At the beginning of the season, the biggest concern – by far – for the Ravens was their offensive line.
Baltimore replaced three of its five starters from last season at left guard, right guard, and right tackle. And early on, it looked like it might be a problem.
It took a few games to figure out the best combination, but the Ravens' starting five of Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, and rookie Roger Rosengarten (from left to right) have settled in.
Twelve games into the season, the Ravens' offensive line is clearly not a weakness. It's not even just passable. It's a strength.
That was on display in the Ravens' 30-23 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on "Monday Night Football."
Going against a physical Chargers defense that has allowed the fewest points per game (14.5.) in the league, the Ravens ran for 212 yards, including 140 by Derrick Henry. That's the most rushing yards the Chargers have given up this season.
Lamar Jackson was also sacked just once and hit twice, as the pass protection more than held its own. Jackson had an average time to throw of 3.43 seconds, which was the third-most he's had this season, per Next Gen Stats.
Jackson has been sacked 16 times this season. The only full-time starter who has been dropped fewer times is Josh Allen (13). Both Steelers starting quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, have been sacked as many times as Jackson.
Here are more takeaways from the film of the Ravens' big Week 12 victory in Los Angeles:
Henry was a YAC monster.
Henry had 113 yards after contact against the Chargers, which was more yards than every other runner posted in total in the NFL in Week 12 other than the Eagles' Saquon Barkley and Titans' Tony Pollard.
Henry made it a very long day for the Chargers' defensive backs.
Taking a closer look at the fourth-down conversions …
Head Coach John Harbaugh's bold decisions to go for it on fourth down three times, including from his own 16, deservedly drew plenty of praise, but they wouldn't have gone over too well had they not been executed well.
On the "Tush Push" from the Ravens' own 16-yard line, Henry gave tight end Mark Andrews, who took the direct snap from under center, a strong push from behind.
Andrews said the Ravens have had that play in their back pocket for a while and everybody has their own version. Baltimore prefers to keep Jackson out of the fray, opting for 250-pound Andrews to carry the ball, getting help from 247-pound Henry and 300-pound fullback Pat Ricard.
"I told [Andrews], said, 'I'm going to push the [s*] out of you,'" Henry said with a laugh. "He said, 'I felt you.' I said, 'You're [darn] right.' Make sure we got it, but yes, great job by everybody blocking. I had to give him a shove for us to get it."
The Ravens' second fourth-down conversion was blocked perfectly by everyone involved, springing Henry for a 27-yard romp. Tight end Charlie Kolar smashed Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa at the point of attack and Faalele pulled around with perfect timing and location.
Baltimore's third fourth-down conversion wasn't quite as pretty, as Kolar's block knocked Rosengarten to the turf, but he made up for it blocking with his back/butt with help from Ricard and Mekari to keep the gap open.
The Ravens hurried to the line and quick-snapped all three before the Chargers' defensive front could get settled.
Malik Harrison shined without Roquan Smith.
On the theme of overcoming doubters like the offensive line, linebacker Malik Harrison rose up when needed by Roquan Smith being sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Harrison finished with a team-high 12 tackles and earned the Ravens’ highest defensive grade against the Chargers.
Harrison played a versatile role, lining up at inside linebacker for 40 snaps and outside linebacker for nine, per Pro Football Focus.
The Ravens don't have just one star running back.
While Henry's 140-yard game stole the show, Justice Hill showed once again that he's one of the Ravens' top offensive threats this season and one of the NFL's top bargains at running back, just months after signing an extension.
Hill's pass protection has been excellent all season and was once again on Jackson's 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrews.
Hill's 51-yard touchdown run on third-and-1 basically sealed the game and showed his breakaway speed.
There will be an elite running back showdown Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium between Henry and the Eagles' Saquon Barkley. While Barkley leads Henry by 67 yards, the Ravens have the better running back duo.
Extra Points
SeatGeek has the best tickets at the best price to Ravens games. Click here to be there. Let's go!
