Week 11 of the NFL season is here, and so are our OL rankings. As we hit the home stretch of the regular season and begin to prepare for the playoffs, offensive line depth will become all the more essential. Contending teams can’t afford a hole up front — OL is such a weak-link system that one subpar player can bring the entire unit down.
Week 11 NFL OL Rankings
Let’s go around the league and zero in on the latest OL news and injuries. We’ll start in Green Bay, where the Packers’ offensive line produced one of their best efforts of the year in a comeback win over the Cowboys.
Packers Finally Get the Line They Wanted
Green Bay’s offensive line has been solid all season long. The unit ranks second in adjusted line yards, Football Outsiders’ metric that attempts to credit front fives for rushing success, and fifth in adjusted sack rate.
And yet, that success has come in the face of injuries and disorganization. The Packers didn’t get their preferred offensive line combination — LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Jon Runyan, and RT Yosh Nijman — on the field together until Week 9. As ESPN’s Rob Demovsky noted, Sunday marked the first time that group started and finished a game together.
The improved results were apparent. Playing against Micah Parsons and the Cowboys’ fearsome front, the Packers allowed just seven pressures on 23 dropbacks, per PFF. Aaron Rodgers’ average time to throw was 2.81 seconds, his second-longest of the season, while Green Bay rushed for 207 yards, their second-best total of 2022.
This is the best OL configuration the Packers have to offer, and it also provides them with ample depth in Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan, and Royce Newman. If Green Bay wants to scratch and claw its way back into the playoff picture, a strong effort from its offensive line will be critical.
Colts OL Improves in Jeff Saturday’s Debut
Like the Packers, the Colts found an offensive line arrangement they liked in Week 9 and stuck with it in Week 10. Indy’s new layout features rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann, left guard Quenton Nelson, center Ryan Kelly, right guard Will Fries, and right tackle Braden Smith.
Playing under interim head coach and former Colts offensive linemen Jeff Saturday, Indy’s OL had its best performance of the season. After allowing Sam Ehlinger to be sacked nine times against the Patriots in Week 9, the Colts held a Raiders defensive line highlighted by Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones to just one sack.
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Indianapolis also produced far more push in the run game. Jonathan Taylor, who’d largely been held in check since Week 1, put up 147 yards and a touchdown on the ground. As a team, the Colts posted a season-high 207 rushing yards against a Vegas defense that ranked fifth in rush EPA heading into Week 10.
The Colts’ offensive line went from elite to awful seemingly overnight. They probably won’t make it back to Tier 1 or 2 of our OL rankings this season, but if they continue to play as they did against the Raiders, Indy’s line could move toward league average, a feat that seemed impossible earlier this year.
Rams Line Somehow Suffers More Injuries
The Rams were already playing three backups along their offensive line, and they received more disastrous injury news this week. Alaric Jackson, a nominal guard who’d been filling in at left tackle, will miss the rest of the season due to blood clot issues. Meanwhile, Sean McVay announced right guard Chandler Brewer is out for 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain.
Twelve different offensive linemen have started games for Los Angeles this season, and right tackle Rob Havenstein is the only player who’s appeared in every contest. Going forward, veteran Ty Nsekhe will play left tackle in place of Jackson, while Oday Aboushi will likely step in at right guard.
LA’s OL problems are the root cause of many of their offensive worries. Matthew Stafford faces the league’s seventh-highest pressure rate, the Rams’ run game is nonexistent, and Los Angeles ranks dead last in yards per play. Those concerns can all be tied back to the team’s offensive line struggles, and it’s another stark reminder of just how many holes exist on the Rams’ roster.
Week 11 NFL OL Rankings | Tiers 1-4
Now that we’ve taken a deeper look at some of the more notable offensive line groups around the NFL, let’s lay out how they rank based on tiers.
OL Rankings: Tier 1
Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots
OL Rankings: Tier 2
Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings
OL Rankings: Tier 3
New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers
OL Rankings: Tier 4
Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams