Aggregate OL Results

The Ravens provided Jackson Ample Time and Space (ATS) on 8 of 26 pass plays (31%).  On those 8 ATS plays, he completed 6 for 85 yards (10.6 YPP).  For the season, he’s now had 15 ATS plays for 218 yards (14.5 YPP). 

Summarizing the OL performance:

  • They did not allow any sacks (Sorenson’s sack came on an unblocked blitz)
  • They did not allow a QH
  • They were responsible for an aggregate 5 pressures
  • They allowed 2 penetrations, 1 of which came on a bad snap
  • They were penalized 4 times for 30 yards, of which the illegal formation penalty was the fault of a receiver and the illegal man downfield was an awful call
  • They connected on 30 of 33 pulls

The grades reflect this generalized success and a favorable set of circumstances for running the football.

Refitting Scheme to Personnel

Greg Roman did a lot to change his game plan/packages to fit the players available.  In particular:

  • He used additional inline blockers to help his tackles
  • Those included 2 non-goal-line plays with 14 personnel and 1.82 (FB/TE/OL6) per play
  • He called 15 set and 7 chip blocks among 26 pass plays (excludes the spike)

It was a quick and effective refit that played well to both the Chiefs strengths and weaknesses.  By having a weakness at tackle, the Ravens became a more efficient run team and may have drawn up the blueprint for the 2021 season.

Individual Scoring

The Ravens ran 66 scored snaps (excludes accepted penalties which result in no play, kneels, spikes, and special teams plays that result in a run or pass).

Villanueva:  Alejandro had a solid recovery from the MNF debacle in Las Vegas.  He allowed 3 full pressures (beaten outside by Jones, Q1, 12:51; bulled by Clark, Q2, 5:24; beaten inside by DE Mike Danna, Q2, 0:33).  There were 2 other occasions that were close to pressure with ground surrendered in the pocket (both scored as misses).  He also had Lamar run him out of a pressure (Q3, 2:01).  He missed 6 blocks, of which 4 were losses at or behind the LoS.  He made 3 blocks in level 2, delivered 4 pancakes, and connected (or sold a fake) on 5 of 5 pulls.  Of his 3 highlights, the most impressive was a combination on DT Tershon Wharton then a L2 pancake of LB Nick Bolton on Duvernay’s touchdown.  He had an impressive game as a run blocker, but I expect Roman will continue to game plan to protect both him and Mekari with a TE-centric offense.

Scoring:  66 plays, 57 blocks, 6 missed, 3 pressures, 1 offensive holding, 45 points (.68 per play).  That’s a C with adjustment.  He’ll stay at LT because the Ravens don’t have other options, but this wasn’t the sort of game that should put anyone’s mind to rest about what he provides as a pass blocker.

Powers:  Ben split time with Ben Cleveland and had a good game ruined by a holding flag.  That flag negated a 6-yard run by Murray, but the Ravens would recover from 2nd and 24 to score 2 plays later on Lamar’s jump pass to Hollywood.  Ben shared a pressure with Mekari (Q1, 14:19) on what would become the pick-6 by Mathieu.  His only missed block was a loss at the LoS.  He made 1 block in level 2, had 1 pancake, and connected on 7 of 7 pulls.  He did not have a highlight.

Scoring:  38 plays, 36 blocks, 1 missed, ½ pressure, 1 offensive holding, 29 points (.76 per play).  That’s a C after adjustment.

Cleveland:  Ben was on the field for both 4th-quarter TD drives and avoided any big errors.  He shared a pressure (bulled by Jones) with Zeitler on Mathieu’s 2nd interception (Q1, 1:24).  Of his 3 missed blocks, 2 were losses at the LoS.  He did not have a block in level 2, pancake, or highlight.  He connected on 2 of 3 pulls.  He was physical in the run game, but nothing to the level of a highlight push.  Since he played when the Chiefs defense was most tired, that may be a reason for mild concern.

Scoring: 28 plays, 24 blocks, 3 missed, ½ pressure, 23 points (.82 per play).  That’s a B with adjustment.  It’s good to have 2 players contribute at one OL position for competition and depth, but if the Ravens are going to continue to rely on the run as much as it appears they may in 2021, the ability to rotate in a fresh OL versus tired defenders is valuable.

Bozeman:  Bradley again played well in his second game at center.  His high snap was handled well by Jackson, but it was the cause of the 1-yard loss, so I charged it directly as a penetration.  He surrendered a 2nd penetration when bulled by DT Jarran Reed to blow up Freeman’s run left for a loss of 2 (Q3, 5:03).  As in the Las Vegas opener, he did not have a pass rushing charge.  Of 3 missed blocks, all were losses at the LoS.  He had 3 blocks in level 2 and made 6 of 6 pulls.  The better of his 2 highlights was a combination on DT Wharton then ILB Hitchens in L2 (Q4, 6:15).

Scoring:  66 plays, 61 blocks, 3 missed, 2 penetrations, 57 points (.86 per play). That’s a B with adjustment.

Zeitler:  Kevin played all 66 snaps and had the best game of any Ravens lineman.  His only negative play was a pressure shared with Cleveland (Q1, 1:24).  Of 3 missed blocks, 2 were losses at the LoS.  He made 1 block in level 2 and connected on 8 of 9 pulls.  His highlight was a combination on DT Khalen Saunders and L2 block on LB Nick Bolton.

His game will be remembered for the illegal man downfield penalty on the 2-point conversion.  That call was not only improper due to the opponent shove (as Terry McAulay noted on air), but it was inconsistent with a number of other instances of downfield setup (by both teams) on screen passes. 

Scoring:  66 plays, 62 blocks, 3 missed, ½ pressure, 61 points (.92 per play).  That’s an A before adjustment.  Had the penalty been charged (I do not score 2-point conversions normally), his raw score would have dropped to .88 and his grade would have been an A- after adjustment.

Mekari:  Patrick played well in his 2021 RT debut.  He shared a pressure with Powers when bulled by Frank Clark on the game’s 3rd offensive play (Q1, 14:19).  That was his only negative play.  He missed 5 blocks, of which only 1 was a loss at the LoS.  He made 4 blocks in level 2 and made 2 of 3 pulls.  He did not have a pancake.  Of 2 highlights, I enjoyed his well-maintained block on Frank Clark to help lead Ty”Son Williams’ 11-yard run on 2nd and 9 (Q4, 6:59). 

In a general sense, the Ravens did a fine job sealing the right edge in this game.  Mekari was effective as were additional in-line blockers to his right.  The Ravens did a lot to help Mekari in this game as mentioned above in terms of fitting the scheme to the personnel.  I don’t want to minimize Patrick’s performance, which was outstanding, but I’m also not convinced the Ravens could be as efficient with their current tackles without TE-centric scheme and play calling. 

Scoring:  66 plays, 60 blocks, 5 missed, ½ pressure, 59 points (.89 per play).  That’s an A with or without adjustment.  It would have been an A with adjustment at guard as well.

Colon:  Trystan made 7 of his 8 blocks as a sixth offensive lineman.  Those included 3 blocks in level 2, 1 pancake and a highlight combination on DT Hunt then LB Bailey that he maintained to the echo of the whistle (Q4, 7:37).

If you’re interested in seeing scoring trends for the players this season, those charts will be posted in the Gallery section and updated weekly.