After an impressive first three quarters in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens collapsed in the fourth quarter, dropping what should have been a blowout victory, 41-40. There were several leading factors to Baltimore's stunning defeat, and one of those was the lackluster play up front on offense.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was standing in the face of pressure all night. The opposing defensive line, specifically Ed Oliver, lived in Baltimore’s backfield and made key pressures against the pass. Oliver also stood up Derrick Henry on a couple of run plays, including a forced fumble that ignited the Buffalo comeback. In most scenarios, he beat fourth-year right guard Daniel Faalele.
Following the game, Faalele went viral for a few horrendous reps. One in particular eventually killed Baltimore’s opening drive, and while it still ended with three points from rookie Tyler Loop, it had the makings of a touchdown drive that was cut short.
An actual NFL franchise, with an incredible amount of Offensive talent, is rolling out there with this as their OLine. Cutting itself at the knees to fight uphill. These two cannot play next to each other right now.#Ravens #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/2qdwHLbiKg
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) September 8, 2025
Faalele rolled out the red carpet for Bills’ second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders on this play. There was a lack of communication between him and second-year right tackle Roger Rosengarten, but Faalele’s awareness and footwork were out of whack. He allows too much space in the B gap while attempting to help center Tyler Linderbaum in his one-on-one. From that point on, he loses leverage and gets flat-footed, as Sanders easily flushes Jackson from the pocket and forces an overthrow to Zay Flowers in the end zone.
Daniel Faalele goes viral for all the wrong reasons after embarrassing rep
That was one of many reps where Faalele showed a lack of spatial awareness. He simply lost vision for the pass rush at times, and on other occasions, he was easily driven back into the pocket. At 6-foot-8, 370 pounds, most would expect him to withstand a bull rush, but with poor footwork and technique, he quickly became an easy target for Buffalo to attack on Sunday night.
Everyone knew offensive guard was a possible concern facing Baltimore going into the 2025 season, but just one game in, the pass protection is worse than many could have imagined. All-time great wide receiver Chad Johnson even chimed in on his podcast “Nightcap” with Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, mentioning Faalele is the weak link right now.
“That right guard. I don’t know who that is, but that’s the fish,” Johnson said. “I mean no disrespect, but he is the fish.”
It is just Week 1, so there is time to turn it around. However, the team is obviously eyeing the Super Bowl, and unlike last year, they want that first-round bye and home-field advantage come playoff time. Faalele will not have that long before he could get benched.