The Baltimore Ravens moved to 3-1 with their win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but all eyes are on Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP left the game after injuring his ankle at the end of the first half and did not return.
Jackson is expected to be day-to-day, and there are some optimistic signs surrounding his status. However, that doesn’t diminish the dark cloud being cast over Baltimore’s offensive line. It’s been a problem all year, and now, their quarterback is injured.
Credit where credit is due, the pass protection wasn’t completely awful in Week 4. Still, Jackson was hit a few more times than you’d like to see, especially against a largely one-dimensional Tennessee pass rush led by Jeffery Simmons.
Obviously, the offensive line was patched together quickly before this matchup, but the Ravens still need more.
Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line can’t put Lamar Jackson in harm’s way again
Ravens fans are all too familiar with this song and dance. Lamar Jackson’s 2025 campaign was almost immediately thrown off course due to a hamstring injury, and it seemed like that was followed by every injury in the book throughout the year. It all culminated in a hampered Jackson trying to will his team to the playoffs, a superhero-like effort that came up short.
This season can’t be anything like that one. Baltimore improved their offensive line — John Simpson and Vega Ioane are miles better than Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees. Unfortunately, three center injuries forced Ioane to center and Vorhees back into the starting lineup.
No matter how serious the Jackson injury is, the fact that he’s even remotely banged up raises the pressure on that offensive line. They have to keep their signal caller out of harm’s way.
Ioane shouldn’t be the issue. He’s looked pretty darn good in protection over the past two weeks; he snapped the ball well enough, and should only get better moving forward. Roger Rosengarten has been rock solid all year, too.
Most of the pressure lies on Ronnie Stanley, Simpson, and whoever the right guard is. In fact, Stanley might be feeling it the most. He blocks for Jackson’s blindside after all.
The veteran left tackle has been dealing with a toe injury since Week 1. The issue caused him to miss Week 3, and he’s giving it everything he’s got out there. It’s clearly taking a toll on him, though.
He was bull-rushed a couple of times on Sunday and allowed pass rushers to find space around the edge. That may be a sign that he isn’t comfortable with his footwork and his ability to drive defenders out of the picture.
As for the guard play, Simpson needs to be more consistent. He came into the Week 4 matchup with a 56.7 Pro Football Focus grade, and while he wasn’t bad, he also wasn’t great. Andrew Vorhees, on the other hand, looked decent, but left with a foot injury. Whether it’s Vorhees or Emery Jones Jr. at right guard in the coming weeks, they have to help stabilize the interior.
And let’s be honest, the competition is only going to get tougher moving forward. The Titans may have been the easiest team Baltimore will draw all season from a pass-rush standpoint. With strong interior defensive lines coming up on Baltimore’s schedule, the improvements up front were already crucial, and Jackson’s injury adds a bit of urgency.
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