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Baltimore Ravens: What the numbers say about the offensive line

By Chris Schisler

ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 16: Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens stand under center against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of the preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 16, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 16: Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens stand under center against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of the preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 16, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Ravens offensive line was a key area of focus this offseason, but how did it manage in the 2017 season?

The Baltimore Ravens offensive line had a season to remember in 2017. Offensive linemen don’t get a ton of credit for the work they do. They don’t score touchdowns or haul in passes, so it is hard to judge them by the statistical output from the team. A few key numbers do reflect on how the offensive line performed. The first thing to look at is sacks allowed.

Joe Flacco was sacked 27 times in 2017. That may sound bad but compared to the rest of the NFL it’s not bad at all. 16 quarterbacks were sacked over 30 times in the 2017 season. Jacoby Brisset took the most beating, he was sacked 52 times. Matthew Stafford, Tyrod Taylor, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins all got sacked over 40 times. Flacco is tied for the 19th most sacks from the past season.

Is it elite? No. However the offensive line was far from atrocious when it came to pass protection. Let’s look at rushing yards per attempt next. This is a stat that is important to the offensive line because they can be the difference between a decent run and a huge play on the ground. Alex Collins was the main running back for the Ravens. Collins averaged 4.6 yards per rushing attempt. 

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That is a very healthy total. While Buck Allen’s 3.9 yards per attempt could stand to see improvement, the Ravens saw decent performances from their two main running backs. The Ravens ranked 11th in rushing yards per game. It’s hard to complain about the run blocking when the team had 460 rushing plays and averaged four yards per run.

The Offensive Line will be improved in 2018:

The Ravens will have Marshal Yanda back into the action when the regular season begins. This will be a huge boon to the offense. Orlando Brown Jr. was drafted to take over the right tackle position and he was a dominant left tackle at Oklahoma. James Hurst showed that he could be a solid player for the Ravens. Matt Skura is much better than we thought he was at the beginning of the 2017 season.  Alex Lewis will be a welcomed addition to the offensive line.

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The injuries the Ravens had to endure on the offensive line were insane. With all of that said the Ravens managed to have solid pass protection and good run blocking. The Ravens will have more tools in the toolbox in the 2018 season. The offensive line could build upon a year that was very impressive considering all they had to overcome as a unit. When the 2018 season gets under way, it’s hard to imagine the offensive line doing worse. When it is all said and done, the offensive line will shine.

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