The Denver Broncos have made significant changes to their offensive line under the leadership of coach Sean Payton, securing long-term contracts for four key players: right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left tackle Garett Bolles, guard Quinn Meinerz, and center Luke Wattenberg. These strategic investments have paid off, as the Broncos currently rank among the best in the league, allowing the second-fewest sacks.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in a tough spot. Their junior quarterback Aidan Smith has been under constant duress, getting swallowed 25 times in the last four contests. Greg Olson now finds himself as the interim offensive coordinator. Despite this adjustment, the Raiders are still struggling with their offensive line’s up and down play.
The schedule that lies ahead is a daunting one for the Raiders. They need to prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and Broncos in rapid succession. These matchups will be crucial for determining whether Olson can turn around an offense that has shown flashes of promise but ultimately remains hampered by its line’s performance.
Olson joined the Raiders in the wake of their humiliating loss to the Cleveland Browns. That loss ultimately resulted in the firing of former coach Chip Kelly. With Olson’s steady leadership, the offense displayed great composure on its biggest possession of the game. Orchestrating an efficient 9-play, 82-yard drive, Daniels found an open tight end Brock Bowers in the endzone to tie the game.
“It’s not fun. We come here to win games, obviously, and it hasn’t been the case.” – Bowers
Regardless of that short-lived moment of success, Olson is in for a hard fight moving forward. One of the major reasons for the Raiders’ offensive malaise is their inability to develop a reliable rushing attack. Ashton Jeanty had a quiet day with 15 carries for 31 yards, or 2.1 YPC.
Olson’s most recent tenure also came as quarterbacks coach under Pete Carroll in what turned out to be Carroll’s last season with the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll lauded Olson for his extensive knowledge of offensive philosophies. The Ducks’ architect of the resurgence on his side of the ball, Lanning believes Olson has a keen eye for what’s needed to make it work.
“Offensively, to have an expectation that we’re gonna flip-flop and all of the sudden be ripping, which we would have liked to have seen that, but that didn’t happen.” – Pete Carroll
The Broncos and Raiders story starkly illustrates the advantages of hitting big on a great offensive line. The Broncos’ commitment to securing their key linemen has enabled them to solidify their protection for quarterback Russell Wilson and create opportunities for their running game. In comparison, the Raiders’ struggles highlight how critical a robust offensive front is to a team’s overall success.
Along with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears are a team that has been rewarded for being able to put significant investments into their trenches. Now with a NFL best record of 9-3, they have the NFC’s No. Those are eye-popping numbers that have them first in the NFL in pass block win rate (72.8 percent) and fourth in run block win rate (73.6 percent). Just before the start of the 2025 season, the Bears made a move that strengthened their offensive line. They supplemented their young talent by signing automatic contact creator Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman.
“Just maybe a better sequence of running plays to set up other plays during the game, but it still came down to executing at the end of the day.” – Ashton Jeanty
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