OWINGS MILLS — Ravens coach John Harbaugh believes that an NFL team makes the most progress from Week 1 to Week 2.
While the offensive line had some struggles in a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday night, Harbaugh likes the direction of the players. The Ravens face another challenge this week against the Las Vegas Raiders and their strong defensive front, but Harbaugh is confident the offensive line will respond.
“I’m not too worried about the offensive line, because I know how hard they work, and I know how talented they are. I watch all the other offensive lines in the National Football League, and I think if you applied some of the same standards to the other offensive lines out there, you’d be like, ‘Oh, boy, that’s a tough position to play against these guys.’
“So, our offensive line is going to be really good this year. I believe that, and we’re working hard towards that. So, I’m not going to sit here and doubt those guys; I’m going to coach those guys, and those guys are going to get out there and play.”
The Ravens’ offensive line has two returning starters from last season — left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum.
The three new starters are Andrew Vorhees at left guard, Daniel Faalele at right guard and Patrick Mekari at right tackle. The Chiefs wanted to keep quarterback Lamar Jackson from getting comfortable in the pocket and he was under pressure on 29.4 percent of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Ravens had some early issues adjusting, and Stanley was flagged four times for illegal formation in the first half. Rookie Roger Rosengarten played 20 snaps at right tackle and was beaten badly by Chris Jones on a strip sack on Jackson.
Still, Harbaugh was impressed by the way the unit performed in a hostile environment and expects the offensive line to get better each week.
“I mean, when that offensive line goes out there – again – in that stadium, with that crowd noise, against that defense and [in] that kind of a game, that’s it, man,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not going to get any tougher than that, so I appreciate that. Now, we’ve got another challenge coming in here this week, because we’ve got another great defensive line that we’ll be lining up against. So, let’s get locked in on that challenge, keep it simple, and we’ll be in good shape.”