RADIO
Week 5 was a bloodbath for offensive lines across the league. Seven different teams had a starting offensive lineman miss a majority of the game, highlighted by Alijah Vera-Tucker on the Jets (knee) and Kaleb McGary on the Falcons (knee). 18 different offensive linemen missed some part of a game this week (although some of that includes reserves getting time in blowout games).
We will get a bit of a reprieve in Week 6 from byes, with just two teams (Green Bay and Pittsburgh) getting the week off. That doesn’t mean that there won’t need to be strategic moves made this week considering the number of injuries that popped up among skill players in Week 5.
Which offensive lines can we trust in Week 6? Which offensive lines should we avoid? Find the answers below.
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Champ of the Week
Minnesota Vikings
Surprisingly, the Vikings' offensive line finished as the highest-graded unit (per PFF) in Week 5’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. All five of Minnesota’s starters had PFF pass-blocking grades above 60.0 and overall PFF grades above 65.0.
Collectively, Minnesota’s offensive line gave up just two sacks and 10 pressures to the Chiefs. The Vikings offensive line has quietly been dominant this season, ranking as the top run-blocking unit in the league (68.4 grade). Only right guard Ed Ingram (17) and left guard Ezra Cleveland (10) have surrendered double-digit pressures this season.
The Vikings have a long road ahead of them without Justin Jefferson for the foreseeable future (and could decide to tank to try and get in on the Caleb Williams sweepstakes), but their offensive line is clearly gelling and putting together one of the best seasons of any unit in the NFL this year.
Chump of the Week
New York Giants
At this point, nobody should be surprised that the Giants are a fixture in the “chump of the week” section of this article. Things are bad across the entire front for the Giants through either injuries or uninspiring play.
New York’s average PFF grade (35.9) was nearly 20 points lower than the next lowest team (New England Patriots: 52.9). All five of the Giants starters finished with pass-blocking grades, run-blocking grades, and overall grades below 53.5. Collectively, the Giants offensive line surrendered four sacks and 22 pressures against the Dolphins. Both left tackle Andrew Thomas and rookie center John Michael Schmitz continue to struggle to stay healthy and starting right guard Marcus McKethan was knocked out of the game with a knee injury.
This unit is very bad and it doesn’t seem like improvement will be on the horizon. Not only are the Giants one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season, but their offensive line has majorly regressed from what was a solid unit in 2022.
Matchups to Target in Week 6
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
The Vikings are coming off their best offensive line performance of the season and get the gift of facing off against Chicago’s weak defensive line. Chicago is coming off their best week of the season from a defensive line standpoint (27 pressures and three sacks), but collectively they are still extremely below average.
The Bears have just one player with more than 15 pressures on the season (Yannick Ngakoue) and only four players with double-digit pressures. Additionally, Ngakoue is the only player with more than one sack (two). Meanwhile, the Vikings have been having their way with opposing teams up front and should have no problem controlling the game in the trenches against an underwhelming Bears defense.
The Vikings' offense may struggle without Justin Jefferson to pull coverage at wide receiver, but all of their fantasy-relevant players should be in play against a Bears defense that has to show us they can be good for more than one week.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Colts offensive line has returned to form this season, opening massive holes on the ground in the run game and providing whichever healthy quarterback a pocket to operate in. Their offense will undoubtedly be hurt by the loss of Anthony Richardson, but Gardner Minshew should have ample time to operate against an underwhelming Jacksonville defense.
Jacksonville secured a surprising victory against the Bills in Week 5, but their defense left a lot to be desired. The Jaguars front generated just 14 pressures and didn’t get a sack on Josh Allen, helping him throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars had a solid day against the run in London, but still boast a bottom-10 PFF grade in run defense on the season.
Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor should have ample room to run this week, but Gardner Minshew should also have time to operate in the pocket to incorporate Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs in the passing game as well.
Matchups to Avoid in Week 6
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Bengals offense looked like their 2022 version in their first game without Tee Higgins. Cincinnati gave Joe Burrow time to operate, and Ja’Marr Chase ran wild, setting the franchise record for receptions in a game. Despite the offensive explosion, the offensive line still had their struggles against a solid but unremarkable Cardinals defense.
The Bengals allowed two sacks and 11 pressures in their big Week 5 win. The tackle combination of Orlando Brown Jr. and Jonah Williams combined to give up seven pressures off the edge. This unit still hasn’t played to their potential, and it is becoming very clear that they just aren’t as good as we hoped coming into the season.
They will have their work cut out for them in Week 6 against a Seahawks defense that ranks as PFF’s 11th-ranked run defense and fifth-best pass-rushing group. Seattle will come into the game refreshed off the bye week and featuring five different players with double-digit pressures and six different players with at least two sacks.
Burrow and Chase shouldn’t be benched for any reason (neither should Joe Mixon given his workload), but it is tough to expect any explosive performances outside of the studs this week.
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins
The Panthers' offensive line kept Bryce Young clean in Week 5 by surrendering zero sacks against the Lions. However, the team did give up 15 pressures and lost a starting offensive lineman (Chandler Zavala) to a neck injury. The only left tackle, Ikem Ekwonu, finished the game with a PFF grade above 63.0.
Now, the Panthers get a tough matchup against a Dolphins defense that has consistently given opposing quarterbacks headaches this season. Two different edge rushers (Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel) have at least 18 pressures and three sacks this season. That doesn’t include young edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who has missed the last two games but generated eight pressures on 37 pass-rushing reps.
Miami has four different box defenders with at least 13 pressures and six different players with at least two sacks. It is hard to envision a way for Carolina to keep up with them offensively, meaning this game should be a blowout in a hurry.
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