Raven Country

Ravens Have Giant Concern on Offense

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Baltimore Ravens' new-look offensive line struggled against one of the top defenses in football.

Jon Alfano

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) causing a fumble during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) causing a fumble during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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Throughout the offseason, Baltimore Ravens fans were waiting to see how the revamped offensive line, which features three new starters, would fare in a regular-season game.

Well, they finally got their first look at the offensive line in Thursday's opener against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs, and it wasn't exactly pretty.

Right away, the line struggled with four illegal formation penalties in the first half, including three on the opening drive alone. The Ravens still scored on the first drive courtesy of Derrick Henry, but the problems went far deeper than just penalties.

Starting off with perhaps the worst play of the night for Baltimore: Chris Jones' strip sack of Lamar Jackson in the second quarter. That play was also the first NFL snap for rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten, who played in a rotation with starter Patrick Mekari, and he'll remember it for all the wrong reasons as Jones blew right by him to get to Jackson. Starting right guard Daniel Faalele didn't help on the play either.

Speaking of Faalele, the 6-8, 380-pound behemoth did not have a strong first showing at his new position. According to Next Gen Stats via the Ravens' website, the Australian-born giant allowed a team-high six pressures on 52 pass-blocking snaps. Faalele won the starting right guard job over Ben Cleveland, but it's fair to assume that he's on a short leash if this performance continues.

Then there's the entire unit's struggle to open up holes in the running game, as Henry averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in his Ravens debut. Jackson fared significantly better with 7.6 yards per carry, but that's because he was scrambling so often. In fact, that's the main reason he was only sacked once and not several times.

All that said, it's still just one game. The Ravens knew there were going to be hiccups as they got younger up front, and they certainly aren't going to change course after just the first game.

"The offensive line I thought did a heck of a job out there," head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "[There were] a lot of question marks the pundits and the prognosticators had about the offensive line, saying that with that offensive line we couldn't do anything. To see the way they went out there and played against that defense I thought was pretty impressive, and that's a challenge, especially in this environment [with] communication."

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Jon Alfano

JON ALFANO

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