Ravens HC Explains Strange RB Decision

The Baltimore Ravens had some strange protection at the end of the game, and it almost worked out for them.

Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (45) makes a diving tackle on Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The end of the Baltimore Ravens' season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs was must-see television, especially the ending.

After trailing for most of the game, the Ravens rallied and made it to the Chiefs' 10-yard line with just seconds to go. On the final play of the game, Lamar Jackson danced around pressure and found tight end Isaiah Likely for the game-tying touchdown. After review, though, Likely's toe was determined to be just out of bounds, nulliying the touchdown. Kansas City won 27-20, while Baltimore left with heartbreak.

The play was so crazy, in fact, that one of the craziest parts of it flew completely under the radar. Ravens running back Justice Hill, who's 5-10 and 195 pounds, was tasked with blocking Chiefs All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones, who's 6-6 and 310 pounds. Despite the massive size difference, Hill actually held his own quite well and gave Jackson enough time to get the pass off.

Hill also blocked Jones on the previous play, and again, held him off long enough to allow Jackson to roll out and throw, although he missed Zay Flowers in the end zone.

On Monday, coach John Harbaugh revealed that the protection didn't come through right due to the deafening crowd noise, but he was very happy with how Hill handled the situation.

"I thought Justice [Hill] was amazing," Harbaugh told reporters. I give him all the credit in the world. That was one of those ones – with the crowd noise – [where] we wanted to go to a base six-man protection and fan our tackles, but we didn't get to it, with the crowd noise; maybe that's a communication thing on offense that we would have liked to have had.

"In that protection, Justice made the adjustment. He was expecting the tackle to fan, probably, but then the tackle didn't fan, and there he was with No. 95 right in front of him, and I thought he did a pretty darn good job, given the circumstances. So, that's part of the communication. When you're up there, and you're looking for blitz or no blitz and those kinds of things, and you check your protections to that kind of stuff, you have to work through those things."

Hill, a sixth-year pro from Oklahoma State, had just one rush for three yards in the game, but did some damage as a receiver with six catches for 58 yards. He actually appeared on 43 snaps, beating out newcomer Derrick Henry's 37 snaps. Hill appeared almost exclusively on passing plays, though, and a tell that obvious will be something to address for Harbaugh and co.

Still, the end of the game showed that he can be not only a solid receiver, but also a quality blocker.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• John Harbaugh Shuts Down Ravens Concerns
• Ravens' Lamar Jackson Misses Practice
• Ravens Star Will Get His Chances
• Ravens QB Gets Shocking Praise From Analyst
• Ravens Rivals Gain Early Divisional Lead