RADIO
Week 1 of the NFL season has come and gone and we can finally break down some actual NFL film and data. It was a slow start for offenses across the league with 11 of 16 games going under on the projected Vegas totals. Part of that problem stemmed from some questionable offensive line play across the league. Just 11 teams had a collective PFF grade above 65.0 across the offensive line.
Seven different teams rotated at least one offensive lineman throughout their unit throughout the team’s first game. As we know, having consistency across the offensive line is one of the most important aspects of strong offensive line play, so the fact so many teams are uncertain in their offensive configuration is somewhat concerning.
There were also some important injuries throughout the weekend like Ju’Wuan James (Baltimore), Quinn Meinerz (Denver), Trey Smith (Kansas City), and Donovan Smith (Tampa Bay). Outside of James, many of these players shouldn’t miss time. Let’s dive into Week 2’s best (and worst) offensive line matchups for Week 2.
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Fantasy Football Champ of the Week
Kansas City Chiefs
It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to re-establish themselves as one of the top offensive lines in the NFL. Even more impressive was the fact that starting right guard Trey Smith was lost to an ankle injury just 31 plays into the game. None of that mattered against a Cardinals defensive line missing J.J. Watt.
By the end of the game, Patrick Mahomes had completed 30 of 39 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns and Kansas City racked up 128 rushing yards between Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Jerick McKinnon. Kansas City ultimately allowed zero sacks and nine pressures in their first matchup, but a majority of those came from left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (five pressures).
The Chiefs will have their work cut out for them in Week 2 against a revamped Chargers defensive line, but if Week 1 is any indication, they will be more than up to the challenge.
Fantasy Football Chump of the Week
New York Giants
The Giants secured a shocking win against the Titans on the road in Week 1. Despite the win, the offensive line showed significant struggles, specifically against Jeffery Simmons (ignore the tweet, watch everything except Evan Neal).
The Giants' offensive line combined to allow 13 pressures and two sacks. The interior offensive line (Mark Glowinski, Joshua Ezeudu, Ben Bredeson, and Jon Feliciano) particularly struggled, surrendering nine of the team’s pressures and both of the sacks. The Giants spent considerable assets this offseason investing in their offensive line, but only Andrew Thomas finished with a PFF grade above 52.0 on offense.
The Giants' offensive line will eventually gel and improve with time and repetitions, but they will have their work cut out for them against an athletic Carolina pass rush featuring Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Brian Burns.
Matchups to Target for Fantasy Football
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers' offense struggled to move against Chicago in a torrential downpour, but the offensive line played well as a unit. San Francisco got continued strong play from their established veteran tackles Trent Williams (77.8 PFF grade) and Mike McGlinchey (77.2), but also got solid play from their overhauled interior offensive line.
Right guard Aaron Banks (76.0 PFF grade) gave up just two pressures and rookie left guard Spencer Buford (71.5 PFF grade) played a clean game, giving Trey Lance a pocket to work in against Chicago’s defensive line. While the Bears ultimately won, the 49ers showed the ability to give Lance time to operate in the pocket, which should only lead to deep shots down the field.
San Francisco will look to bounce back against a Seattle defensive front that generated just 16 pressures and one sack across six defensive linemen against the Broncos on Monday night football. If the 49ers' offensive line can hold up, then expect the offense to have time to dial up big plays for Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in Week 2.
Las Vegas Raiders vs Arizona Cardinals
I have to give credit where credit is due. For as bad as I thought (and still kind of think) the Raiders' offensive line is, they held up quite well against the upgraded defensive front of the LA Chargers. Las Vegas offensive linemen allowed just two sacks and six pressures.
The Raiders ultimately played six offensive linemen in the game, rotating Dylan Parham (82.3 PFF grade on 35 snaps) with Lester Cotton Sr. (67.6 PFF grade on 23 snaps) at right guard and Jermaine Eluemunor (70.6 grade on 40 snaps) and Thayer Munford (45.2 grade on 18 snaps). Regardless of configuration, the offensive line doesn’t matter much when Derek Carr is getting the ball out fast to Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow.
Carr should have even more time to throw against the previously mentioned Cardinals' defensive front. Even considering the superior talent on Kansas City’s offensive line, the Cardinals lack punch up front without J.J. Watt. Look for the Raiders to air it out once again in what could be shootout conditions.
Matchups to Avoid for Fantasy Football
New York Giants vs Carolina Panthers
Things don’t get much easier for the Giants in Week 2. Only one offensive lineman finished with an overall PFF grade above 52.0 in Week 1 against the Titans' defense (Andrew Thomas). Evan Neal had solid flashes in his first career game but struggled to get much traction in the run game (29.8 run-blocking grade).
The Giants only have a week to figure out their offensive line before facing the ultra-athletic Carolina Panthers defense. Seven different defensive linemen generated at least one pressure against a very talented Browns offensive line in Week 1. Derrick Brown should have a field day against an interior offensive line that gave up nine total pressures against Jeffrey Simmons last week.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts
The Jaguars opted to forego upgrading their offensive line with the first overall pick this season, picking edge rusher Travon Walker with the first overall pick instead of a tackle like Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, or Charles Cross. In Week 1, that looked like a mistake.
Only one offensive lineman (right tackle Jawaan Taylor) finished with a PFF grade above 65.0. Coincidentally, he was the only offensive lineman without a pressure surrendered. The left side of the offensive line (Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, and Luke Fortner) collectively surrendered five quarterback hits and 13 of 15 pressures against Washington’s defensive line combination of Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Jonathan Allen.
Things won’t get much easier in Week 2. Indianapolis flashed their impressive pass-rushing trio with incumbent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner working between trade acquisition Yannick Ngakoue (three pressures) and second-year defensive end Kwity Paye (four pressures, 2.0 sacks).
Fantasy managers spent all offseason predicting a sophomore leap for Trevor Lawrence with the acquisition of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency and the debut of Travis Etienne after an injury-marred rookie season. Unless the offensive line can figure out how to stop pressure, those predictions may fail to come to fruition.
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