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UPGRADES

Pittsburgh up 11 slots

This upgrade is based upon the certain return of talented center Maurkice Pouncey to the starting lineup. Pouncey should be well-rested and ready to go this weekend against Arizona after a two-game suspension he incurred for his role in the Myles Garrett fight. In an interview on the Steelers' official site, Pouncey pointed out his replacement B.J. Finney "made himself money." Finney is due to be a free agent in the offseason and should cash in on the open market. Still, Pouncey is a far superior player and his return boosts this offensive line's grade into the elite top-5 region of the rankings.

New Orleans up 8 slots

This is a projection, based on the news left tackle Terron Armstead returned to practice in a limited fashion prior to the big game against San Francisco. It's hard to gauge if Armstead's ankle has healed enough, but the magnitude of this contest could force natural guard Patrick Omameh back to the bench against the dominant 49ers' defensive front seven. While left guard Andrus Peat is still several weeks out from his forearm injury, Nick Easton has been fine inside. Assuming a player will "tough it out" can be a risky venture, but assuming Armstead plays, the Saints' offensive line would regain the blue-chip grade they've held for most of the season: "A-double-plus" in the rankings.

Green Bay up 4 slots

Speaking of players toughing out their injuries, right tackle Bryan Bulaga's knee sprain appeared serious prior to the game in New York last week. Bulaga was questionable and not expected to play by these rankings. Bulaga not only did his job, he looked downright nimble at times blocking in space. A warrior's effort from Bulaga leads Green Bay's offensive line into the top-tier of the grades.

San Francisco up 12 slots

Another projection, as left tackle Joe Staley rejoined practice this week prior to the NFC clash at New Orleans. Staley had missed several games earlier in the season with a broken leg, and then a few games more with a severely dislocated finger. Both injuries required surgery but Staley should be an upgrade over Daniel Brunskill in the lineup. While the offense has performed at a high level all season, having a healthy Staley could open the playbook even more for the coaching staff. Assuming their veteran left tackle is ready to go, this line carries borderline top-tier grade in the latest rankings.

LA Rams up 16 slots

After missing several games with a knee injury, right tackle Rob Havenstein practiced in a limited fashion. While replacement Bobby Evans has been excellent, having Havenstein available against Jadeveon Clowney and the Seattle defensive front seven is good news. Sunday Night Football is a crucial game for the Rams' playoff chances and this line is a mid-tier group in the latest grades.

Buffalo up 14 slots

Center Mitch Morse played well despite being questionable hand injury Week 13 against Dallas. This upgrade reflects an incorrect prediction he wouldn't play. At this point in the season, predicting who will go and who won't can be a dice roll. We do know right tackle Ty Nsekhe is still week-to-week with an ankle sprain. Rookie Cody Ford from Oklahoma continues to do a great job in replacement. This Bills' offensive line carries a mid-tier grade in the latest rankings.

LA Chargers up 8 slots

Left tackle Russell Okung and right tackle Sam Tevi, both questionable, returned to the lineup for the close loss at Denver. Without both starting tackles, this offense had to turn to players such as Trent Scott and Trey Pipkins in recent weeks. While Okung and Tevi were rusty after multi-week rehabs, they both grew in confidence as the game continued. This Chargers' offensive line still misses Mike Pouncey at center, but they can be decent as long as Okung and Tevi remain upright.

Minnesota up 5 slots

A revolving door situation in Minnesota, as right guard Josh Kline returned from the concussion protocol last week and played 100% of snaps during last week's close loss against Seattle. Meanwhile, left tackle Riley Reiff is questionable this week, in the concussion protocol. For whatever reason, perhaps it's the clear cold air, these Vikings' players are recovering quickly from their head injuries. Therefore Reiff remains in the model. Should he not be able to go, Rashod Hill is among the league's more experienced swing tackles. Either way, this line still grades in low-tier of the rankings.

DOWNGRADES

Dallas down 2 slots

Left guard Connor Williams suffered a torn ACL last week and was placed on injured reserve, targetting a 2020 return. As he has done many times this season, Xavier S'ua-Filo replaced Williams and played over half the offensive snaps in the loss against Buffalo. Zack Martin and La'el Collins are regulars on the injury report but continue to play through their ailments. This is still a great line on paper but they have not had good luck with cohesion this season. One could imagine a better coaching staff getting more out of this group, even considering the injuries.

Atlanta down 3 slots

Last week quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked 9 times on Thanksgiving Night at New Orleans. The line was affected by the loss of James Carpenter, who did not practice this Wednesday and is questionable this week with a concussion. Wes Schweitzer got the start for Jamon Brown at right guard to start the contest, but Carpenter's injury forced Brown to re-entered the game. Despite the downgrade, and the 9 sack performance which makes them tough to defend, this line is underrated. They can be decent if they sort out the guard situation. This group carries a mid-tier grade in the context of all 32 lines.

Jacksonville down 6 slots

This is a small cohesion downgrade due to excessive penalties. Center Brandon Linder and Right tackle Jawaan Taylor lead the league with 7 each. Every team, even the great players get their share of penalties, but this is too much. In related news, Linder is questionable with an ankle injury, but he is expected to play through it. The Jaguars' line carries a mid-tier grade.

Cleveland down 7 slots

This is a downgrade due to general injury uncertainty. Four out of the five starters are on the injury report going into this week's game against Cincinnati. Center J.C. Tretter did not practice with a knee injury and right tackle Chris Hubbard also has a knee situation of his own. Wyatt Teller and Greg Robinson are also listed as questionable. The model has all these players gutting it out but anytime Dr. Jene Bremel uses the "awaiting information" phrase on his mid-week injury report four times for one offensive line, it has to bring some pause.

Denver down 2 slots

Right guard Ron Leary was forced last week's game against Los Angeles with a concussion. Austin Schlottmann replaced Leary during the game and is projected to do it again at Houston this week. JaWuan James was seen warming up Von Miller prior to last week in a left tackle stance. Rumors are swirling James could replace the struggling Garett Bolles sooner rather than later. Bolles remains in the lineup (and James out of it) for now, but the team gave James a huge contract this offseason and at some point, he will have to prove he's worth it.

New England down 10 slots

James Ferentz becomes the third starting center of the season for New England, as Ted Karras left the Houston game with what appears to be a multi-week injury. Ferentz is a smart but undersized player and will be targeted this week by an aggressive Kansas City defensive front seven. This team has an excellent win-loss record but the offensive line has been in the low-tier of the rankings almost all season due to injury.

Tampa Bay down 3 slots

Right guard Alex Cappa left last week's game at Jacksonville with an elbow injury. Earl Watford replaced him and played 53% of offensive snaps in a run-heavy display. Watford is a steady vet but the team will miss the physical upside offered by Cappa. Their grade remains in the low-tier.

NY Jets down 9 slots

Four of the five starters were flagged for penalties last week against Cincinnati. Only left guard Alex Lewis came away clean from a messy effort, 7 total penalties, which hamstrung any chance for the offense. Like the cohesion downgrade for Jacksonville, it's not clear if this lack of professionalism can improve by end of the season.

OTHER NEWS

• CHI - RT Bobby Massie is still out with an ankle injury. Cornelius Lucas will continue to start.
• OAK - RT Trent Brown sat out practice this week with a pectoral injury. Brown has been on the injury report almost every week, with several different injuries, but he's missed very few snaps this season.
• SEA - LG Mike Iupati was limited in practice with a neck injury but is likely to play against Los Angeles.
• WAS - RT Morgan Moses missed last week with a back ailment, RG Brandon Scherff sat out of practice with a shoulder injury, but both are likely to play this week at Green Bay.

FULL RANKINGS

If you have a question about a player, team or matchup not specifically talked about in this article, please feel free to contact the author via Twitter.

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