Ronnie Stanley will be key in Ravens’ matchup against the Browns

The Baltimore Ravens have a score to settle with the Cleveland Browns, who beat them in Week 14 of last year. Who will be the most impactful players?

The usual suspects of Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews should ignite the Ravens’ offense, but offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley will play just as big a role in Sunday’s matchup.

Baltimore limited Stanley’s snaps when he made his debut in Week 5, and he ended up playing just 34 percent of offensive snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals.

In Week 6 against the New York Giants, however, the team ramped up his workload and Stanley took all but eight snaps at left tackle.

Part of the reason was Morgan Moses suffered a heel injury forcing Patrick Mekari to move to right tackle, but nonetheless, Stanley appears in line to play an increased amount of snaps moving forward.

Stanley didn’t give up any pressures in 31 pass-blocking reps against New York and finished with a pass-blocking grade of 85.8. His consistency in pass protection will come in handy when Jackson takes on the Browns, or more specifically, Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett.

Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley versus Myles Garrett is a must-watch battle in Week 7

Garrett recorded two sacks in two meetings with the Ravens last year, though in the latter of those meetings Tyler Huntley subbed in for Lamar Jackson.

With Jackson healthy again, the Ravens should enjoy a more productive spell of offense despite Jackson’s poor performances of late.

It can’t get worse than Jackson’s Week 12 performance against the Browns in 2021 when Jackson threw for four picks and was trying to do too much behind an injured offensive line.

This time around, Ronnie Stanley should be able to fend off Garrett to give Jackson the time and space to pick the Browns’ defense apart. Even if Cleveland opts for the blitz, Jackson has proved he can play just as well under pressure.

In two games this season, Stanley has played the part of an All-Pro left tackle and reminds the Ravens what they were missing all of last year: a steady offensive line.

Stanley, Ben Powers, Tyler Linderbaum, Kevin Zeitler, and Morgan Moses make up a strong front five that’s markedly improved from 2021 and can help Lamar Jackson return to MVP-caliber form.

Stanley, in particular, is absolutely pivotal to Jackson’s success. If Stanley plays well on Sunday, Jackson should too (barring another catastrophic fourth-quarter collapse).