4. The offensive line showed up
I’m not sure many of us were expecting this, but the Ravens offensive line showed up and dominated against the Raiders. It was the best performance from this unit this season and against a solid Raiders front-seven with Khalil Mack. Joe Flacco stayed clean in the pocket and the Ravens were able to sustain long drives by running the football.
It was hard to feel confident about this unit, given all of the injuries, but they really stepped up to the occasion. Majority of the credit for the win goes to line coach Joe D’Alessandris and his boys up front. Specifically, Ronnie Stanley and Austin Howard on the outside. Stanley showed why he’s one of the best young offensive tackles and improved off a poor Week 4 performance against the Steelers. Howard, who I criticized for his average play this season, shut me up and more than held his own against his former team.
Rookie fifth-round pick Jermaine Eluemunor is expected to take over for Skura at right guard going forward. Eluemunor filled in the last quarter and a half against the Raiders. He’s essentially the best backup option the Ravens have left as they’re scraping for depth. I’ll be interested to see how he fairs with a full-time starting role.
I’m not going to overhype this unit, but it’s hard not to be impressed with what they did on Sunday. In a very winnable game against the Bears this week, another stout performance up front will be key.