Week 14 Offensive Line Rankings

1. New England Patriots (Previous Rank: 1) – The Patriots offensive line had arguably the best performance of the season in my opinion on MNF vs. the Bills when factoring in the circumstances. NE ran 48 run-play snaps to just three pass snaps. If you watch the film, the Bills defense got to a point where they were completely selling out to stop the run with as many nine in the box at times and still could not. They rushed for 217 yards on 38 carries (5.7 YPC) on RB runs. The Pats have been one of the best rushing teams in the NFL during their win streaks despite having unproven backs and no threat of a vertical passing game. Right now, the Pats offense stars play on its o-line, and it’s the best in the NFL. 
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Previous Rank: 3) – Every o-line typically plays well vs. the Falcons, so this game went as expected. Tampa put on a pass-blocking clinic against an inferior defense only allowing three pressures on 52 pass snaps (5.77%). That’s one of the lowest allowed pressure rates in a game this season. Tom Brady is the greatest QB ever, and it’s going to be tough to keep this team from repeating when teams can’t get pressure on him. 
3. Dallas Cowboys (Previous Rank: 2) – The Cowboys o-line isn’t run blocking at the level it was earlier in the year, but they are still an elite pass pro unit. They only allowed pressure 12% of the time in the Saints game, and most of that was from backup guard Connor McGovern who needs to move back to the bench in favor of Connor Williams. The Cowboys are still second in PA% at 17%, and Tyron Smith seems to be fully recovered from his ankle injury. 
4. Philadelphia Eagles (Previous Rank: 4) – The Eagles continued their success in the run game in a win vs. the Jets. The Eagles have simply decided they are going to run it, and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it. Their RBs rushed for 174 yards on 36 carries. They were great in pass pro as well, only allowing three pressures. This unit currently has three players playing at a pro-bowl caliber level in Kelce, Johnson, and Mailata. 
5. Los Angeles Rams (Previous Rank: 6) – The Rams needed a bounce-back game badly, and so did this o-line, and they got it against the Jags. The Jags aren’t a good team, but they’ve proven to have a competent pass rush this season, and the Rams almost shut them out, only allowing two pressures for the game. If this o-line brings their a-game and Stafford isn’t throwing it to the other team, the Rams offense is good enough to score on anybody. 
6. Cleveland Browns (Previous Rank: 5) – Bye Week 
7. Kansas City Chiefs (Previous Rank: 9) – The Chiefs offense in recent weeks has been hard to figure out. Their offensive line has played at a high level much of the season and yet Mahomes has struggled of late. This unit only allowed two pressures vs. a very good Broncos defense that entered week 13 second in points allowed. Despite facing little pressure, Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game never really got rolling. The good news for KC is that you have to believe Mahomes and that talented group of skill players will figure it out at some point if this o-line continues to play well. 
8. Los Angeles Chargers (Previous Rank: 7) – The Chargers o-line has come back to earth a bit in the last two weeks. They didn’t have a bad game vs. the Bengals, but it wasn’t a good game either. They allowed three sacks and pressure nearly 21% of the time. This group still has a quality body of work on the year and should have two pro-bowlers in Linsley and Slater. 
9. New Orleans Saints (Previous Rank: 8) – The Saints problem right now is just availability. Armstead returned in week 12 and played will vs Buf but was out in their last game vs. Dal. Ramczyk hasn’t played since week 10. This line just isn’t the same without those two, but when they are on the field this is a top 10 unit. But both are currently listed as questionable and could return for the next game. 
10. San Francisco 49ers (Previous Rank: 11) – The 49ers o-line played well vs. the Seahawks despite the loss. They allowed pressure less than 20% of the time and ran block better than the numbers suggest. Tom Compton hasn’t been great in pass pro, but he’s been good in the run game since taking over for the injured McGlinchey. 
11. Washington Football Team (Previous Rank: 10) – Washington’s o-line had a good outing despite playing with only three starters. They only allowed seven pressures and were solid in the run game as well. Samuel Cosmi is now on IR and is probably done for the year, so pencil in Cornelius Lucas for the remainder of the year at RT. The good news is Wes Schweitzer is going to return at some point at center which should give them four guys they can trust. I believe a starting five of Leno Jr, Flowers, Schweitzer, Scherff, and Lucas isn’t as good as what they would’ve had with Roullier and Cosmi back when this o-line was playing at a top five level, but its good enough to give Washington a real shot to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. 
12. Indianapolis Colts (Previous Rank: 13) – The Colts dominated Houston 31-0, and the game went like most expected. The Colts offensive line dominated the Texans upfront to help lead the way for a 200 plus rushing yard day on 5 YPC. 
13. Arizona Cardinals (Previous Rank: 12) – The Cardinals o-line played ok vs. the Bears. They didn’t throw a lot because they didn’t need to and most likely wanted to ease Kyler back into things. It wasn’t a great performance on the ground, but they helped get the job done as the team rushed for 137 yards on 3.9 YPC. This unit will have a tougher test next week vs. the Rams. 
14. Detroit Lions (Previous Rank: 16) – The Lions o-line has been trending in the right direction since Decker returned to the lineup, and they had another good outing to help Detroit get its first win of the season. They only allowed pressure on 17% of pass snaps and did a good job in the run game. We expect Decker, Sewell, and even Brown to play well, but they also got good games from Jackson and big V. Typically when a team gets good o-line play from all five guys they win, and that’s what happened. 
15. Buffalo Bills (Previous Rank: 17) – The Patriots o-line wasn’t the only group that played well in the raging winds up in Buffalo on MNF. They weren’t nearly as good run-blocking, but they had played very well in pass pro. NE has the hottest defense in the NFL, and this group only allowed pressure on 15% of pass snaps. They’ve put together three good games out of their last four and are trending in the right direction. 
16. Baltimore Ravens (Previous Rank: 14) – The Ravens offense struggled in their loss against Pittsburgh, and the o-line wasn’t that great. The interior group played well, especially Zeitler and Bozeman. However, the tackles gave up a lot of pressure. Villanueva allowed four pressures and the combination of Patrick Mekari, who started and got injured, and Tyre Phillips allowed eight. When two of the five o-line starters are responsible for allowing 12 pressures, your QB is probably going to be under fire, and Lamar was. Lamar also ran himself into some sacks, which is why the Ravens o-line was only credited with allowing one sack despite Lamar being sacked seven times. 
17. Chicago Bears (Previous Rank: 18) – The Bears o-line had a solid game vs. Arizona, but there’s only so much they can do to help when Andy Dalton is out there throwing four interceptions. They protected him well only allowing pressure at a rate of 20%, and they were ok in the run-game. 
18. Cincinnati Bengals (Previous Rank: 15) – The Bengals o-line looked like they had returned to their early season form after a strong game vs. the Steelers. However, the inconsistency continues for this group after a poor showing vs. the Chargers. They allowed 17 pressures, three sacks, and committed five penalties. While some might chalk up their struggles to playing without starting RT Riley Reiff, but none of the other starters played well so that excuse won’t fly. 
19. Atlanta Falcons (Previous Rank: 19) – The Falcons o-line played one of their best run-blocking games of the season, and it helped pave the way for 121 yards rushing on 5.3 YPC. Unfortunately, they weren’t as good in pass pro. They allowed 14 pressures and three sacks. The Falcons were a middle-of-the-pack pass pro unit earlier in the season, but they’ve slid to bottom third as they currently rank 22nd in PA% at 26%. 
20. Tennessee Titans (Previous Rank: 20) – Bye Week 
21. New York Jets (Previous Rank: 21) – The Jets o-line had a decent game in their loss vs. the Eagles. The biggest problem was they allowed too much pressure from the guard spots. Tardif was amid another good game before he left with an ankle injury, and Van Roten wasn’t as good playing in his place. Vera-Tucker struggled throughout the day and allowed half of the groups pressure total with six. Quietly, George Fant has been one of the better pass-blocking tackles in the NFL this season. He’s top 10 in PA% among all tackles. 
22. Denver Broncos (Previous Rank: 22) – Garrett Bolles and Bobby Massie were back in the lineup together for the first time since week eight, and it showed. This unit played their best game since the Cowboys blow-out game back in week nine. They only allowed pressure at a rate of 18%, and a large portion of that came from Massie and Meinerz on the right side. This has been one of the more inconsistent o-lines in the NFL, but when everyone is healthy and they bring their a-game, they can play like a solid mid-tier unit.  
23. Minnesota Vikings (Previous Rank: 23) – The Vikings were forced to do some shuffling on the o-line this week due to injuries. Both Christian Darrisaw and Rashod Hill were unavailable so Oli Udoh, who has played RG all season, made his first start of the year at LT. Mason Cole, who has primarily played center, got the start at RG. Udoh predictably had some struggles. As a matter of fact, both players on the left struggled as Ezra Cleveland allowed five pressures and Udoh allowed four and one sack. 
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previous Rank: 26) – The Steelers pulled off a big upset victory over BAL to keep their playoff hopes alive, and the o-line played a big role in that. They made have played their best game of the season. They were had a solid game run-blocking but were great in pass pro. They only allowed two pressures all game, and they really stepped up in the fourth quarter. 
25. Green Bay Packers (Previous Rank: 25) – Bye Week 
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous Rank: 24) – The Jags offensive line hurt them in their blow-out loss to the Rams. They weren’t bad in pass pro and have played better in that aspect since Linder’s return. Norwell had an uncharacteristically bad game allowing a team-high four pressures. However, it was the run-blocking that really hurt the team. The Jags only managed 61 yards on 25 carries (2.4 YPC), and this team just doesn’t have the weapons to have success with a pass-only attack vs. the Rams. 
27. New York Giants (Previous Rank: 28) – The Giants only managed nine points in their loss to the Dolphins, but that was more a product of Mike Glennon than poor o-line play. This unit had one of their better and rarely productive run-blocking performances as their RBs rushed 91 yards on 5.4 YPC. However, they protected at slightly below league average rate of 25%, which by their standards is actually better than their season percentage of 26%. This is still a bad o-line, but Andrew Thomas continues to be a bright spot and looks like he can be a long-term answer at a position they have struggled to find answers for. 
28. Las Vegas Raiders (Previous Rank: 29) – While Raider nation should be happy about their o-line posting a PA% of less than 20% for the first time all season, I wouldn’t read too much into it as the Washington d-line has was missing both it’s starting DEs in Chase Young and Montez Sweat. 
29. Seattle Seahawks (Previous Rank: 27) – Seattle got the win over SF, but the o-line continues to struggle. They allowed pressure at a rate of 37% for the second week in a row and had multiple starters allow pressure individually at a rate over 10%. It’s got to be frustrating that Duane Brown is finally playing well again, and now Gabe Jackson is struggling. Those were supposed to be the best players in this group, and their sporadic play combined with underwhelming play from almost everyone else has led to Seattle being one of the worst pass-blocking lines in the NFL. 
30. Carolina Panthers (Previous Rank: 30) – Bye Week 
31. Houston Texans (Previous Rank: 31) – The Texans got shut out, but the o-line played a respectable game by the low standards it has set over the past two months. They didn’t allow a lot of pressure, and of the seven pressures and two sacks allowed, most of it came from one guy. Charlie Heck allowed five pressures and two sacks. 
32. Miami Dolphins (Previous Rank: 32) – The Dolphins have had back-to-back good games in pass pro for the first time all season. The Dolphins win streak is so contagious even this porous group is starting to come along. They’re another good game away from maybe moving up a spot in the rankings.