The Baltimore Ravens' offensive line has never been good enough during the Lamar Jackson era. Despite all the talk of this being the year things would be different, it hasn't been. Lamar's thumb injury in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills is a harrowing reminder of this.
On the first play of the game for the Ravens' offense, Jackson injured his thumb after hitting Gregory Rousseau's arm because Roger Rosengarten allowed him to generate pressure. Terrel Bernarnd also pressured Lamar on that same play, since Cam Jurgens failed to pick up his blitz.
Of course, this was Jackson's first game back from a three-game absence with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, he's headed to IR and could miss the rest of the season. That's just devastating.
Some people will blame Lamar for his injury problems, but there's no denying the offensive line has blood on its hands. Frankly, nobody can overcome this poor roster context, and the amount of pressure that the Ravens give up year in and year out is at the crux of his constant injuries.
The Baltimore Ravens' offensive line is a clear liability
In addition to Jackson's injury, Tyler Huntley left the game with a toe injury. He was pressured on four out of his five dropbacks, including by Ed Oliver on the sack in which he suffered the injury. Third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano was also pressured 22 times and was seen limping on the sidelines after taking a tough hit from Ed Oliver.
Overall, the Ravens' offensive line allowed 28 pressures en route to a 36-10 loss. If it wasn't already clear, the Ravens' offensive line is a massive liability.
Simply put, it was a rough day for all five members of the line. Rosengarten routinely got beat by Rousseau. Jurgens failing to pick up the blitz happened on multiple plays. Ronnie Stanley committed several penalties and wasn't stout in pass protection either. Andrew Vorhees and John Simpson also didn't hold up well in the interior.
Everyone in this group was found out of position, and there were some communication issues, especially in the interior.
While there's never been a louder reminder of the Ravens' offensive line limitations, this has long been an issue. Pro Football Focus ranked the Ravens as the league's fifth-worst offensive line before this week. That's not nearly good enough for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. Clearly, this flaw has led to Jackson getting injured on multiple occasions.
Eric DeCosta deserves some blame for the Ravens' offensive line struggles
Generally speaking, I'm more fond of Eric DeCosta than most Ravens fans. Regardless, it's hard to defend what he's done with the offensive line. The Simpson signing looks like a disaster.
Jurgens has the pedigree of a starting center, and it was a worthy gamble. However, he's been shaky so far, and the Ravens paid the price of a second-round pick to get him. Truthfully, waiting so long to address the center position after losing Tyler Linderbaum is the original sin, and it has come back to bite Baltimore. And yes, they had three injuries before the Jurgens trade, but none of those players were quality starters.
Stanley is past his prime, and Rosengarten is nothing more than average. In fairness, Vega Ioane (who was injured in Sunday's game) has been tremendous. Nevertheless, there's no denying that DeCosta hasn't done enough to give Jackson the support he needs.
Lamar's injury creates a lot of uncertainty for the Ravens' remaining season, and frankly, their future. But one thing's for sure: this offensive line is a major weak link.
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