- Steelers defensive line dominates the Browns: The Steelers’ pass-rush trio of Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt overwhelmed the Browns’ offensive line and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel throughout the game. With Cleveland frequently leaving its tackles on islands, Watt posted his best outing of the season, earning an 87.1 overall grade. Highsmith made a strong return to action with an 84.6, but it was Herbig who stole the show with his 94.8 grade, the highest of any defensive player in the NFL for the week.
- The Broncos continue to pace the league in total pressures: Nik Bonitto leads the way with 25 pressures and also tops the NFL with eight sacks. Jonathan Cooper and Zach Allen aren’t far behind, with 21 and 20 pressures, respectively.
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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 closely monitor NFL defensive line play throughout the season. Unlike our offensive line rankings, which in some cases consider previous-season rankings, these rankings will be based purely on 2025 play.
Here are the highlights for the top defensive lines after Week 6 of the 2025 season.
| Rank | Last Week | Team | PFF Grade | Top-graded player | Move |
| 1 | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 90 | Myles Garrett | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Los Angeles Rams | 86.5 | Jared Verse | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | Houston Texans | 84.9 | Will Anderson Jr. | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | Detroit Lions | 80.9 | Aidan Hutchinson | 0 |
| 5 | 5 | Green Bay Packers | 80.5 | Micah Parsons | 0 |
| 6 | 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 77.8 | Nick Herbig | +5 |
| 7 | 6 | New York Giants | 76.8 | Brian Burns | -1 |
| 8 | 7 | Seattle Seahawks | 74.8 | Leonard Williams | -1 |
| 9 | 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | 73.5 | Joshua Uche | -1 |
| 10 | 10 | Washington Commanders | 72.9 | Dorance Armstrong | 0 |
| 11 | 9 | Buffalo Bills | 72.6 | Joey Bosa | -2 |
| 12 | 12 | Indianapolis Colts | 70.9 | Laiatu Latu | 0 |
| 13 | 13 | Carolina Panthers | 69.4 | Derrick Brown | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | Denver Broncos | 69.3 | Nik Bonitto | 0 |
| 15 | 16 | Tennessee Titans | 66.6 | Jeffery Simmons | +1 |
| 16 | 20 | Atlanta Falcons | 65.9 | David Onyemata | +4 |
| 17 | 17 | Minnesota Vikings | 65.7 | Jalen Redmond | 0 |
| 18 | 15 | Los Angeles Chargers | 65.6 | Teair Tart | -3 |
| 19 | 19 | New York Jets | 65.4 | Jowon Briggs | 0 |
| 20 | 18 | New England Patriots | 65.2 | Harold Landry III | -2 |
| 21 | 21 | Las Vegas Raiders | 64.4 | Maxx Crosby | 0 |
| 22 | 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 62.1 | Josh Hines-Allen | +1 |
| 23 | 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 61.6 | Bryce Huff | +2 |
| 24 | 24 | Arizona Cardinals | 60.1 | Josh Sweat | 0 |
| 25 | 28 | New Orleans Saints | 59.6 | Chris Rumph II | +3 |
| 26 | 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 59 | Vita Vea | 0 |
| 27 | 22 | Dallas Cowboys | 58.6 | Dante Fowler Jr. | -5 |
| 28 | 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | 57.8 | Trey Hendrickson | -1 |
| 29 | 30 | Chicago Bears | 57.3 | Montez Sweat | +1 |
| 30 | 29 | Baltimore Ravens | 56.4 | Nnamdi Madubuike | -1 |
| 31 | 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | 50.3 | George Karlaftis | 0 |
| 32 | 32 | Miami Dolphins | 46.3 | Jaelan Phillips | 0 |
Week 6 Highlights
Best defensive line overall, best pass-rush unit: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers’ pass-rush trio of Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt overwhelmed the Browns’ offensive line and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel throughout the game. With Cleveland frequently leaving its tackles on islands, Watt posted his best outing of the season, earning an 87.1 overall grade. Highsmith made a strong return to action with an 84.6, but it was Herbig who stole the show with his 94.8 grade, the highest of any defensive player in the NFL for the week.
Watt’s performance stood out not only for its production but for its efficiency. He posted a 26.3% pass-rush win rate, his highest since Week 18 of 2023 and his first game over 20% since Week 4 of 2024. He did most of his damage against Jack Conklin, recording a 35% win rate on 23 matchups, which included five pressures and two sacks.
Best run-defense unit: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins' defensive line was dominant in Week 6, earning the lowest downgrade rate of any unit and posting an average depth of tackle of just 0.78 yards, third-best across the league. Zach Sieler led the group in snaps and posted a 76.6 run-defense grade, as four Dolphins defenders earned grades of 70.0 or higher against the run.
Rookie Kenneth Grant, Matthew Butler, and Benito Jones all avoided any negative run-defense grades, while Chop Robinson led the unit in positive-grade rate.
Most pressures: Seattle Seahawks
Trevor Lawrence was under constant pressure against the Seahawks, as Seattle’s defensive line racked up 38 total pressures in a dominant performance. Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence led the way with eight pressures each, followed by Byron Murphy II with seven, Uchenna Nwosu with six and Boye Mafe with five. The relentless pass rush helped hold Jacksonville to just 12 points on the day.
Most Run Stops: Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos
The Titans and Broncos each recorded 12 run stops in Week 6. For Tennessee, Jeffery Simmons, Jihad Ward and rookie Oluwafemi Oladejo each tallied three, while Sebastian Joseph-Day added two. Eight of those stops went for either a loss or no gain, with Oladejo, Ward and Joseph-Day each contributing two.
Nik Bonitto led the Broncos with three run stops, while Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike and Jonathon Cooper each added two. Only three of Denver’s stops went for a loss or no gain, but the defensive line still turned in a dominant overall performance.
Season Highlights
Best defensive line, best pass-rush unit and best run-defense unit: Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ defensive line may not have been the best unit on the field in Week 6 — that distinction went to their opponent — but over the course of the season, Myles Garrett and company have been the most complete defensive front in football.
Despite facing quick-game tactics and consistent double- and even triple-teams, Garrett earned a team-high 77.2 overall grade with a 79.4 pass-rush grade. He remains PFF’s third-highest-graded edge defender through six weeks. On the interior, Maliek Collins has quietly dominated, earning an 89.9 overall grade — second-best among interior defenders.
Alex Wright has emerged as a breakout contributor. His 85.7 overall grade ranks 19th among all defensive linemen and 13th at the edge position. His biggest strength has been against the run, where his 80.6 grade ranks 10th league-wide.
Most pressures: Denver Broncos
The Broncos continue to pace the league in total pressures, now up to 106 on the season. Nik Bonitto leads the way with 25 pressures and also tops the NFL with eight sacks. Jonathan Cooper and Zach Allen aren’t far behind, with 21 and 20 pressures, respectively. As a unit, Denver boasts a 52.1% pass-rush win rate — sixth-best in the league — and a league-leading 41.0% pressure rate.
Most Run Stops: Los Angeles Rams
The Rams continue to lead the NFL in run stops, racking up 56 through six weeks — six more than the Titans and Ravens.
Byron Young and Jared Verse pace the unit with 12 each, while Poona Ford and Tyler Davis follow with 11 and nine, respectively. In Week 6, Ford led the team with three run stops, and rookie Josaiah Stewart added two on just nine run-defense snaps. The Rams rank fourth in overall run-defense grade, driven by a league-high positive grade rate.
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