All year, the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line has been their Achilles’ heel. It was no different in their Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The blocking up front was far from the only issue. The line honestly did enough to translate into a winning effort, but costly turnovers and penalties plagued the team for all four quarters. Still, the lack of protection for an injured Lamar Jackson was evident throughout. There is some reason for optimism, though.
Head Coach John Harbaugh made the call early in the contest to give rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. a shot. After being activated for his first career NFL game in Baltimore’s Week 12 win over the New York Jets, he got a glimpse of the action on Thanksgiving. Like many others, he made some critical errors, but overall, it was not a bad performance from Jones.
Moving forward, he could hold the answer to the team’s offensive line troubles.
Emery Jones Jr. bringing optimism to fanbase amid ugly loss
All year, Ravens fans have been calling for a switch on the offensive line. Most have been calling for right guard Daniel Faalele to be benched, but on Thursday, it was left guard Andrew Vorhees who would wait on the sidelines in favor of Jones.
The two rotated in and out of action throughout, and Jones certainly provided an encouraging performance in his first taste of an NFL regular-season game.
See all 16 of his snaps below.
All 16 of Emery Jones snaps in his debut vs the bengals last night pic.twitter.com/msAjR6kgDP
— Yuri (@Yuri_Ravens) November 28, 2025
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Jones had a difficult go of it. He posted a 47.9 PFF grade, but his 67.6 pass blocking grade jumps out. It is also fair to say he played far better than his grade makes it seem.
Sure, he lost his fair share of reps. He got called for holding in the fourth quarter and had some moments where he lost leverage on assignments, but he showed progress throughout his audition. He flashed the power that made him a special prospect coming out of LSU, and was aggressive on each snap, engaging quickly and helping on occasions when he had no one block.
Faalele and Vorhees likely did well enough to maintain their spots heading into next week’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Jones is evidently creeping up on the two. If he continues to impress in sporadic showings, he may become a key part in the final stretch, as Baltimore eyes a playoff berth in 2025.