Falcons OG Chris Lindstrom is Good, and He's Still Probably Better than You Realize

The Atlanta Falcons selected offensive guard Chris Lindstrom out of Boston College in the 2019 NFL Draft with the No. 14 overall pick.

He played in five games as a rookie and has only missed one game since. He also has never seen a winning season or a playoff game in his seven seasons in Atlanta, as the Falcons' playoff drought reached eight years in 2025.

Despite playing on a losing team, Lindstrom has still garnered praise around the NFL for being one of the best players at his position. However, Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams can be in part popularity contests. While Lindstrom has four Pro Bowl nods on his resume, he's never made first-team All-Pro.

It's one of the many drawbacks of having toiled away for a losing team his entire career, that isn't one of the NFL blue bloods.

But Pro Football Focus (PFF) does its best to grade an individual's game performance, not factor in his Q Rating when doling out post-season awards.

PFF recently put out a list of the highest-graded seasons at each position in their 20-year history, and Lindstrom's 95.0 in 2022 was tied with Evan Mathis in 2013 for the best season at guard.

"The list’s first tie features two NFC guards who pulled off the exact same grade nine years apart. Lindstrom guided the 2022 Falcons with a 93.1 PFF run-blocking grade, also giving up just nine pressures in the pass game. Meanwhile, Mathis’ peak of a dominant seven-year run came in 2013 with the Eagles, accruing a 94.8 run-blocking grade and an 82.0 PFF pass-blocking mark," Bradley Locker wrote on PFF.

Lindstrom's 95.0 is the highest grade ever at guard for PFF, but maybe just as impressive, he was the highest-graded player, regardless of position, in the entire NFL that year.

He made his first of four Pro Bowls that season. He also became one of the NFL's highest-paid guards prior to the 2023 season, when he signed a five-year, $105 million extension.

He followed up his 2022 breakout season as PFF's No. 2 guard in 2023, with an 87.6 grade. Buffalo's David Edwards edged him out with a 90.2.

In 2024, Lindstrom once again topped the charts with a 93.5. His grade was considerably higher than that of runner-up Quinn Meinerz of the Denver Broncos at 87.3.

Last season Meinerz edged Lindstrom 89.0 to 88.4 for the top spot.

While PFF is obviously just one grading metric, one can't help but feel that playing for the Falcons has contributed to the lack of appreciation he gets around the NFL.

In ESPN's poll of NFL personnel, Lindstrom finished No. 5 among the top offensive guards in the league. Tyler Smith of the Cowboys finished first. Smith was graded 12th last season and 14th in 2024 by PFF among players who played at least half of their team's snaps.

"He doesn't get enough recognition -- he's been really good for a long time," a veteran NFL defensive coach told ESPN.

Quenton Nelson of the Colts finished second on ESPN's poll, and he had the fourth-best grade over the last two years. Meinerz was third, with Joe Thuney of the Chicago Bears coming in fourth. Thuney's grades finished third in 2024 and sixth in 2025.

Lindstrom's contract makes him the third-highest-paid guard in the NFL at $20.5 million per season. So, he's certainly appreciated by the Falcons, even if he's somewhat underappreciated around the league.

One way to shine a brighter light on Lindstrom's dominance would be for the Falcons to get back to the postseason. Individual recognition seems to follow team success.

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