Scouting the OL/DL Matchups: Week 5

What’s crackin’, folks! We’ve entered October football and are effectively a quarter of the way through the 2025 regular season with only two undefeated teams: Philadelphia and Buffalo. A few 3-1 squads have firmly established themselves as contenders (Indianapolis, Seattle, Pittsburgh), but no team has looked like a runaway freight train each week.

Week 5 means we’re getting closer to quitting time for the truly struggling teams. New Orleans hasn’t given up despite the 0-4 record, and the Giants have something to play for coming off Jaxson Dart’s first start. However, Tennessee, Carolina, and the Jets are in store for long seasons and should be faded going forward.

As for the trenches, many offensive line units are dipping into their depth early after sustaining injuries to major pieces, particularly at tackle. The Chargers were already without Rashawn Slater and will now miss Joe Alt after he suffered a high ankle sprain. Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Thomas are finally back for the Buccaneers and Giants, respectively, but neither is at full strength yet. Josh Allen was sacked three times (a rarity) after Buffalo played without Spencer Brown last week.

All of that injury talk means that the best units will prove their worth playing with backups for extended periods. Tampa Bay’s OL has held things together despite everyone playing out of position early on, but where will they fit in my first OL tiers update?

Welcome to the best month on the sports calendar. Enjoy Week 5!

WEEK 5 OL/DL MATCHUPS

LV @ IND — COLTS OL vs RAIDERS DL — MATCHUP TO EXPLOIT

I’m fired up about this matchup! It will be a battle of wills, as each unit is strong in the run game (particularly with man scheme runs), and Maxx Crosby against Indianapolis’s tackles excites me. The Colts are coming off their first loss, but they proved they deserved the 3-0 start, and the Raiders lost a heartbreaker at home. This one should be fun.

Las Vegas is significantly better against man runs, and Crosby has played a major part with how disruptive he’s been. However, Jonathan Taylor can do whatever he wants when the Colts run downhill. Indy faced a tough Rams’ defense on the road last week, so Taylor was held to just 76 yards, but I’m expecting a lot of duo and pull plays to get the run game rolling. Quenton Nelson and Bernhard Raimann are arguably the best left side in the NFL, so don’t be surprised if Crosby goes to that side on early downs. Vegas will put up a fight, but Taylor will get his yards on the ground.

Crosby versus Raimann and RT Braden Smith will be a heavyweight fight. Crosby is good with both speed and power and has a relentless motor getting to the quarterback. After Mad Maxx, the edge rush ability falls off for the Raiders, and I’m not expecting much from Las Vegas’s interior rushers. However, watch when Crosby aligns inside on obvious passing downs. Indianapolis should get the W this week, but Las Vegas’s defense won’t be a pushover.

NE @ BUF — BILLS OL vs PATRIOTS DL — MATCHUP TO EXPLOIT

New England looked like a new team last week, beating Carolina 42-13, and Buffalo is in the weird spot of having double-digit wins that are unsatisfying to its fan base. The Patriots were in control after Carolina’s opening drive, but the defense allowed 129 yards on the ground, despite the Panthers not getting beyond the New England 35 until their final drive. This is shaping up to be a tough divisional matchup where the Bills will favor James Cook and Josh Allen in primetime.

Cook is second in the league with 401 rushing yards through four weeks. There’s been a noticeable effort to feature him over Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, and Buffalo’s offensive line has made things happen for Cook, especially with zone runs. Missing RT Spencer Brown was a bigger factor in protection than in the run game last week, but New England’s front is better against the run than New Orleans. The Patriots have been stiff against lateral runs through four games, and head coach Mike Vrabel should have the front ready to go. Like Taylor and Indianapolis, I’d ride Cook and the Bills’ OL until they’re stopped.

Back to missing Spencer Brown. Allen was sacked three times last week, bringing his season total to seven. Buffalo allowed a league-best 14 last season, but this unit was in a pretzel without Brown once New Orleans shifted to zone coverage. Backup Ryan Van Demark and RG O’Cyrus Torrence struggled without Brown and accounted for two of the three sacks. New England’s pass rush doesn’t have the same firepower as the Saints (more on them later), but Buffalo’s OL will need to tighten things up after a somewhat embarrassing performance.

TLDR: James Cook is quickly earning his new contract as Buffalo’s featured RB, and I’m expecting another impressive showing this week, but he gets a stiff test from New England’s tough zone run defense. Buffalo’s protection missed RT Spencer Brown last week. Look for the Patriots to go after Ryan Van Demark if he gets the call again. The Bills win a close one against a rising divisional opponent.

HOU @ BAL — TEXANS OL vs RAVENS DL — SPLIT MATCHUP

A Week 5 matchup of division winners from a season ago sounded great on paper, but Baltimore and Houston have stumbled to 1-3 starts. The Ravens don’t look like themselves on both sides of the ball, and the Texans have been a worse version of last year’s squad, which had an elite defense and a middling offense. I was early to point out Houston’s offensive line issues last season, and they’ve carried over to 2025. Baltimore is weakened on defense, but it should handle the worst OL in the NFL.

Houston’s OL went through a massive overhaul last offseason, and it feels like the team is still trying to find the right combination. This unit has been below average in the run game so far, and has lacked an identity blocking for Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks. Missing Joe Mixon has hurt, but I don’t think he’s good enough to overcome this unit’s struggles. In theory, Houston should have a get-right opportunity on the ground, as the Ravens have been awful against zone runs and will be without Nnamdi Madubuike and Roquan Smith. However, counting out Baltimore, especially at home, wouldn't be smart. I’m begrudgingly giving the slight edge to Houston on the ground, more because they’re healthier than the Ravens.

I’m still giving the pass rush edge to Baltimore. Every year, it seems like the Ravens have a bevvy of edge rushers they can rotate through, and the youth movement highlighted by second-round pick Mike Green should cause a bunch of problems for Houston’s protection. Rookie LT Aireontae Ersery has been shaky against power rushes and twists, and Tytus Howard moved back to RT after spending time at guard this preseason. Howard was the unit’s weak link last season and hasn’t been much better in 2025. The interior has been better, but it got taken to the woodshed by Jeffery Simmons last week. Houston’s protection philosophy is flat-out bad, as most of the RBs and TEs also struggle in this area. I have faith in Baltimore’s defense, especially at home, but bigger questions will be asked if the Ravens can’t pull this one out.

TLDR: Houston has the worst OL in the NFL, but injuries to key guys have hammered Baltimore’s defensive front. The Ravens have shockingly been terrible against the run, so I’m leaning to the Texans here despite them not having an identity on the ground. Houston’s protection has been an issue since the start of last season, and that likely won’t change this week. Houston could figure things out on the ground, but don’t expect a big day from C.J. Stroud.

NYG @ NO — GIANTS OL vs SAINTS DL — MATCHUP TO WATCH

Adding Jaxson Dart to the equation makes this matchup spicy. New Orleans’ defense rebounded from Week 3 and proved it can be a headache for any offense against Buffalo. The unit returns home to oppose Dart in his second career start. New York allowed five sacks in Dart’s debut against an aggressive Chargers’ pass rush, and it gets a similar test this week. Neither team is going anywhere, but the OL’s performance this week will let us know how viable Dart will be the rest of the way.

The Giants' rushing attack has been average so far in 2025, favoring man/gap concepts with rookie Cam Skattebo as the featured back. His toughness and contact balance from college have translated to the NFL, and he’ll need to be best friends with his rookie quarterback. Dart’s running ability adds another wrinkle to New York’s offense, and Andrew Thomas’ return gives this unit an extra ounce of grit. Look for the Giants to favor downhill runs against a New Orleans front that gave up 117 yards to James Cook.

I like the Giants’ OL on the ground, but New Orleans has the pass rush edge at home. Last week's film showed typical rookie issues for Dart, as there were multiple communication mistakes diagnosing blitzes and instances where he held the ball too long. He also has a problem with RT Jermaine Eluemunor. The veteran showed little anchor against power rushes from the Chargers and was the weak link on a unit that allowed 15 pressures. New Orleans has a dangerous EDGE duo with Cam Jordan and Carl Ganderson, and can generate interior pressure with Bryan Bresee. This isn’t a unit to take lightly, so expect Dart to be under siege again in Week 5.

TLDR: The Giants have new life with Jaxson Dart, and should control the ground game behind Cam Skattebo and the recently returned Andrew Thomas. However, New Orleans will get after the rookie quarterback and should target New York’s RT. This should be an entertaining matchup.

UPDATED OL TIERS