The Ravens keep running into the same wall, and Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Browns made that impossible to ignore. Baltimore’s offensive line has been a problem again, and with Cam Jurgens sidelined by a concussion the past two weeks, the pressure has only grown on his return.
That absence showed up everywhere in Week 6. The Ravens managed just 87 rushing yards, and Tyler Huntley spent much of the afternoon under pressure.
Derrick Henry could have been better, and Lamar Jackson was sorely missed, but the line was at the center of the collapse. In both the run game and pass protection, Baltimore never got comfortable.
That’s why Jurgens’ comeback matters so much. The Ravens traded for the Philadelphia Eagles lineman after losing their top three centers, and Eric DeCosta sent a second-round pick the other way to get him. Now Baltimore needs that move to start paying off, especially with a Week 7 meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals coming up.
Rookie Vega Ioane has actually been steady at center and has been the least of the team’s problems. The bigger issue has been beside him.
Second-year guard Emery Jones Jr. has had a brutal stretch, and while he’s a third-string guard pressed into action because of the center injuries and Andrew Vorhees’ injury, the results have still been rough. He’s struggled to open lanes for Henry and has been overpowered in pass protection.
Jurgens’ return would likely move Ioane back to guard and clear out the weakest spot on the line. That alone would be a major boost.
John Simpson has also had a hard time, getting beaten and failing to hold up in the run game. He doesn’t look like the dependable veteran Baltimore paid for this offseason, and Jurgens would at least limit the damage by keeping the Ravens from dealing with two struggling guards at once.
There was some noise around the trade because Jurgens had a rough season at guard, but center is his natural spot, and that’s where he thrived last year. Baltimore doesn’t need him to be flashy. It needs a quality interior lineman, especially one who can help in run blocking, which was a major issue against Cleveland.
If Jurgens and Jackson are back next week, the Ravens can finally get back to firing on all cylinders. If Jurgens isn’t ready, those offensive line problems figure to keep hanging around.
In Other News...
Ravens Offense Hit A Wall And Declan Doyle Owns The Debate
Without Lamar Jackson, rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle had to navigate a familiar kind of Baltimore test against Cleveland: protect a battered offense, keep the run game alive and find enough answers for a quarterback room under strain. The Ravens did enough early to stay in the game, but the attack never found a lasting rhythm, and the Browns were able to bottle up the rushing effort in a 13-10 loss that left the play-calling choices under the microscope.
Doyles first real NFL crisis came with the sort of limitations that can make an offense feel like it is working uphill on every snap, especially with the line struggling to hold up. There were chances to vary the ground game and stress Cleveland in different ways, but the sequence of plays never really opened the door wide enough for Baltimore to escape its own stall, and the result was a reminder that the Ravens offense still has a long way to go before it can operate cleanly without its star quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Drew Praise After Helping Flip Ravens Loss
Carson Schwesinger was one of the quieter reasons the Browns were able to hang around long enough to beat the Ravens, but his impact showed up everywhere on the stat sheet and in the tone of the defense. The rookie linebacker finished with a game-high 13 tackles and added a forced fumble in Clevelands 13-10 win, the kind of all-around effort that can shape a tight AFC North game when every possession feels loaded.
Jared Verse singled out Schwesinger afterward for the way he kept playing through the kind of setback that often pulls young defenders out of the rotation. For Baltimore, it was one more reminder of how quickly a game can tilt when a linebacker is consistently around the ball, especially when a turnover turns into points and changes the entire feel of the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jackson's Week 7 Status Just Raised The Stakes For Baltimore
Lamar Jacksons ankle injury has already kept him out for two straight games, and Baltimore has had to lean on Tyler Huntley in his place while trying to stay afloat. Jackson was hurt in Week 4, then sat out the Week 5 and Week 6 contests, leaving the Ravens to navigate a stretch that included a loss to the Cleveland Browns without their starting quarterback.
Now the focus shifts to Week 7, where Baltimore is facing Cincinnati and still waiting for a clearer read on Jacksons availability. Head coach Jesse Minter has framed the recovery as a day-by-day situation, which only adds to the uncertainty for a team that knows how much its ceiling changes when Jackson is under center. [Read more 🡒]