NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 16: Building the NFC 2024 Pro Bowl Games roster on offense

One of San Francisco’s two MVP candidates this season, Brock Purdy has impressed in his first full season as the starter in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Coming off the elbow injury that ultimately ended last season’s playoff run a game shy of the Super Bowl, the second-year pro leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (9.9) and passer rating (119.0) while leading the 49ers (11-3) to the NFC’s best record and their second straight division title. He looks extremely comfortable running the offense in 2023, throwing with great anticipation and making big-time throws consistently. Although Dak Prescott is also in the MVP conversation, his 2023 campaign has been more of a roller coaster, with the Cowboys going 7-0 at home but just 3-4 on the road. He’s still having one of his best seasons to date, with 28 TD passes against just seven INTs while leading the Cowboys to double-digit wins for the fourth time in his career. Matthew Stafford has been on fire since Week 12, helping the Rams make a late-season playoff push. In that span, the former Super Bowl champion leads the NFL with 12 pass TDs and ranks fifth in pass yards (1,060) and second in passer rating (112.6) among 34 quarterbacks with at least 50 pass attempts. This veteran still has a lot left in the tank.

Christian McCaffrey is truly in a league of his own when it comes to the running back position in 2023. He’s the only RB with more than 1,000 rush yards (he has 1,292) through the season’s first 15 weeks. On top of that, he has over 500 receiving yards and is tied for the NFL lead with 20 total touchdowns. With three games remaining, McCaffrey has already joined HOFers LaDainian Tomlinson and Emmitt Smith as the only players in NFL history with four-plus seasons of 1,800-plus scrimmage yards and 13-plus scrimmage TDs. It’s no wonder he’s in the MVP conversation. Kyren Williams has skyrocketed up the running back ranks, thanks to a dominant run in the second half of the season. Over his last four games, in which the Rams went 3-1 to become a threat in the playoff race, Williams has averaged 124.3 rush yards while tallying four total touchdowns. He currently has the third-most scrimmage yards per game (114.5) league-wide, behind only McCaffrey and Miami’s Tyreek Hill. The Lions boast the league’s second-ranked rushing attack, spearheaded by veteran David Montgomery, whose physicality routinely wears down opposing defenses. The veteran leads the team in both rush yards (855) and rush TDs (10). Could he earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl? In my mind, he has!

Some might say my pick of Kyle Juszczyk here is the easy answer — and he is. But that just shows his dominance. The Niners veteran has played more offensive snaps (414) than any other player at the position this season, with the next closest being Patrick Ricard (my AFC selection), who is behind him by more than 40 snaps. Juszczyk excels as a run blocker and plays a major role in protecting Brock Purdy in the pass game.

Despite the Eagles hitting a recent three-game skid, A.J. Brown is still one of the best at the receiver position. He ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (1,314) thanks to his elite hands and what he’s able to do after the catch. Through 15 weeks, he ranks second in yards after the catch over expected (189) behind only Deebo Samuel, per Next Gen Stats. CeeDee Lamb came to play in Year 4. In 2022, he registered 107 receptions, 1,359 receiving yards and nine TDs, and he is on the heels of breaking those single-season marks with three games left on the schedule. He has been everything for a Dallas offense that ranks second in scoring and sixth in total offensive yards. DJ Moore has lived up to the expectations of Bears fans in his first year in Chicago. With 1,123 receiving yards (eighth-most in the NFL) and seven touchdowns, he’s made sweet music with Justin Fields ever since the QB returned from his thumb injury in Week 11. In that span, Moore has averaged 82.5 receiving yards with three total touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the center of Detroit’s passing attack, opening the field for Sam LaPorta, Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams. St. Brown leads the Lions with 94 receptions and 1,175 receiving yards (fifth-most in the NFL); he also has seven TDs. He’s having his best season to date, and it could earn him his second trip to the Pro Bowl Games. 

Y’all know how much I love George Kittle. What he brings to the run game cannot be overstated, but he also leads all tight ends with 15.7 yards per reception this season while ranking third at the position in receiving yards (865) and tying for second in receiving TDs (six). The last spot was a toss-up between two of Kittle’s fellow Iowa products, Sam LaPorta and T.J. Hockenson. Ultimately, I went with the rookie, because he is leading all players at the position with nine receiving touchdowns and has set multiple Lions franchise records along the way.

Penei Sewell has been exceptional this season for a Detroit offense that ranks in the top five in scoring and yards. Sewell, a one-time Pro Bowler, owns Pro Football Focus’ highest run-blocking grade (93.4) and overall grade (91.3) among tackles this season, and he’s allowed just sack in 533 pass-blocking sneaps in 2023. It’s no surprise that Trent Williams makes this list once again. Although he missed two games in October, the 10-time Pro Bowler hasn’t allowed a single sack on 360 pass-blocking snaps in 2023, per PFF. It feels like this guy has been around forever, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Though Jordan Mailata’s production has dipped in recent weeks, coinciding with the Eagles’ losses, he has been a steady contributor up front for Philly. He has PFF’s fifth-highest grade (81.9) among tackles and is the best player in one of the top O-lines league-wide. 

Chris Lindstrom’s elite play has been a bright spot for a Falcons offense that has been anything but consistent this season. The fifth-year pro is PFF’s top-graded overall guard (88.6) and boasts the top run-blocking grade (89.8) at the position this season. He struggled a bit early on, but since Week 3, Lindstrom has allowed just one sack. He was sorely missed in last week’s critical loss to Carolina. Kevin Dotson has exceled as a run-blocker for the Rams, earning PFF’s fifth-highest run-blocking grade (83.8) among guards and paving the way for Kyren Williams’ breakout campaign. Graham Glasgow has spent time at all three interior positions for the Lions this season, showing his versatility. Though he is much better in the run game, Glasgow has allowed just two sacks on 476 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF.

Among centers with at least 750 offensive snaps this season, Frank Ragnow is the highest-graded by PFF, thanks to his stellar run-blocking ability. He has helped spark a Lions rushing attack — led by David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs — that is averaging 140.9 rush yards per game, second-most league-wide. Old trusty Jason Kelce is back in this space, to no one’s surprise. Despite getting dinged with a few penalties of late, the six-time Pro Bowler is allowing pressure on 1.6% of pass plays this season, the lowest rate of his 13-year career, per PFF.