When Derrick Henry entered the locker room following the Ravens' first victory of the season, he jumped into right guard Daniel Faalele's arms for a bear hug.
They had reason to celebrate. Baltimore's 274 rushing yards against the Dallas Cowboys was the most by any NFL team this season. Henry (25 carries, 151 yards, two touchdowns) had his best game with Baltimore, behind the revamped offensive line that had its strongest performance.
It remains to be seen if Week 3 will be remembered as the moment Baltimore's offensive line came together. But it was a day of growth for the unit, a confidence builder that could lead to more consistency.
"I believe we took a step, with the offensive line and as a team," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "The good news is we came a long way, and the good news is we have a long way to go."
For the first time this season, all five starters on the offensive line played every snap — Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Faalele, and Patrick Mekari. There was no rotation at right tackle, with Mekari playing the entire way while rookie Roger Rosengarten didn't see action. Baltimore scored touchdowns on its first two drives, Henry pounded away at Dallas' defense, and Harbaugh didn't want to disrupt the offensive line's rhythm.
"What made me stick with it was they were doing so well," Harbaugh said. "Running the ball, pass protection — they were doing a really good job of blocking. They took care of their pass rushers, especially Micah [Parsons] — they did a great job there. So, I just felt like there was no reason to make a change."
Everyone in the NFL knows Henry is a great player, but he's also showing his leadership during his short tenure with the Ravens. He spent extra time after practice working with the offensive line on run fits leading up to the Dallas game.
The Ravens' 0-2 start put more scrutiny on the entire team, but Henry made it clear he had the offensive line's back and was determined to get it right with them.
"They came out with a mindset of moving guys off the line of scrimmage and being physical and playing the Ravens style of football," Henry said. "We all see [the criticism of the offensive line] — you can't miss much of anything nowadays — it's going to be right in your face whether you want to see it or not.
"At the end of the day, we all have to sit together. We all have to go out there and do a job, and we all have to change the narrative. … You find out who you are in tough times, and I felt like we accepted the challenge, knowing what was being said and everything that was going on; but as long as we stick together and believe in one another, we'll be right where we want to be."
Working in concert is a key to strong offensive line play, and the Ravens were in sync against Dallas. Linderbaum, the Pro Bowl center and glue to the unit, had his highest grade as a pro, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Faalele had his best game and showed athleticism and aggressiveness on a variety of key blocks. Harbaugh said he came a "long way," but again reiterated that there's a "long way to go and he's capable of so much more."
"He played with more aggressiveness," Harbaugh said. "He came off the ball; he moved people; he knocked people off the ball; he was up on linebackers; he cut people off."
When Harbaugh was asked about under-the-radar standouts in Sunday's game, Jackson interrupted to shout-out Faalele.
"He came in clutch for us today," Jackson said. "I want the same people who was giving him that doubt to give him that credit."
Faalele has switched to guard from tackle, which was his primary position in college. He is the biggest guard in the league, listed at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, and he's still gaining a comfort level with the blocks he's required to make. Faalele said he tried to block out all the criticism he got on social media last week.
"It was me just being more confident in my pass set, just trusting my technique, trusting my length and executing the play call and taking one play at a time," Faalele said. "I feel like we were all leaning on each other more and trusting each other, believing in each other and just trusting ourselves.
"It's a big relief to get my first win as a starter, and I'm just happy."
The Ravens hope the best is yet to come. How the season ends will be more important than how it started, and Henry is confident the line is headed in the right direction.
"There was a lot of criticism around the offensive line, and I was letting them know, I believe," Henry said. "We've got to do this together. It's not an individual thing – we're all tied in together. It's not going to be perfect; I'm going to make a mistake when they did their job right and vice versa. It's a long season, so there's going to be adversity. As long as we stick together and believe in one another, then we'll be good."
