The Jaguars and Falcons have two of the leagues better offensive lines, but their depth will be tested going forward. Both teams lost a key starter last week, and will take the field in Week 3 breaking in a replacement. We'll soon find out if it's not a big deal, or it's the kind of thing that can hamper their playoff aspirations.
First there are the Jaguars, who lost left tackle Cam Robinson to a torn ACL. They'll go with Josh Wells, a former undrafted free agent who's been a backup the last four years (when not injured). It's a significant downgrade at the position, so we'll see how the offense is affected.
The Falcons lost guard Andy Levitre to a triceps injury, placing him on IR. It was reported that his season was over, but maybe he can return late in the season. But even if that's the case, the bulk of his season is gone. Atlanta will use Wes Schweitzer, and he's filled in before. But not well, so that spot is a concern now for Atlanta's ground game and protection. (Levitre, it should be noted, took a paycut in the offseason, so perhaps the downgrade won't be steep.)
One more season ending injury to Giants center Jon Halapio, who broke his ankle against the Cowboys. New York's line looked really against Dallas' pass rush anyway, and this is a loss the line could ill afford. Couple it with a quarterback who can't seem to move anymore, and it's hard to feel good about the Giants offense. John Greco is next man up, although Evan Brown is another candidate.
Thanks to a fake punt, the Titans managed to eke out a win over division rival Houston last week. And things are looking up for their injured tackle duo. Taylor Lewan returns this week, and Jack Conklin is listed as questionable. He may not make his season debut, but he's clearly close to a return.
The news isn't as good for Carolina. You knew about their tackles both being on IR. Guard Trai Turner (concussion) has been ruled out for his second straight game since being sidelined in Week 1.
A couple of injured players are very close to returns -- Anthony Castonzo in Indianapolis and Pat Elflein in Minnesota. Castonzo has been considered close every week. Elflein was initially reported to be returning this week before being ruled out Friday. Week 4, though, should mark those guys' debuts.
There are some other injuries of uncertain severity: T.J. Lang (back) in Detroit, Shawn Lauvao (calf) in Washington, David DeCastro (hand) in Pittsburgh. Some of those guys might be in the lineup this week (DeCastro thinks he can play, but players are often optimistic), or could be out for multiple weeks.
Non-injury related notes: The Cardinals and Texans look as bad as feared in the preseason. ... Cleveland still has a problem at left tackle, but perhaps the switch to Baker Mayfield will hide the lines shortcomings somewhat. Tyrod Taylor has more experience, of course, but Mayfield gets the ball out of his hands awfully quick and seems to be very good at extending plays. ... Several teams ranked unfavorably have done well so far (like 2-0 Miami, as a for instance). We will see if they struggle when the schedule gets more difficult.
Rankings are below; colorful table posted on our Facebook page showing our evaluation of each player.
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1. | New Orleans |
| 2. | Philadelphia |
| 3. | Pittsburgh |
| 4. | LA Rams |
| 5. | LA Chargers |
| 6. | Atlanta |
| 7. | Green Bay |
| 8. | Dallas |
| 9. | New England |
| 10. | Oakland |
| 11. | Washington |
| 12. | Tennessee |
| 13. | Kansas City |
| 14. | Jacksonville |
| 15. | Baltimore |
| 16. | San Francisco |
| 17. | Chicago |
| 18. | Tampa Bay |
| 19. | Minnesota |
| 20. | Detroit |
| 21. | Denver |
| 22. | Seattle |
| 23. | Carolina |
| 24. | Cincinnati |
| 25. | Cleveland |
| 26. | NY Jets |
| 27. | Indianapolis |
| 28. | Miami |
| 29. | NY Giants |
| 30. | Houston |
| 31. | Arizona |
| 32. | Buffalo |
--Andy Richardson