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The Atlanta Falcons took careful, calculated steps in recent years to improve their offensive line play. From adding veteran guards, to signing the league's best center, to drafting a franchise left tackle, to plucking Ryan Schraeder out of undrafted free agent obscurity, the compilation of this offensive line was a process. Finally the team is reaping the fruits of their labor, with an occasional hiccup or two along the way. (To be clear, I'm looking at you, Chris Chester.)
The talented (and frequently drunk) David Walker will have a more in-depth analysis of the offensive line's performance through week 10 for you tomorrow, so do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for that. But I wanted to bring your attention to Pro Football Focus' most recent offensive line rankings. These came out today and the fine folks at PFF believe the Falcons have the 7th best offensive line in the NFL.
7. Atlanta Falcons (79.5)
The Falcons' offense has been high-flying and hard to stop, and much of the credit for that belongs to the line, not just the star players getting all of the stats. RG Chris Chester has been the worst performer on the line, getting victimized by Fletcher Cox this past week in particular, but otherwise the unit has been good, with Alex Mack in particular proving to be a free-agency steal. Mack is currently PFF's No. 3 ranked center, with an 86.5 grade, and is having one of the best seasons of his career. The starting five linemen have missed a combined four snaps over the season, and they were kneel-downs at the end of the Tampa Bay game.
If Tevin Coleman never gets injured and the Falcons beat the Eagles, I'd imagine they'd be ranked even higher. But I'll take a top ten ranking any day. Your thoughts?