Further dreadful play by this unit could doom Ravens

In a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens debuted a retooled offensive line. The unit is a work in progress and that's being charitable.

Guard Andrew Vorhees, a 2023 seventh-round pick, made his first career start. Daniel Faalele, who has been on the roster as a tackle since 2022, made his first career start at guard. Patrick Mekari, who started seven games last season and has played all five offensive line positions in his six-year career, started at right tackle.

In classic coach-speak during a post-game news conference, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh liked what he saw from the unit.

"The offensive line, I thought, did a heck of a job out there," Harbaugh said. "To see the way they went out there and played against that defense I thought was pretty impressive."

Perhaps he missed the early part of the game, when penalties were the story for the line. In the opening four minutes, the unit was flagged for illegal formation three times (That infraction seems to be a point of emphasis for the NFL this season.)

Officials flagged the unit for two more penalties later: a hold by center Tyler Linderbaum — negating a 29-yard Lamar Jackson rush late in the third quarter — and an illegal formation by tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was penalized three times overall.

Baltimore aimed to address the line in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the selection of Washington tackle Roger Rosengarten. On Thursday, Rosengarten played 19 snaps, including one on which tackle Chris Jones blew past him for a strip sack.

In the waning minutes of the game, the line had chances to redeem itself but failed.

On the final two plays, Jackson dropped back from Kansas City's 10-yard line in shotgun formation, but the Chiefs delivered almost immediate pressure. The penultimate throw sailed past a wide-open WR Zay Flowers and the final pass was caught by TE Isaiah Likely, who failed to get both feet inbounds.