Week 6 in the NFL was one of the strongest—and confusing—weeks that we’ve seen so far in 2019. Baker Mayfield wasn’t not not angry. The Redskins won their first game of the year. The Jets got one in the win column, too—against the Cowboys?! Kyle Allen is undefeated. Teddy Bridgewater is undefeated. And just when you thought NSYNC was “Gone”, Week 6 reminded all of the football-watching world not to say, “Bye! Bye! Bye!” just yet:
And speaking of working together in unison, don’t think for one second that the sturdy front of a few NFL trenches—the champions of the choppy steps—don’t deserve some credit, too.
Here are the five best offensive lines from a wild Week 6.
5. Washington Redskins
This isn’t a misprint from a Bottom of the Barrel list. Nope. Regardless of the win being against the Dolphins, the Redskins deserve some credit for the effort on Sunday. Case Keenum was formidable, completing 13-of-25 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s 14th-ranked passing defense. Adrian Peterson turned back the clock and reminded everyone that he can still do damage (13 carries, 125 yards). And all of this was accomplished while the head coach’s parking space probably still says, Jay Gruden.
Major credit goes to the Redskins’ O-line for helping keep pressure off of Keenum (zero sacks) while leading the way for Peterson. And remember, a win’s a win!
Chase Roullier, Donald Penn, Brandon Scherff, Morgan Moses, Erek Flowers, Tony Bergstrom, and the rest of Redskins’ line: Way to keep things in the trenches in order. (Maybe share the coach’s parking spot throughout the week.)
4. Cleveland Browns
Just because the team didn’t win doesn’t mean that all facets were awful dumpster fires. Easy there, Cleveland naysayers. Yes, Baker Mayfield had good moments and bad moments, finishing the day 22-of-37 for 249 yards, with one touchdown and three picks. But the running game was something straight out of Cedar Point, roller-coasting to 157 yards on 24 carries with three touchdowns (Nick Chubb had 122 of that total.)
Baker wasn’t sacked, either. The Seahawks’ defense was helped out (allegedly) by some of the calls from the referees, and let’s not overlook the fact a possibly “overrated” squad almost knocked off a “highly rated” one.
JC Tretter, Chris Hubbard, Greg Robinson, Eric Kush, and Joel Bitonio: Week 6 will be forever remembered as a loss—but you guys were indeed winners…keepers of the trench.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
Devlin Hodges? Benny Snell? Huh?
Rolling into Los Angeles at 1-4, there was zero shame if the Steelers faithful had some grief that the offense stood little or no chance, and it would be a defense-reliant prayer.
And then, the Steelers won the game. Hodges did exactly what he needed to do against the Chargers’ sixth-ranked passing defense: 15-of-20, one touchdown and one interception. He didn’t win it. But, more importantly, he didn’t lose it. (He wasn’t hit or sacked once behind the line, either.)
Snell had a stable 75 yards on 17 carries, helping lead the running attack to 124 total yards on the ground. That’s pretty, pretty good.
Sure, the Chargers have been slipping as of late. But the defense is ranked 12th overall, and regardless if this was like a home game for the Steelers…
…you have to give that O-line credit for doing their part to help secure a much-needed win with a depleted roster that should be sponsored by Google Search.
David DeCastro, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, Ramon Foster, and Maurkice Pouncey: Da Da-da Da Da Da-da Da!
2. Denver Broncos
The matchup between Denver and Tennessee had two defenses ranked in the top 10 overall, going against two offenses ranked in the bottom 10 overall. And the struggle was real, with the Broncos doing just a bit more than the Titans, on the way to a 16-0 victory.
One of the most significant differences? The defensive pressure: Flacco was only sacked once and hit twice. The Marcus Mariota-Ryan Tannehill show was sacked seven times and hit 10. Throw in the Broncos’ running attack that went for 103 yards—30 of it on a Phillip Lindsay scamper—with one touchdown, and it’s pretty clear which facet deserves a Mile High Salute.
Garett Boiles, Dalton Risner, Elijah Wilkinson, Connor McGovern, and Ronald Leary: Salute!
1. New York Jets
The Jets won a game of football. That should be enough to award the entire team and fan base some participation trophy—but that would actually be a disservice to the O-line, because they were exceptional on Sunday.
Le’Veon Bell had 14 carries for 50 yards and one touchdown. Not bad, considering the Cowboys’ defense is ranked eighth overall (13th against the run), and teams have been loading the box because of the passing game woes.
Sam Darnold was 23-of-32 for 338 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked twice. Again, not overwhelming numbers. However, when considering this was Darnold’s first game back, after being out with mononucleosis and now-famous spleen issues, against a team that’s considered “America’s”…I mean, cue the music from Rudy.
The most incredible part? The Jets’ O-line only allowed two hits on Darnold the entire game! Now that’s how you welcome back your quarterback.
Alex Lewis, Kelvin Beachum, Brian Winters, Chuma Edoga, and Ryan Kalil: Top of the charts, fellas!
