Having a strong offensive line is critical to an offense, right? Several successful teams are doing their part to dispute that. The Broncos, Packers and Seahawks, thanks to injuries, are down to lightly regarded backups at tackle positions, yet collectively they're 15-3, and their offenses have been just fine.
In Baltimore, the Ravens can't run the ball, and Joe Flacco is getting sacked 3 times per game. Yet they have solid personnel on the line, especially since trading for Eugene Monroe from the Jaguars.
In some respects, though, these are exceptions that prove the rule. The Falcons and Steelers have two of the league's worst offensive lines, and that's a factor in both teams currently being 1-4. They can't run the ball, and their quarterback isn't getting enough time to make plays at critical situations. Arizona and Jacksonville are two other teams whose very poor lines are factors in their poor offensive play.
In our scoring system, we give the most credit (double credit, actually) to the left tackles. That's the most important spot. The two guard spots, we think, are the least valuable. The right tackle and center positions, we've got halfway between the guards and the left tackles. We also have a sixth position, where we assign a combined blocking grade for the team's tight ends and fullbacks.
This isn't scientific, but it gives us a general sense of how they fall. And using this system, it yields the following 1-32 rankings. To see the rankings with team and individual position grades included (next to the projected starters) go to our Facebook page (fantasyindex.com).
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| team | |
| San Francisco | |
| New England | |
| Kansas City | |
| Tennessee | |
| Baltimore | |
| Minnesota | |
| New Orleans | |
| Cleveland | |
| Philadelphia | |
| Cincinnati | |
| Carolina | |
| Washington | |
| St. Louis | |
| NY Jets | |
| Chicago | |
| Tampa Bay | |
| Green Bay | |
| Denver | |
| Miami | |
| NY Giants | |
| Dallas | |
| Houston | |
| San Diego | |
| Indianapolis | |
| Seattle | |
| Buffalo | |
| Detroit | |
| Atlanta | |
| Arizona | |
| Pittsburgh | |
| Oakland | |
| Jacksonville | |
--Andy Richardson