The days between Week 1 and Week 2 is a critical time for NFL teams as they make adjustments after their first game of the season.
While the Ravens' season-opening 27-20 loss by a toe to the Kansas City Chiefs was a tough one, Baltimore has the advantage of extra time before its home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.
Here's what the Ravens will be looking to build on and fix this week:
Lamar Jackson was not the problem.
If it needed to be said, Lamar Jackson was not why the Ravens lost. Jackson's 395 yards accounted for 87% of Baltimore's offensive output, as he threw for 273 and ran for 122.
What's notable is that Jackson displayed some wide usage of the pre-snap adjustments that were the focus of his offseason. One instance was on 19-yard pass to Zay Flowers on third-and-9 of the opening drive. Jackson looked to check at the line and hit Flowers with a perfect throw on a crossing route.
The final three plays of the game were the focus because the game ultimately came down to whether the Ravens could punch it into the end zone with three cracks from the 10-yard line.
Jackson found himself throwing around Chiefs defenders in his window on the first two downs. He also had the challenge of being pursued by Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones, who had a monster game, on the final two throws with running back Justice Hill as the only man blocking him.
Penalties aside, Ronnie Stanley got off to a strong start.
The most perplexing part of the loss was the four illegal formation penalties on the Ravens' offensive line, including three on left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The NFL made it a point of emphasis this offseason and used the season-kickoff game, and especially the first drive, to make the point.
But aside from the penalties, in which only one contributed to a punt on a stalled drive, Stanley played at a high level, giving hope that the former All-Pro can return to at or near that level this season.
Stanley was the Ravens' highest-graded offensive lineman via Pro Football Focus (PFF), and only surrendered two pressures on 30 pass blocking reps.
While Jones had some quick pass rush wins against right tackle Roger Rosengarten and right guard Daniel Faalele, specifically, Jackson was under pressure on 29.4% of his drop-backs, according to PFF, which is below last season's average of 36.9%.
Run blocking must improve for Derrick Henry.
Derrick Henry scored a touchdown on the Ravens' opening drive, but didn't find consistent success throughout the game, tallying just 46 yards on 13 carries (3.5 per run).
The Ravens committed extra blockers in the run game, using their tight ends and fullback Patrick Ricard, but their three new starters took too many losses to get consistent momentum.
Faalele (55.5 PFF grade), right tackle Patrick Mekari (53.2), left guard Andrew Vorhees (51.0), and Rosengarten (48.2) were the Ravens' lowest-graded offensive linemen in run blocking.
Henry still had four yards over expected, per NextGen Stats, making him one of 12 running backs with at least 10 carries to do so in Week 1. But there wasn't much running room for the "King" out of the gates.
The Ravens' highest-graded run blocker was tight end Isaiah Likely, which is enabling him to get on the field for more snaps. The Ravens played in "12" personnel (one back, two tight ends) more than in any game last season.
Mark Andrews was targeted by only two passes while Likely had 12 targets. A major reason is because the Chiefs often doubled Andrews.
The Ravens didn't thrust Trenton Simpson into three-down duties.
In his first game taking over for Patrick Queen as the Ravens' new starter next to Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson got a sack and nearly had an interception on a fourth quarter pass he tipped.
However, the Ravens didn't use him in three-down duties like they leaned on Queen for last season as Simpson played 70% of the snaps. On the plays in which Smith was paired with Malik Harrison, the Ravens defense allowed 10.2 yards per play. Harrison was beaten in the open field by running back Isaiah Pacheco for a 23-yard gain.
The Ravens had difficulty defending the pass over the middle with Rashee Rice ripping gains of 16 and 19 yards in the first quarter and a 33-yard gain in the third quarter.
Travis Jones is making preseason predictions looking good.
Ravens players picked defensive tackle Travis Jones as their top breakout candidate for the 2024 season and he's making them look good so far.
Jones' pressure penned Patrick Mahomes in for a David Ojabo sack. His pressure also contributed to Smith's interception.
