RADIO
We saw a historic offensive performance in Week 3 thanks to the Miami Dolphins, who put up an absurd 70 points against the Denver Broncos. Outside of Miami (which has received most of the well-deserved press), there were plenty of other good offensive games as well. Eight different teams scored at least 28 points as offenses continued to find their stride.
Offensive line play is still trying to find some stability as teams navigate injuries to start the year. Nine different offensive lines finished with average PFF grades above 65.0. Conversely, 12 different teams had average PFF grades below 60.0. There were only a handful of injuries, led by Saints’ left guard Cesar Ruiz and Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson.
Three weeks means we have plenty of data to go off of when making fantasy decisions. Check out the offensive line situations to target and avoid heading into Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season below.
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Champ of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles came into the 2023 season as the favorite to be the top offensive line in the NFL after a dominant 2022 season. The Eagles made good on that promise by bullying a strong Buccaneers defensive line in all phases of the game.
Four of the Eagles' five starters finished with PFF grades above 70.0 against Tampa Bay, with the lone outlier being center Jason Kelce (who was stuck in a tough matchup against Vita Vea for most of the game). Collectively, the Eagles allowed just seven pressures against the Buccaneers. The most impressive performance was right tackle Lane Johnson who finished with PFF run blocking, pass blocking, and overall grades above 85.0.
The Eagles did lose left guard Landon Dickerson to a knee injury in the game, but the injury doesn’t seem serious at this time. If he is good to go next week, then this unit will be poised to continue paving the way for D’Andre Swift and keeping a clean pocket for Jalen Hurts once again.
Chump of the Week
New York Giants
The Giants were once considered a dark horse to be one of the most improved offensive lines in the NFL this season. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned for the Giants as evidenced by the absolute beatdown they took at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.
The Giants rolled out an entirely new O-line configuration against the 49ers thanks to the injuries to Andrew Thomas and Ben Bredeson and the ineffectiveness of Mark Glowinski. San Francisco had no problem exploiting these weaknesses.
All five of the Giants' offensive linemen finished with PFF grades below 50.0, leading to an average unit grade of 33.2. Collectively, New York's five offensive linemen allowed one sack and 17 pressures. Things will get better for this unit as they get healthy, but it is hard to imagine them reaching the promise many envisioned from them this offseason at this time.
Matchups to Target in Week 4
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
The Broncos' defense got torched against the Miami Dolphins offense in Week 3, but the offensive line put together a solid game against a good Miami defense. Three of five starters finished with PFF grades above 65.0 and the unit allowed just seven pressures, three of which came from right guard Quinn Meinerz in his matchup against Christian Wilkins.
Thankfully for Denver, they will have an easier matchup against the Chicago Bears' anemic defense in Week 3. Through three games, the Bears have generated just 44 pressures and one sack on the season. Only three of their defensive linemen (Yannick Ngakoue, Andrew Billings, and DeMarcus Walker) have more than five pressures on the season.
Chicago struggles to get a consistent pass rush, which leads their secondary to struggle to maintain coverage. Unfortunately, the Bears' secondary is also banged up, which should mean a big day for Russell Wilson and his receiving weapons in this game.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
We finally got to see the Dolphins’ offensive line at full strength in Week 3 thanks to the return of left tackle Terron Armstead. All we got from it was the second-highest scoring performance in NFL history (70) and the second-most yards in a single game in NFL history (726).
The Miami offensive line allowed just one pressure and finished with an average pass-blocking grade of 77.4 against the Denver defense. That allowed Tua to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns without Jaylen Waddle. Miami also paved the way for a rushing attack that allowed De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert to combine for 285 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
The Dolphins' offensive line has been impressive all season but came together with the return of Armstead. That is bad news for a Bills defensive line that has struggled to consistently generate pressure this season without Von Miller.
Matchups to Avoid in Week 4
New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys
The Patriots' offensive line was starting to get healthy with the return of Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu. Unfortunately, Strange suffered another knee injury and played just over half the snaps against a formidable Jets defensive line rotation.
The Patriots secured a win but have struggled to open rushing lanes for most of the season. Meanwhile, they get a matchup against one of the best defensive fronts in all of football when they travel to Dallas in Week 4. Micah Parsons (17 pressures and four sacks) gets all the publicity, but the reality is that Dallas has three other pass rushers with at least seven pressures and two sacks on the season.
The Patriots' offense hasn’t been terrible this season (especially compared to 2022), but Mac Jones and company will have their hands full up front against the Cowboys' defensive line.
Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts
The Rams' offensive line has performed above expectations this season, but the wheels fell off against the Bengals in Week 3. Injuries forced left tackle Alaric Jackson and right guard Joe Noteboom out of the game, leading to the team surrendering 17 pressures and three sacks against Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, the Colts were able to secure an upset against the Ravens in Week 3 thanks to an excellent performance from their defense and solid play from backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Indianapolis generated 16 pressures and four sacks against Lamar Jackson, led by a trio of defenders (Kwity Paye, Zaire Franklin, and Samson Ebukam) that generated three pressures and one sack.
The Colts' defense has been much better in 2023 and is facing a banged-up offensive line with a statue quarterback. Indianapolis should be able to cause problems in the backfield for the Rams and continue their hot start to 2023.
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