John Harbaugh Shuts Down Ravens Concerns

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is confident in the direction of the offensive line.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) celebrates with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after scoring against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Facing a stout Kansas City Chiefs defense in their home stadium is a tall task for any opposing offense, let alone one that has three new starters on the offensive line.

The Baltimore Ravens offensive line experienced their fair share of ups and downs in a 27-20 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. While the unit was far from perfect, coach John Harbaugh believes how the offensive line held up in a hostile environment against one of the league's best defenses from last season gave him plenty of reason for optimism moving forward.

"I'm not too worried about the offensive line, because I know how hard they work, and I know how talented they are," Harbaugh said. "I watch all the other offensive lines in the National Football League, and I think if you applied some of the same standards to the other offensive lines out there, you'd be like, 'Oh, boy, that's a tough position to play against these guys.' So, our offensive line is going to be really good this year."

Andrew Vorhees, Daniel Faalele and Patrick Mekari comprise the Ravens' three new starters on the offensive line. Rookie offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten also filled in on the offensive line, playing 20 of the offense's 80 snaps. The lone returners on the offensive line from last season are left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum.

The Ravens' offensive line allowed one pressure and one sack, which was by Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and led to a fumble deep in the Ravens' territory, which led to a field goal. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was forced to scramble on nine of his 51 dropbacks.

With more reps, the Ravens' offensive line should improve, but the task doesn't get much easier with players like Christian Wilkins, Maxx Crosby and Micah Parsons on the ledger in their next two games. How they handle these early tests can pay dividends in the long run, and Harbaugh believes the Ravens' offensive line will be a completely improved unit by the season's end, which is ultimately the most important thing for a team with their sights on the Super Bowl.

"I'm not going to sit here and doubt those guys; I'm going to coach those guys, and those guys are going to get out there and play," Harbaugh said. "I think by the end of the season, you're going to feel really good about our offensive line."

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