Week 11 Offensive Line Rankings

 

1. Dallas Cowboys (Previous Rank: 1) – The Cowboys o-line bounced back after a shaky performance in the previous week. A key reason for their success was pass blocking. They only allowed seven pressures on 40 pass attempts, and Terrence Steele, who allowed nine pressures in the previous game, only allowed one pressure. It was not one of their better performances run-blocking and was one of Connor Williams weaker games of the year. 
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Previous Rank: 2) – The Bucs only allowed seven pressures in the loss to Washington, but due to time of possession, they only ran 48 total plays and 35 pass plays, so it ended up being one of their weaker performances in pass pro. All of the pressure allowed came from inside as both guards allowed three and Jensen allowed one. However, neither tackle allowed a pressure. They still rank first in PA%, and if Wirfs and Smith continue to play at this level, it’s going to be tough to consistently stop the Bucs offense because their interior won’t allow pressure at a rate of 25% very often. 
3. Los Angeles Rams (Previous Rank: 4) – The Rams were disappointing on MNF but a lot of the issues came from turnovers and the defense. The Rams o-line ran blocked well on the few attempts they were able to, and they were really good in pass pro as well only allowing seven pressures on 46 pass attempts. LA continues to rise in PA%. They are now fourth at 18.4%. Whitworth continues to shine as well. He hasn’t allowed a pressure in his last four starts. 
4. New England Patriots (Previous Rank: 5) – I know the Titans are on a six-game win streak, but the Patriots are the hottest team in the NFL, and the offensive line just had another great game. The Pats completely dismantled a talented Browns team, and they destroyed them upfront. They held Garrett to his 2nd fewest pressures of the year, and they dominated them all game on the ground. On top of all of that, Trent Brown was back in the lineup for the first time since week one, and he played well. The Patriots offensive line is so good, Michael Onwenu had to come off the bench and was relegated to being a TE in their heavy packages. 
5. Cleveland Browns (Previous Rank: 3) – The Browns got destroyed 45-7 by the Patriots, and the offensive line wasn’t very good. They allowed 14 pressures and six sacks. The right side of the line especially struggled. Both Teller and Hance allowed four pressures, and they allowed a combined three sacks. The other three sacks came via Wills. Wills looked like he was headed in the right direction after last week, but he took another step back after this game. Bitonio was the only starter you could say played up to their normal standard. 
6. Los Angeles Chargers (Previous Rank: 8) – It was another impressive outing by the Chargers o-line. They only allowed five pressures on 41 pass snaps and were decent in the run game. The trio of Slater, Feiler, and Linsley has been one of the best since week six, but the improved play of Schofield and Norton has really helped turn LA’s line into one of the best in the league. The Chargers offensive line has moved up to sixth in PA%. 
7. New Orleans Saints (Previous Rank: 9) – With Armstead out against one of the league’s hottest defenses, the expectation was that they might struggle. However, the Saint’s o-line held up only allowing five pressures on 46 pass snaps. Hurst was already playing at a high level when asked to fill in for Armstead at LT earlier in the year so he moved back over and played well again this week. However, the Saints have to be thrilled with the way Ramczyk has played of late in pass pro. He hasn’t allowed a pressure in three straight games. 
8. Philadelphia Eagles (Previous Rank: 11) – The Eagles dominated the Broncos in both phases on offense thanks to quality run and pass blocking upfront. The big boys helped pave the way for over 200 yards rushing and only allowed four pressures. Lane Johnson continues to impress since returning from his sabbatical. He’s only allowed four pressures in the four games he’s played since rejoining the team after dealing with personal issues and has risen to top-five among tackles in PA% (min. 400 snaps). 
9. Kansas City Chiefs (Previous Rank: 7) – The injuries at RT are really starting to hurt this o-line. Overall, the Chiefs played well upfront which contributed to the Chiefs having one of their best outings of the season on offense. However, the overall pressure numbers were skewed mostly by third-string RT Andrew Wylie, who allowed 9 of the 18 pressures allowed by the Chiefs. Smith struggled as well, he allowed five pressures. However, Humphrey, Thuney, and Brown played well. It was Thuney’s second straight game without allowing a pressure, a feat that has allowed him to climb to number one among guards in PA%. Remmers is on IR, but Niang is currently listed as questionable, so he could have a chance to play next week vs. the Cowboys. 
10. San Francisco 49ers (Previous Rank: 6) – The 49ers were dealt a big blow last week with the news that Mike McGlinchey is out for the year. Rookie Jaylen Moore got the start at RT in his place but left the game with an injury, and Tom Compton finished. Moore looked decent for a rookie making his first start, but Compton struggled once he took over. The 49ers rushed for over 150 yards but a lot of it had more to do with volume than anything else. They only averaged 3.5 YPC and allowed seven tackles for loss on run plays. Trent Williams was great, has been great all season, but without McGlinchey this unit takes a significant hit. 
11. Washington Football Team (Previous Rank: 13) – The return of Brandon Scherff this week helped this unit have their best performance in weeks and led to them pulling off a huge upset over the defending champs. Heineke was sacked five times but only two were charged to the o-line. This group still needs Cosmi back to return to the level they were playing at earlier in the year, but getting Schreff back should make this a top third unit of the league. 
12. Baltimore Ravens (Previous Rank: 14) – 53 pass snaps to 20 run snaps isn’t the formula the Ravens ever want to use, especially against an inferior team. Lamar was sacked four times, but only one was charged to the o-line and along with six allowed pressures. The biggest problems for the Ravens was that Lamar wasn’t connecting on his passes, and the run game wasn’t as effective as it usually is even when they did run it. Considering how many times they threw the ball, the Ravens o-line did a great job in pass pro with Zeitler leading the way. He’s quietly emerging as a sleeper pro-bowl candidate. 
13. Arizona Cardinals (Previous Rank: 12) – Sometimes numbers lie, and that’s the case with the Cardinals o-line performance vs. the Panthers. While they only allowed six pressures, this group wasn’t that impressive using the eye test and didn’t do a lot to contribute in the run-game. 
14. Green Bay Packers (Previous Rank: 15) – It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but GB got the win vs. Sea, and the o-line played very well in pass pro. They only allowed three pressures in the game. When Patrick Lucas and Royce Newman have good games, odds are this offensive line had a really good game. They did struggle some in the run game, but they were also solid enough to allow GB to stick with it and lean on it in volume despite the passing game being ineffective. 
15. Indianapolis Colts (Previous Rank: 10) – The Colts o-line took a step back this week. They allowed 13 pressures vs. the Jags but what has to be most alarming is the play of Quenton Nelson. Coming into this season, he had done nothing but play at an all-pro level since stepping onto the field, yet he is struggling for the first time in his career this season, after missing games earlier in the year with an injury. One has to believe that he’s playing hurt. He allowed four pressures this week and just hasn’t looked like himself since returning from injury. 
16. Chicago Bears (Previous Rank: 17) – Bye Week 
17. Cincinnati Bengals (Previous Rank: 18) – Bye Week 
18. Buffalo Bills (Previous Rank: 19) – The Bills o-line bounced back after a disastrous performance the previous week. You’d like to see them not allow three sacks, but they only allowed six pressures, so it wasn’t all bad. Spencer Brown’s return to the lineup really helped, but we’ll see how much of this performance was due to them playing the Jets as they face a tougher test next week vs. the Colts. 
19. Atlanta Falcons (Previous Rank: 20) – The Falcons o-line didn’t play well vs. the Cowboys. They allowed pressure at nearly a 25% clip and weren’t great in the run game either. The Falcons rank near the bottom of the league in rush yards before contact and PA%. 
20. Denver Broncos (Previous Rank: 21) – The Broncos came back to earth vs. the Eagles, and this unit’s pass pro performance had a lot to do with it. They allowed 16 pressures as Garrett Bolles was greatly missed. He missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, so it’s a good thing they have a bye week coming up. 
21. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previous Rank: 24) – I’m sure the Steelers didn’t envision running 56 pass plays with Mason Rudolph at QB, but he was competent throughout the game, and the Steelers o-line gave him time to throw. The run game is still more about Harris than the o-line, but they are still showing signs of growth as a run-blocking group compared to where they were at the beginning of the year. 
22. Tennessee Titans (Previous Rank: 16) – I said we’re going to find out just how good the Titans o-line can run-block without Henry. So far, the results have been putrid. The Browns can run it effectively even with a third-string RB because they have a great run-blocking line. This group, however, was clearly being carried by Henry. Ten has averaged less than three YPC in their last two games. They’ve been a little better in pass pro but not great in that phase either. They allowed seven pressures and two sacks on only 32 pass snaps vs. the Saints. 
23. Detroit Lions (Previous Rank: 27) – The Lions o-line had one of their best performances of the year, and they did it against an elite defense. The Lions rushed for 229 yards on 5.9 YPC. But more impressive than that was the fact they only allowed three pressures. The addition of Taylor Decker back in the lineup helped tremendously, and Sewell didn’t miss a beat moving back to RT. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get to see Ragnow with this group at full strength. 
24. Minnesota Vikings (Previous Rank: 23) – The Vikings got a big win over the Chargers, but their passing game is getting it done more in spite of this group than because of them. The Vikings interior three allowed nine pressures and remain one of the worst pass pro interiors in the league. Thankfully, O’Neil and Darrisaw continue to help limit the bleeding with their work on the edges. 
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous Rank: 26) – The Jags o-line wasn’t great in pass pro vs. the Colts allowing 14 pressures. Even Norwell, who entered the week as the top guard in PA%, allowed a team high five. However, they were great in the run game. They rushed for 179 yards on 7.5 YPC, and while some of that is skewed by receiver rush yards, they were good on RB runs too. This offensive line is middle of the pack in PA% at 24%, but the team has risen to third in avg rush yards before contact. Considering they’ve been playing without two starters, this offensive line has been respectable the past two weeks. 
26. New York Jets (Previous Rank: 25) – Mike White was a disaster vs. the Bills, but this o-line didn’t help matters. They allowed 13 pressures, but it looked a lot worse from the eye test. This unit is usually a respectable run-blocking group, but they struggled to consistently create room in the run-game. This offensive line is regressing, and it might be time for them to use the newly acquired Duvernay-Tardiff. 
27. Seattle Seahawks (Previous Rank: 22) – Even if Russell Wilson was playing with a healthy hand, he might’ve struggled playing behind this o-line. They allowed 22 pressures, by far their worst pass pro performance of the year. Even Gabe Jackson, who had been the most consistent of this group, struggled allowing seven pressures. 
28. Carolina Panthers (Previous Rank: 30) – The Panthers have been one of the worst pass pro offensive lines in the NFL all year, but they had a rare good game in that department in their surprising 34-10 victory over the Cardinals. They only allowed four pressures and were great in the run game. They ran for 166 yards on 4.5 YPC. Based on the way the Panthers have played the majority of the season, this game has to be considered more of a blip than anything that is sustainable. 
29. New York Giants (Previous Rank: 29) – Bye Week 
30. Las Vegas Raiders (Previous Rank: 28) – The Raiders o-line struggled against the Chiefs. They weren’t able to help get anything done in the run game, and they allowed 14 pressures. Simpson was the worst of the bunch allowing four pressures and one sack. Even Kolton Miller struggled by his standards on the year as he has been one of the better pass pro tackles in the league. 
31. Houston Texans (Previous Rank: 31) – Bye Week 
32. Miami Dolphins (Previous Rank: 32) – The Dolphins continue to be the worst pass-blocking o-line. They allowed 20 pressures, which was their fourth time allowing 20 or more pressures in a game this season. That is the most in the NFL. Eichenberg is a rookie, so he deserves a grace period, but he continues to get beaten at a high rate. He allowed seven pressures, two sacks, and now has a comfortable lead in both categories on the year.