Ravens Pro Bowler Admits Offensive Line Needs to Improve

Despite bringing back four of five starters from what rounded into one of the best blocking units in the league by the end of last season, the Baltimore Ravens' offensive line has been a liability far more often than it's been a strength this year.

It took them the first five weeks of the regular season to establish a consistent rushing attack in terms of production, as they had posted 150-plus rushing yards in only two of their five prior games. However, they have managed the feat in five straight games dating back to Week 6.

Even though the offense is averaging 168.4 yards on the ground per game during this current stretch, they have struggled to stay out of long down and distances after failing to gain any traction on first and second down, or when they really need it most, in the red zone.

Everything on offense begins in the trenches. Two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum believes his unit must elevate its play to improve, especially in pass protection. The Ravens recently defeated the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. However, two-time league MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was sacked 5 times, his second-highest total this season. Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett had 4 of those sacks.

"I think, always, there's going to be improvement that you can come out of a game with. Last game, [the Browns have a] really good defensive front [and a] really good defense," Linderbaum said. "At times, teams are going to get theirs, and you just have to try to limit as much as possible. As a unit, you're striving to limit as much sacks as you can, but it's a part of the game. There's a lot that goes into sacks, but it is not a determining factor in the outcome of a game."

Not all of the sacks that Jackson took against the Browns and at other various times this season have been the fault of his offensive line. There have been many instances in which he held the ball for too long, trying to wait for someone to uncover, instead of throwing it away or waiting too long before deciding to scramble, and got sacked for short losses.

However, Linderbaum and the unit that he anchors are among the league leaders in quick pressures allowed, and the only reason they don't crack the top five in sacks allowed is because Jackson is the greatest dual-threat quarterback of all time. Yet, they still have the third-highest sack percentage per pass attempt with a rate of 10.03%.

Even given the metrics and film that point to the contrary, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave a strong endorsement of his starting offensive line earlier this week, going as far as to say that he believes that they are "playing pretty darn good."

"Can they play better? Sure. And you evaluate it, play-by-play," Harbaugh said. "Every single position you evaluate it, play-for-play. And some plays are great; some plays are good. Some plays need to be better, and we want them to be better, and you try to improve on them. So, that's how it goes with every position. And there are always going to be areas that, from one game to the next, can play better.

"That's how it works. You put your team out there, and you compete. That's what we've been doing. So, all of our guys – including our offensive line – fight and compete and get after it, and that's what those guys are doing, too. So, none of our positions are perfect, and they're not perfect either, but they're trying to be. So, we put our best group out there, and we fight. That's what we do."

Rushing attack has come a long way