the Jets. They only allowed five pressures, and allowed no sacks, TFL, and were not penalized. Nelson looked closer to his normal self this week, and Smith has put together back-to-back good games since returning from injury. But we knew those guys would be back in the lineup. What was killing the Colts while they were out is the fact that Fisher and Kelly were struggling. Both have turned things around. Kelly has only allowed three pressures in his last five games after starting the year allowing 11 in his first three games. Fisher is coming off his best performance of the year in which he allowed no pressures. He’s allowed six pressures total in the last four games compared to allowing 17 in the first four games.   
11. Philadelphia Eagles (Previous Rank: 9) – The Eagles had one of their best pass-pro performances of the season as they only allowed three pressures upfront. Combine that with some solid play in the run game that contributed to 176 yards rushing, and the Eagles o-line had a good week. Mailata seems to have shaken off the rust and is starting to look like he did before getting hurt earlier in the season. He’s only allowed one pressure in the last two games and was very strong in the run game vs. the Chargers. They’re also getting good play at the RT position as Lane Johnson continues to look good since he returned from missing time due to personal issues. They’ve been a middle-of-the-road pass pro unit on the year, but their run blocking has contributed to them having the 7th best rush offense in the league. 
12. Arizona Cardinals (Previous Rank: 10) – The Cardinals offensive line bounced back in a major way after a disappointing performance vs. the Packers in the previous week. Despite Murray and Hopkins being out, the Cardinals cruised to victory in large part due to a steady rush attack. The Cardinals o-line gave Conner and company room to work the majority of the afternoon and were great in pass pro as well only allowing three pressures. Arizona has ranked near the top in PA% all season. Some have credited the Cardinals o-line elite pass pro numbers to Kyler’s quick feet and quick release, but Colt McCoy was back there last week, and the results looked like they have for most of the year. 
13. Washington Football Team (Previous Rank: 13) – Bye Week 
14. Baltimore Ravens (Previous Rank: 15) – Considering they were on the field for 98 snaps, including 57 pass snaps, the fact this o-line only allowed 11 pressures is really commendable. They’re still doing their inconsistency act as we saw them struggle in pass pro in their last game, so it’s still hard to trust this group fully. They are a lot more reliable in the gun game. Despite their RB depth chart getting decimated by injury, they continue to prove they can still run it. Even factoring in the cheat code that is Lamar Jackson, they had a lot to do with the Ravens rushing for nearly 250 yards vs. the Vikings. 
15. Green Bay Packers (Previous Rank: 17) – The Packers offense looked awful last week, especially considering the opponent. While that had a lot more to do with a QB who didn’t look ready to play than the o-line. The Packers o-line didn’t make it easy on him. While the left side of the line was excellent in pass pro (Jenkins and Runyan both allowed no pressures) From C to the RT was a problem. The combo of Patrick and Newman was especially bad, and the interior pressure most likely raddled the young QB in his first start. The Packers were solid in the run game though. If the Packers o-line was fully healthy they’d be a top 10 group because their two worst players are currently the two guys in for Baktiari and Myers. 
16. Tennessee Titans (Previous Rank: 14) – The Titans pulled off a great upset win on SNF but let’s not kid ourselves. It had a lot to do with Matthew Stafford gift wrapping the Titans 14 points, and the Titans needed them because their offense struggled as expected without Henry. They got destroyed by the Rams in both the run game and in pass pro. While the talent they were trotting out there at RB left a lot to be desired, the o-line didn’t give them a lot to work with either. The Titans also allowed four sacks and had a PA% over 40% for the game. Take those interceptions away, and the Titans probably lose that game.  
17. Chicago Bears (Previous Rank: 21) – The Bears o-line gave the team a chance to win. They had four penalties which hurt the team along with all the dumb penalties the defense committed but when they weren’t committing penalties this group did a good job against a tough Steelers defense. Everyone outside of Whitehair held up in pass pro, and Whitehair made up for it in the run game. The Bears as a whole did a good job run-blocking, and they did a good enough job in pass pro to allow Fields to have his best outing of the year. They probably should’ve won that game.  
18. Cincinnati Bengals (Previous Rank: 19) – The Bengals were another o-line that suffered a season-high in pressures allowed in week nine with 13. Even the normally reliable Spain struggled allowing a team-high five pressures. They also were inconsistent run—blocking throughout the game. There was plenty of blame to go around for the Bengals blow-out loss to the Browns, and the offensive line deserves a good portion. 
19. Buffalo Bills (Previous Rank: 16) – The Bills offensive line really struggled vs. the Jags. They haven’t played this bad since week three. Do you think it’s a coincidence that this was Cody Ford’s first start since week three? While it would be easy to blame Ford as he struggled allowing five pressures and a sack, the entire line struggled. Four of the five starters allowed five pressures each, and Morse was the only one who didn’t, and that’s just because he plays center, which is the easiest position to pass block from. Some are blaming Josh Allen, but most QBs will be unproductive when pressure is coming from everywhere on the line.   
20. Atlanta Falcons (Previous Rank: 22) – The Falcons offense played well against a really good Saints defense, and they did it one-dimensionally as the running game was practically nonexistent as they rushed for 34 yards on 25 carries (1.4 YPC). The Falcons o-line held up in pass pro well enough to allow Matt Ryan and the passing game to carry the day. They only allowed nine pressures and one sack. The Falcons have been one of the worst run-blocking teams all season and are a bottom third pass pro unit.   
21. Denver Broncos (Previous Rank: 23) – The Broncos o-line picked a great day to play their best game of the season. They only allowed four pressures and contributed to nearly 200 yards rushing. However, this unit has had far more bad performances than good ones during the year. It’s going to take more than just one good game for this unit to change its perception.   
22. Seattle Seahawks (Previous Rank: 24) – Bye Week 
23. Minnesota Vikings (Previous Rank: 26) – It’s still early, but the Vikings may have found a really good player in Christian Darrisaw. Things have changed since he took over at LT, and with Brian O’Neill playing well all year, the Vikings now have a formidable tackle duo. Minnesota’s o-line had a good outing vs. the Ravens. They ran block well, and everyone except Udoh was solid to very good in pass pro. 
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previous Rank: 20) – Of course this o-line waits until the week we put out a film breakdown highlighting their improvement in run-blocking to regress to the mean and have a poor run-blocking game. Najee Harris averaged 2.8 YPC in this game as there just wasn’t a lot of room to run like in previous weeks. They were solid in pass pro only allowing seven pressures, but they also allowed three sacks, one of which could have lost them the game if not for a dumb taunting penalty. 
25. New York Jets (Previous Rank: 18) – The Jets o-line was awful in pass pro vs. the Colts. They allowed a season-high 20 pressures and two sacks, and they weren’t much better in the run game. Overall, the Jets have played better than most expected upfront this season. Given their youth upfront, games like this are inevitable, but the Jets fans should remain optimistic about this group. It’s one of the few position groups management seems to be on the right track with.    
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous Rank: 25) – The Jags pulled off the upset of the week vs. the Bills. The offense only scored nine points, but the o-line was solid in this game. The Jags o-line allowed pressure less than 19% of pass snaps. Cam Robinson was out but is expected to be back for their next game, so that's good news for this group. 
27. Detroit Lions (Previous Rank: 27) – Bye Week (Taylor Decker is expected to be back in the lineup) 
28. Las Vegas Raiders (Previous Rank: 28) – The Raiders blew a golden opportunity by losing to the Giants, but the offensive line wasn’t awful. They allowed too much pressure, which they’ve done all year, but they came to play in the run game. The Raiders rushed for 117 yards on nearly six YPC, and this may have been their best run-blocking performance of the season. However, they allowed pressure on over 30% of pass snaps and that contributed to the passing game not being as effective. 
29. New York Giants (Previous Rank: 30) – Given the competition, and the fact they were without Andrew Thomas, this was the Giants o-line’s best game of the year. The Raiders defense entered the game ranked second in pressure generated, and they do it without blitzing off the strength of one of the best pass-rushing defensive lines in the NFL. They only allowed 10 pressures, and they ran block well. The Giants rushed for nearly 150 yards on 4.8 YPC.    
30. Carolina Panthers (Previous Rank: 29) – The Panthers allowed pressure on 37% of their pass snaps vs. the Patriots, and the run game wasn’t great despite C-Mac being back in the lineup. 
31. Houston Texans (Previous Rank: 31) – The Texans offensive line has been in shambles due to injury, and they had another mediocre outing vs. the Dolphins. However, the good news is there headed into the bye week, and Laremy Tunsil is expected to be ready to go in their next game. 
32. Miami Dolphins (Previous Rank: 32) – The Dolphins won last week, but this offensive line had another terrible performance. Just about every offensive line that has played the Texans this year has had a good game against them. The Houston defense entered the game ranked 30th in pressure generated, and the Dolphins offensive line allowed 24 pressures on 50 pass attempts for a PA% of 48%. Liam Eichenberg, Austin Jackson, and Jesse Davis are one, two, and three out of all offensive linemen in pressures allowed. It’s absolutely unprecedented that the three players that have allowed the most pressures in the NFL are all on one team.