NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 15: Building the AFC Pro Bowl Games roster on offense

All three of these quarterbacks are in the MVP conversation, with each making incredible plays every single time they take the field. Take Week 14, for example. Like we’ve come to expect, Mahomes improvised out of the pocket to make an unexpected, underhand toss to Jerick McKinnon for a 56-yard score. Allen continued to make jaw-dropping plays with his legs. Burrow dialed up accurate throws for days, including on this 15-yard, thread-the-needle TD pass to Ja’Marr Chase. Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP and four-time Pro Bowler, has shown the football world that the Chiefs can still be the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense even after trading away one of the league’s top wideouts. Allen has improved in each of his five seasons, solidifying himself as an elite playmaker at the position, and he has the Bills knocking on the Super Bowl door. Burrow’s pin-point accuracy, moxie and leadership have transformed the Bengals’ offense into one of the most feared units in the NFL, as long as he’s protected.

There are several other AFC passers deserving of spots in this year’s Pro Bowl Games, but these three are consistently playing at a high level and have their teams well-positioned in the AFC playoff picture with at least nine wins apiece. Mahomes, Allen and Burrow are special. You won’t want to miss watching them duke it out in January in the high-stakes realm of playoff football.

The AFC is home to a host of elite running backs, with this group holding the top three spots in the league’s rushing ranks. It starts with Jacobs, who’s having his best campaign to date, and in a contract year, to boot. The Raiders’ fourth-year running back leads the NFL with 1,402 rush yards — that translates to 107.8 rush yards per game — while hitting pay dirt 11 times as a major piece of Josh McDaniels’ offense. Henry is coming off his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season, but it followed a month-long lull in production — something we’re not used to seeing from the star back. Despite a very up-and-down season, Henry has already totaled just shy of 1,200 rush yards with four games to play. One of the most consistent rushers of the last few seasons, Chubb has been a major reason why the Browns have been competitive despite the shuffling at the quarterback position. This is Chubb’s fourth straight season logging 1,000 rush yards and his fifth averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry and tallying at least eight rush TDs. Ahead of Week 15, Chubb ranks second in the NFL in rush TDs with 12, second to goal-line specialist Jamaal Williams.

It’s no surprise that the three-time Pro Bowler has played a big role in the Ravens’ rushing attack, which is tied for second-best in the NFL with 162.2 rush yards per contest this season. He has once again played the most offensive snaps (535) of any fullback this season, boasts the highest Pro Football Focus grade among fullbacks and is the only FB with a run-blocking grade of 80 or higher (82.9).

The Dolphins boast arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL with Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who just missed the fourth and final WR spot here. Hill has the second-most receiving yards league-wide with 1,460 and has played a huge role in the Dolphins’ offensive success. He’s a reliable field-stretcher for Tua Tagovailoa and opens up the field for the rest of the unit. The ultimate playmaker with the ball in his hands, Hill became the first player in the Super Bowl era to score a 50-yard touchdown five different ways — rushing, receiving, kick return, punt return and fumble recovery, which occurred in Sunday night’s loss — per NFL Research. Adams has been exceptional in his first year with the Raiders; it’s been so much fun watching him and my brother, Derek, make sweet music again. That chemistry has helped Adams record a league-leading 12 TD passes and 1,247 receiving yards (third-most in the NFL). On the Bills’ No. 2-ranked offense, Diggs is the top playmaker outside of Josh Allen. He’s as reliable as they come and never shies away from big moments, collecting 1,239 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs in 2022. Chase is as good as anyone in the league, especially when paired with his former LSU teammate Joe Burrow, with 2,276 receiving yards and 20 receiving TDs in 26 career games. He’s missed some time this season due to a hip injury, but when he’s on the field, Chase is the X-factor that takes the Bengals’ offense to another level. 

The apple of Patrick Mahomes‘ eye, Kelce remains the best player at the position in 2022. With 71 yards in the Chiefs’ latest win, Kelce has now recorded seven straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards and 10,000 for his career, becoming the fifth tight end in NFL history to reach that latter milestone. While it’s been a down year for tight ends all around, Kelce’s production hasn’t skipped a beat. Andrews and the Ravens’ offense are atypically sleepy this season, with the veteran tight end logging just two 100-yard receiving games so far. Despite the struggles through the air, Andrews’ presence in the run game has allowed Baltimore to average 162.2 rush yards per game in 2022.

A majority of the league’s top offensive tackles reside in the NFC, but Tunsil, Miller and Armstead have put together solid campaigns for their respective teams. Tunsil is a premier pass blocker — with PFF’s highest pass-blocking grade (91.6) among tackles — after allowing just 10 pressures, including one sack, across 480 pass-blocking snaps. Miller is the highest-graded tackle in the conference as a balanced player who thrives in run- and pass-blocking. Armstead has provided the Dolphins’ offense line with a boost in his first season in South Beach, allowing just one sack across 352 pass-blocking snaps. 

Bitonio continues to be the standard when it comes to guard play. PFF’s No. 2-graded guard league-wide thrives in the run game, paving the way for Nick Chubb and the Browns’ fifth-ranked rushing attack. He’s also allowed just one sack across 489 pass-blocking snaps this season. Onwenu makes my list for the second year in a row, but this time as a guard. He owns the fourth-highest PFF grade (80.0) and third-highest pass-blocking grade (83.6) among guards this season. This third spot was a true toss-up between Chiefs duo Trey Smith and Joe Thuney. Smith has a slightly higher PFF grade and routinely makes jaw-dropping plays like this for Andy Reid’s unit. What a play!

Humphrey has been a reliable anchor for the Chiefs’ offensive line since he was drafted in 2021. He boasts the highest PFF run-blocking grade (90.0) and second-highest overall grade (88.2) among centers this season. He hasn’t allowed a single sack in 388 pass-blocking snaps this season — add him to the long list of teammates for whom Patrick Mahomes is thankful this holiday season. When the Chargers’ offense is healthy, it is one of the best passing units league-wide, and Linsley has a lot to do with that. The second-year Charger is the best pass-blocking center in the NFL, according to PFF (89.3 grade).