It's that time of year when offensive line depth gets tested. Players suffer season-ending injuries, but then there are the week-to-week issues -- sprained knees and concussions and the like. Recent weeks have seen the Bears lose a key starter, while the Colts have been a pleasant surprise.
A couple of big-name tackles are banged up. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has a sprained MCL. However, Philadelphia is on a bye this week, so it's possible Johnson won't miss any time -- or perhaps only a game or two. Philadelphia has Halapoulivaati Vaitai available to fill in.
Washington tackle Trent Williams has a dislocated thumb. Sounds painful, but there's a chance he'll be able to play through the injury. Ty Nsekhe will likely fill in, if necessary.
Biggest injury news is to Bears guard Kyle Long. He'll miss the next six to eight weeks with a foot injury. The Bears will replace him with Bryan Witzmann. Long is one of the league's best guards, so it's a major blow to a line that already was iffy opening holes for Jordan Howard this year.
One of the reasons the Falcons have struggled to run the ball is Devonta Freeman being hurt. Another major one is that they've lost both starting guards, Andy Levitre and Brandon Fusco. They've got a lesser duo there now, which will be a factor for the offense the rest of the season.
Kansas City's offensive line has taken some hits. It lost guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to a broken leg a while back, while center Mitch Morse has missed time due to a concussion. Now Jordan Devey, filling in at guard and center in recent weeks, is on IR with a pectoral injury. Hasn't impacted the offense yet -- still fine with Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz at tackle -- but their depth is being sorely tested these days.
A lot of what we talk about is lines that are struggling due to injury or poor performance. So worth pointing out when lines are better than expected, like in Indianapolis. Quenton Nelson was the best lineman in the draft, so not a surprise he's playing well (offensive rookie of the month for October, rare for a lineman to win that award). But second-rounder Braden Smith has also been an asset at the right guard spot. Those two picks are a major reason that one of the league's worst lines for most of Andrew Luck's career now looks like a top-10 group.
Carolina has been down near the bottom of the rankings, thanks to both starting tackles being on IR. But the offense, remarkably, has endured, and help might be on the way. Matt Kalil, specifically, may be able to return soon. Daryl Williams (knee) seems less certain, but one will be better than none. Kalil's return will help this line move back up the rankings.
Another recent climber: Seattle, which has finally worked out its run-blocking to the point where it's been one of the best rushing teams in the league. Considering where this line was a year ago, it's a dramatic improvement, and it's showing up in the results.
Rankings below; colorful table on our Facebook page breaks down the individual players.
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1. | New Orleans |
| 2. | LA Rams |
| 3. | Pittsburgh |
| 4. | Philadelphia |
| 5. | LA Chargers |
| 6. | Dallas |
| 7. | New England |
| 8. | Green Bay |
| 9. | Atlanta |
| 10. | Indianapolis |
| 11. | Jacksonville |
| 12. | Washington |
| 13. | Tennessee |
| 14. | Baltimore |
| 15. | San Francisco |
| 16. | Carolina |
| 17. | Kansas City |
| 18. | Seattle |
| 19. | Tampa Bay |
| 20. | Detroit |
| 21. | Minnesota |
| 22. | Chicago |
| 23. | Oakland |
| 24. | Cincinnati |
| 25. | NY Jets |
| 26. | Cleveland |
| 27. | Miami |
| 28. | Denver |
| 29. | Houston |
| 30. | NY Giants |
| 31. | Buffalo |
| 32. | Arizona |