The Ravens’ Week 1 win came with plenty to like and plenty to clean up, especially up front.
Baltimore went into Indianapolis with a brand-new offense, a five-man line that had never taken preseason snaps together, and a rookie play caller. That was always going to be a difficult opening assignment. Still, even in a 41-23 rout of the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, the offensive line handed the coaches a stack of film to chew through.
The biggest issue was discipline. The Ravens were flagged 10 times for 86 yards overall, and seven of those penalties came essentially at the line of scrimmage.
For long stretches, it felt like there was at least one offensive line penalty per drive. A burned timeout at the wrong time only added to the mess.
Some of it was the usual early-season growing pains. Some of it was simply bad timing.
Mark Andrews was flagged for a false start from the Colts 2. Ronnie Stanley drew an early chop block penalty that wiped out Derrick Henry’s first-down run, then later had a false start on second-and-seven.
Jovaughn Gwyn’s hold erased a touchdown pass. Rookie Vega Ioane was hit with holds that wiped out a 19-yard gain on third down and an eight-yard run on second-and-eight.
An Illegal shit took away an 11-yard gain on third-and-10, and Justice Hill was flagged for a late false start on third down.
There were also moments where the line showed progress. Baltimore leaned hard into the run game, finishing with 202 rushing yards, and Derrick Henry led the way.
Lamar Jackson avoided taking major hits, which matters just as much over the long haul. But pass protection was uneven, and the interior of the line will be a major focus after film review.
Jesse Minter, after winning his first NFL game, kept the tone measured.
“We have a lot of things we can clean up and get better at,” head coach Jesse Minter said after winning his first NFL game. “I give the Colts a lot of credit.
That's a good football team. But, I thought in the second half, we really put our foot down and did what we needed to do to get a win.
Just a lot of great individual performances too, all the guys: Derrick [Henry], our offensive line, Zay [Flowers].”
The center spot is part of the conversation, too. Ethan Pocic has played nearly 6000 snaps in the league, but he is coming off Achilles surgery and clearly wasn’t all the way back.
The Ravens also made it clear that Gwyn was the Week 1 starter. Gwyn had just 11 career snaps on offense before Sunday, and in his first NFL start he had some trouble.
Baltimore allowed two sacks and 11 pressures, with six of those pressures coming between Pocic and Ioane. The 14th overall pick looks like he’ll become a mauler sooner rather than later as he settles in. The center position, though, looks like something the Ravens will have to manage one week at a time.
In Other News...
Ravens Leave Week 1 Win With A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Baltimores Week 1 win over the Colts came with a few reasons to feel uneasy, even after the final score was in hand. Zay Flowers was electric before leaving with a career-high 150 receiving yards and a touchdown, but he was not the only Raven to exit with a problem. Ja'Kobi Lane went out with a wrist injury, and T.J. Tampa left with a knee injury, with none of the three able to return.
Coach Jesse Minter did not have immediate updates afterward, leaving the team to sort through what those absences might mean going forward. The silver lining was that veterans Chris Moore and Carl Jones, both elevated from the practice squad, stepped in to help on offense and special teams, but Baltimore knows depth is only part of the concern when key contributors are suddenly unavailable. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A WR Rotation Problem They Didnt Expect
JaKobi Lanes first week in Baltimore had already started to matter. The rookie wide receiver had worked his way into the Ravens rotation as the WR3 and flashed enough promise to make the staff think he could be part of the early-season passing plan before a wrist injury cut the momentum short in Week 1. The initial read on the injury points to a fractured wrist, and the expected recovery timeline leaves the Ravens with an immediate depth question at a spot they could not really afford to lose.
Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker and Chris Moore are the names now positioned to absorb more of the workload, and the shift comes with some pressure attached. Baltimore was already trying to sort out how its receiver group would function around a young, unproven piece like Lane, and his absence forces those plans to move faster than expected. The next stretch will say plenty about whether the Ravens can keep the passing game on schedule while Lane is out, or whether the early uncertainty at receiver becomes a real issue. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Hendricksons Ravens Debut Showed What This Defense Might Become
Trey Hendrickson didnt get the sack in his Ravens debut, but he was all over the Colts backfield in a way that should have Baltimore paying close attention. He finished with five pressures and five hurries, a steady stream of disruption that helped the defense keep the heat on and played a real part in the win. For a unit trying to get its footing without some key pieces, it was the kind of debut that hinted at a broader answer.
Baltimore leaned into a mix of nickel and dime looks to make sure Hendrickson could attack in different ways, and that flexibility may end up being just as important as the individual numbers. The production was there even without the sack column filling up, and it raised the kind of question defensive coaches love to have: what does this pass rush look like once the pieces around him are fully in place? [Read more 🡒]