Lions predicted to face major test against Ravens rookie ahead of Week 3

The Detroit Lions' offensive line might've seen a huge bounce back game against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, but they're about to hit the road once again to face with another contending squad without the help of their home arena in tow, the Baltimore Ravens.

That could muck things up for a young IOL only beginning to learn how to communicate with each other and with quarterback Jared Goff. While road games present their own unique challenge towards these efforts, a road game hosted by a potential Super Bowl bound team is going to be loud.

Making matters potentially worse for the Lions, there's one rookie for the Ravens that is going to be given a huge role in Week 3 with Kyle Van Noy down for the count against Detroit: Mike Green.

NFL writer Connor Burke said of Green's upcoming opportunity:

"The expectations will be unfairly high for Green as he is thrust into heavy action against a top-tier offensive line. He was one of the most coveted prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, though, and while he has yet to have a standout game, that is expected from a rookie. He may struggle to find success in Week 3, but it is the perfect chance to sharpen his skills against some of the league’s best."

Green could have breakout game vs. Lions

As Burke covers in his piece for Ebony Bird, Green hasn't had much of an opportunity to shine so far this season. Van Noy only recently went down in Week 2, and he stepped up for the veteran by providing two hurries and a quarterback hit against the Cleveland Browns. Detroit is a far different story from Cleveland, though.

Their top tackles, Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, looked elite once again against the Chicago Bears, and the IOL of Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge managed to only allow one pressure on Goff the entire contest.

READ MORE: Lions beat the Bears so bad it created early locker room tension for Ben Johnson

Green still needs time to adjust to the NFL, as is the case for any rookie in the league, and maybe the Lions aren't the best team to start with in order to get that footing.

Still, it's possible that the O-line struggles against a much stronger D-line helmed by Baltimore, and Green benefits from it. The rookie pass rusher is going to be dearly needed by the Ravens defense if they want to throw Goff off his game, and if they want to eliminate the threat of Jahmyr Gibbs' multiple speeds picking them apart in the run game.