PFF ranks Seahawks offensive line 14th in yearly rankings

Seahawks offensive line considered 14th best in latest Pro Football Focus’  rankings.

With the 2020 regular season officially over, Pro Football Focus has released its final offensive line rankings. The Seattle Seahawks fall in the middle of the pack, ranking 14th on the list. During the Russell Wilson era, many felt that the one position group that held this team back was the offensive line. In fact, at times this year, we have seen the offensive line cause this offense to go completely stagnant.

A good example of this would be in Week 13 against the New York Giants. The defensive pressure was so overwhelming that the Seahawks struggled to move the ball past the 50-yard line.

When looking at the numbers over the last six seasons or so, it should come as no surprise that Wilson was once again ranked as one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL.

2015 Regular Season – Wilson sacked 45 times — tied for 3rd most in the league

2016 Regular Season — Wilson sacked 41 times — tied for 2nd most in the league

2017 Regular Season — Wilson sacked 43 times — 4th most in the league

2018 Regular Season — Wilson sacked 51 times — tied for 3rd most in the league

2019 Regular Season — Wilson sacked 48 times — tied for most in the league

2020 Regular Season — Wilson sacked 47 times — 3rd most in the league

But, the offensive line has also shown a lot of promise this year. In particular, LT Duane Brown is having one of his best seasons. “Brown remains the leader of this group up front at 35 years old, fresh off his highest PFF grade (87.3) since 2011” the article notes. The play of this offensive line starts with Duane Brown as he has the most prominent position on the pass blocking line. His ability to protect Wilson’s blindside has allowed this offense to be explosive at times.

Another standout of this offensive line has been rookie G Damien Lewis. Early on in the season, he struggled with some penalties. But, as the season progressed, he showed flashes of potential. In fact, he started at center one game. A big body who can block upfront is always a luxury to have. Lewis certainly has room to grow, but he will be a focal point of this offensive line for years to come.

Another LSU Tiger who is active on this offensive line is C Ethan Pocic. Over the offseason, the Seahawks decided not to resign C Justin Britt after he tore his ACL. Pocic — taking over that role — has also done a nice job on the year. He missed a couple of games due to a concussion and his presence was certainly missed.

Over the last month, G Mike Iupati and RT Brandon Shell missed a handful of games. The good news moving forward is that they will be healthy for Wild Card weekend. When all 5 starting offensive linemen are in the lineup, the Seattle Seahawks are undefeated.

"“The Seahawks’ offensive line ranked 16th as a unit in pass-blocking grade this season. That may not appear all that impressive on the surface, but it’s the highest they’ve ranked in that area since Russell Wilson has been in Seattle.”"

In the early portion of the season, when Wilson was cooking, this team looked real DangeRUSS. Now that the defense is humming, if this unit can back to being the dynamic explosive offense, they will be a very hard team to beat.

For the full offensive line rankings, click the link in the above tweet.