The Baltimore Ravens haven’t found the same success on the offensive line as last year’s unit. Entering Week 9, Baltimore will see two new starters on the offensive line after getting hit with major injuries Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens announced they’ve placed both left tackle Ronnie Stanley and right guard Tyre Phillips on injured reserve Tuesday. While the move was expected for Stanley following his season-ending ankle injury, the decision to put Phillips on injured reserve is a little more surprising.
Coach John Harbaugh noted on Monday’s press conference that the severity of Phillips ankle injury was to still be determined via MRI. While it’s unclear exactly how severe Phillips’ injury is, there’s a chance he could only be on short-term injured reserve for a minimum of three weeks before returning.
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That’s not much of a comfort for the Ravens, however. Baltimore has already struggled to replace right guard Marshal Yanda, who retired over the offseason. With Stanley being the team’s best offensive lineman and arguably the most important one, finding a suitable replacement there is even more tenuous.
The Ravens found continued success on the ground following Stanley and Phillips leaving Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh with their injuries. Baltimore ran for a total of 265 yards and a touchdown against the highly-rated Steelers’ defense. Orlando Brown Jr. moved to left tackle as Stanley’s replacement while D.J. Fluker took over for Brown at right tackle, and Patrick Mekari took over the starting duties at right guard. While the starting lineup could very well change once again before the Ravens play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, that’s the latest iteration of the offensive line we’ve seen this season.
It’s just another day in a bad week for Baltimore. Not only did they drop to 5-2 on the season after losing to Pittsburgh and had to place Stanley and Phillips on injured reserve, cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19 and was in close contact with six other players which forces them into quarantine as well.
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