Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the quarterbacks who have faced the highest pressure from defenses.
One of the glaring issues that the Baltimore Ravens have had has been with the offensive line. Those issues were amplified when center Tyler Linderbaum left in free agency and joined the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, with a new five-man starting lineup in place, the offensive line is proving to be struggling. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has not only taken five sacks thus far, but the pass-block win rate for the unit is near the bottom of the league.
It was clearly evident that the Ravens were not prepared to lose Linderbaum, and the team attempted to make up for that by signing Danny Pinter, Jovuaghn Gwyn, and John Simpson. Of the three, Pinter had the most experience at center.
Gwyn and Pinter battled it out for the starting center position through OTAs and training camp, but Pinter suffered a season-ending patella tendon tear. Baltimore then signed Ethan Pocic, who is coming off a season-ending Achilles tear.
Pocic is expected to step in once fully healed, but this does not help the overall chemistry of the line right now.
Per ESPN Analytics, the Ravens' line is 30 out of 32 in pass-block win-rate percentage, with 35 percent. This figure led to Jackson taking those five sacks and produced two turnovers on those plays.
Also, Pro Football Focus has Jackson as the sixth-highest-pressured quarterback in the NFL.
"Jackson has faced pressure on 42.6% of his dropbacks, the sixth-highest rate among qualifying quarterbacks. His results in those situations have been mixed: His 8.6 yards per attempt under pressure ranks sixth among 32 qualifiers, but he has taken five sacks and produced two turnover-worthy plays," the PFF report states.
Simply put, the Ravens line is not doing a good enough job to protect Jackson, and that was clearly evident in Week 2.
The Baltimore offense looked out of sync with how the New Orleans Saints front and pass rushers were able to get into the backfield. It's also another reason why running back Derrick Henry did not rush for over 75 yards on the ground.
Protecting Jackson is paramount, as is helping the run game by opening lanes.
Whether or not Pocic returns and takes over for Gwyn, the entire line has to play better football.
The Ravens entrusted the right guard position to rookie Vega Ioane, and he has done a solid job thus far. Another bigger issue is injuries.
Currently, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and Simpson are both dealing with injuries.
Stanley was pulled from Week 2 at the end of the third quarter due to a lingering toe injury, and he has since missed practice on Wednesday heading into Week 3.
Simpson also has a groin injury, and was limited on Wednesday. The starting left guard has a better shot at being upgraded and playing.
If Stanely cannot make it in Week 3, backup tackle Carson Vinson would step in but that would cause even more issues on the line that needs stability.
