- The Commanders dominate the Giants: A career-best day for Javon Kinlaw and contributions from Eddie Goldman propelled the team's Week 1 victory.
- The Steelers fell short of the mark: PFF's preseason No. 1 defensive line allowed the Jets to average 4.7 yards per carry.
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool. Get 25% off your PFF+ annual subscription with code PFFFANTASYPODCAST25.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
The defensive line is the heart of any successful defense, tasked with both disrupting the opposing quarterback with a pass rush and shutting down rushing attacks at the line of scrimmage.
Elite defensive lines can change the course of a game by applying pressure, forcing hurried throws and creating turnovers while also stifling run plays to control the tempo.
This season, we will monitor NFL defensive line play all season long. Unlike our offensive line rankings, which in some cases consider previous-season rankings, these rankings will be based purely on 2025 play.
While the Pittsburgh Steelers were our top defensive line heading into the season, they struggled to get consistent pressure on QB Justin Fields in the season opener, which means they come in at No. 21 ahead of Week 2. Expect these rankings to drastically change over the first few weeks of the season and stabilize as we enter October.
Here are the highlights for the top defensive lines in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Season and Week 1 Highlights
Best Defensive Line: Washington Commanders
A revamped Commanders defensive line took advantage of a porous Giants offensive line, as four players earned PFF grades over 71.4 and seven of the eight players secured PFF grades over 61.2. Washington was led by Javon Kinlaw — whose 89.7 overall PFF grade is easily a career high — while Eddie Goldman also dominated the line of scrimmage with an 84.0 overall grade. While it was the run defense that dominated the day for the Commanders, their pass rush arsenal wreaked havoc on QB Russell Wilson all game long.
Best Pass-Rush Unit: Houston Texans
The two-headed monster that is Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter caused the Rams’ offensive tackles problems all game long. Anderson posted an astounding 40.0% pass-rush win rate, while Hunter was excellent at 30.8%. Add into the mix Sheldon Rankins’ excellent game, and the trio combined for 12 pressures, three hits and a sack. If it weren’t for the heroics of Matthew Stafford, this unit could have led the Texans to an opening-weekend victory.
Best Run-Defense Unit: Washington Commanders
Just like in overall grading, Kinlaw and Goldman paved the way for the Commanders in stuffing the run. Kinlaw’s 87.6 PFF run-defense grade was the best in his career, while Goldman’s 79.9 mark is what the Bears expected of the big nose tackle when they drafted him in 2015. Newly signed Von Miller contributed in the run game as well with a 69.9 PFF run-defense grade.
Most Pressures: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings tallied a whopping 26 pressures on Caleb Williams on Monday Night Football, with Javon Hargrave (8), Jonathan Greenard (7), and Jonathan Allen (6) leading the way. The Vikings’ defense is going to be ride-or-die, just like in previous years under Brian Flores, and that was on full display against the Bears.
Most Run Stops: Dallas Cowboys
Despite losing Micah Parsons, the Cowboys’ defensive line made plays against the dominant Eagles offensive line. Their 12 run stops led the league, as the wealth was spread among five different players, each accumulating two run stops. Osa Odighizuwa’s 74.1 and Marshawn Kneeland’s 73.1 respective PFF run-defense grades were the tops on the unit.
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