Roger Rosengarten had a tough start in the NFL when Chris Jones easily got past the rookie tackle and made his way into the Baltimore backfield. Guard Daniel Faalele also struggled to block Jones, and the play ended with the Kansas City star causing Lamar Jackson to fumble.
During their 27-20 loss on Thursday night, Jackson and the Ravens occasionally displayed the skill that made them the top team in the AFC last season. However, their new offensive line faced some problems.
Baltimore had lost three starters from that line, and because of the salary cap limits, they tried to replace them with young, inexperienced players.
That was the only sack Jackson suffered, and by the end of the game, he had become a very effective scrambler, gaining 122 rushing yards. But the issues with pass protection made it difficult for him to make deep throws.
There were also penalties. Tackle Ronnie Stanley, one of the experienced players, was flagged several times for illegal formation. Baltimore seemed unprepared for the way the game was being called and was slow to make adjustments.
“They put a thing out that they said they were going to call that differently,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We were the first offensive series of the season with that, and I think they saw probably everybody watching it.
It’ll be interesting to see if they call it the same way the whole season. I’ll challenge them to call it the same way they called it tonight the whole season, so hopefully they’ll be consistent about that.”
