• The Steelers wreak havoc in Week 13: Two strip sacks led to Pittsburgh’s defensive line garnering the highest-graded performance of the week.

• The Broncos are on the rise: Denver jumped seven spots, in part due to a terrific Monday Night Football performance from Nik Bonitto.

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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 2024 play.

Here are the highlights for the 2024 season and the top defensive lines in Week 14. For more grades and statistics on the league’s best pass-rushers, check out PFF Premium Stats.