CFL Week 17 Offensive Line Rankings: Blue Bombers keep the top spot

• No changes for second straight week: The top nine again remains the same, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers still at No. 1.

• No. 3 Alouettes match up again with No. 9 Redblacks: Montreal's offensive line dominated in last week's outing.

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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Few things are more important to a team’s success than the quality of its offensive line. Disastrous lines, or even disastrous weak-link mismatches, can determine the outcome of games, while strong units give an incredible advantage to an offense.

This CFL season, we will be keeping track of PFF’s offensive line rankings as well as highlighting the biggest weak-link player and their upcoming opponent to identify any obvious matchup advantage one way or the other.

Key:
Red text = weakest link

1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (No Change)

LT Stanley Bryant
LG Geoff Gray
C Chris Kolankowski
RG Patrick Neufeld
RT Jermarcus Hardrick

It was a great week for the Blue Bombers' offensive line. Neufeld (78.7), Hardrick (78.1), Gray (70.7) and Kolankowski (69.8) all earned 69.0-plus run-blocking grades.
The Blue Bombers are dominating the ground game. Since Week 10, their offense ranks first in explosive runs (32) and rushing yards (1,089) and second in average yards before contact (2.7).

Upcoming Week: British Columbia Lions

The Lions' pass rush was somewhat successful in prior matchups with the Blue Bombers this season. In those games, the Lions' defense earned a 69.3 pass-rush grade with 29 total pressures and a 31.9% pressure rate.

2. Toronto Argonauts (No Change)

LT Trevon Tate
LG Ryan Hunter
C Darius Ciraco
RG Peter Nicastro
RT Dejon Allen

All five Argonauts starters finished with 60.0-plus grades in pass protection this week. Hunter (80.1), Nicastro (74.5), Allen (71.3) Ciraco (69.0) and Tate (63.7) combined to allow only eight pressures across 32 snaps.
The Argonauts' running backs were forced to do most of the work in the ground game in Week 17, as the offensive line produced only 0.7 yards before contact on average. And just 11.8% of the team's total rushing yards came before contact, the lowest mark in the CFL this past week.

Upcoming Week: Edmonton Elks

The Argonauts' offensive line stifled the Elk's pass rush in their only other meeting this season. The Elks earned a 61.5 pass-rush grade while generating a poor 16.7% pressure rate.

3. Montreal Alouettes (No Change)

LT Nick Callender
LG Pier-Olivier Lestage
C Justin Lawrence
RG Kristian Matte
RT Jamar McGloster

The Alouette's entire starting offensive line — Callender (84.6), Lestage (75.1), Lawrence (74.7), McGloster (64.8) and Matte (63.1) — graded out well in pass protection after combining to allow only five total pressures this past week.
This group paved the way for 2.8 average yards before contact, the second-best mark in the CFL in Week 17.

Upcoming Week: Ottawa Redblacks

This is a rematch of last week, when the Alouettes' offensive line dominated the Redblacks' pass rush. Ottawa tallied the fewest pressures of any CFL team last week, with only nine and a 21.7% pressure rate.

4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No Change)

LT Jordan Murray
LG Brandon Revenberg
C David Beard
RG Coulter Woodmansey
RT Tyrone Riley

The Tiger-Cats were another East team that enjoyed a solid week in pass protection. Beard (82.8), Murray (74.4), Woodmansey (72.4) and Revenberg (62.8) were the four starters to grade out positively this week.
Revenberg was the CFL's top run blocker in Week 17, earning an 84.6 grade with 25% of his 20 run-blocking snaps turning into positive plays.

Upcoming Week: Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is the first matchup between these two teams in 2023. On the season, the Roughriders' defense has earned a 75.8 overall grade, a 73.2 run-defense grade and a 76.2 pass-rush grade.

5. Edmonton Elks (No Change)

LT Martez Ivey
LG David Foucault
C Mark Korte
RG Tomas Jack-Kurdyla
RT Brett Boyko

Martez Ivey is the unit's top run blocker this season (76.1 run-blocking grade).
In pass protection, Mark Korte paces the group with his 73.6 pass-blocking grade.

Upcoming Week: Toronto Argonauts

The Argonauts have earned a 72.7 pass-rush grade with a 52.6% pass-rush win rate and a 42.1% pressure rate against the Elks this season.

6. British Columbia Lions (No Change)

LT Jarell Broxton
LG David Knevel
C Michael Couture
RG Andrew Peirson
RT Kent Perkins

Jarell Broxton had a solid week in pass protection in Week 17, earning a 72.9 pass-blocking grade.
On the other hand, Knevel struggled mightly en route to a 38.0 pass-blocking grade, allowing five total pressures.

Upcoming Week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Blue Bombers' have posted a 70.8 pass-rush grade and a 37.7% pressure rate against the Lions this season.

7. Saskatchewan Roughriders (No Change)

LT Eric Lofton
LG Philip Blake
C Peter Godber
RG Logan Ferland
RT Brandon Council

It was another week of below-average play from the Roughriders' offensive line. The unit finished with a 65.3 overall grade, a 55.3 run-blocking grade and a 63.5 pass-blocking grade.
Ferland endured a tough week in pass protection, earning a 29.0 pass-blocking grade.

Upcoming Week: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Tiger-Cats' defense boasts an 80.8 overall grade, a 71.7 run-defense grade and a 78.9 pass-rush grade this season.

8. Calgary Stampeders (No Change)

LT D’Antne Demery
LG Zack Williams
C Rodeem Brown
RG Ryan Sceviour
RT Joshua Cooker

Joshua Cooker, who we owe an apology for getting his name wrong in previous articles, has posted a 65.7 overall grade, a 61.9 run-blocking grade and a 65.2 pass-blocking grade this season — the top marks among Stampders offensive linemen with more than 100 snaps this season.
New center Rodeem Brown earned his first CFL start this past week and struggled. For the game, he earned a 51.6 overall grade, a 51.8 run-blocking grade and a 48.7 pass-blocking grade.

Upcoming Week: BYE

9. Ottawa Redblacks (No Change)

LT Dino Boyd
LG Hunter Steward
C Cyrille Hogan-Saindon
RG Jacob Ruby
RT Dontae Bull

It has turned into a season to forget for first-overall pick Dontae Bull. He finished Week 17 with a 27.0 overall grade, a 50.2 run-blocking grade and a 0.0 pass-blocking grade.
Hunter Steward had his best start of the season this past week. He earned a 67.9 overall grade, a 68.4 run-blocking grade and a 71.3 pass-blocking grade.

Upcoming Week: Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes' pass rush got to Ottawa last week, putting up a 74.3 pass-rush grade with a 62.0% pass-rush win rate and a 52.0% pressure rate.