Top 5 NFL offensive lines of Week 16 – Holiday edition: AFC-NFC surprises, and the gift that keeps on giving

From the Ravens and Patriots to the Eagles and Cardinals, here were the top 5 offensive line performances for a wild NFL Week 16.

Twas the days before Christmas, when all through the NFL, Week 16 was pretty entertaining, even that from bowler Le’Veon Bell.

The divisions clashed, with playoff hopes dancing in their head, a few tickets were punched, while Cleveland is mathematically dead.

The NFC East is still hard to explain, Philly’s kind of soaring and Dallas needs a plane. And the NFC South with its Thomas and Brees, Jamies was busy gifting, I wondered what coverage he actually sees.

When all of a sudden, there rose such a clatter, the Chargers were booed and hey Seattle, what’s the matter. And who’s that, over there, with the coach who’s not very chatty?

Why that’s just an AFC East powerhouse, once famously on to Cincinnati.

So happy holidays to all and enough with these rhymes, from down in the trenches of Week 16, let’s check out my favorite lines.

5. New York Giants

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not a ton of feel-good breakdowns for this Giants team, but the youthful surge on Sunday had to make the fan base and organization breathe a tiny sigh of Rolaids-infused air.

Daniel Jones was lights out (on?), tying a rookie QB record with five touchdown passes. (He partied with Eli afterward, which is special in its own right.) Saquon Barkley’s day? Wow. Wow. Wow! Just your not-so-typical 22 carries for 189 yards and one touchdown. And speaking of keeping an eye edge rushers, the Giants’ offensive line put together one of the better efforts I’ve seen from them (the line is still an issue for the team, but still,  impressive on this day).

True, the Redskins’ defense isn’t a tormenting force, ranked 11th against the pass, 29th against the run. But there weren’t many moments where it seemed like the run block was being pushed backward, and they handled the Redskins’ blitz, too. The substantial protection gave Jones time to make his reads, including during the final onslaught, with a strong pick-up as the game-winning touchdown unfolded.

 

John Halapio, Will Hernandez, Kevin Zeitler, Nate Solder, and Mike Remmers: Overall, it was a job well done. Next up…yep: Blocking Chase Young.