[Baltimore Sun] Ravens film study: How Daniel Faalele paved the way vs. Cowboys
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Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson saw the criticism and condemnation. Running back Derrick Henry sensed a need for an injection of confidence. Coach John Harbaugh had a plan in his back pocket.
Through the first two games of this season, Baltimore’s offensive line seemed worrisomely if not oddly constructed, and its performance therefore unsurprisingly execrable.
No one bore the ire of the fan base more than right guard Daniel Faalele, who at 6 feet 8 and 380 pounds looked like an obviously oversized square peg for a round hole. Men his size are, simply put, better suited for tackle, which is the position he had played his first two years in the NFL and all four years in college at Minnesota until the loss of three starters up front in the offseason left the Ravens scrambling on how best to plug a suddenly leaky dam.
So it was no wonder then that on Sunday night deep inside AT&T Stadium after the Ravens’ nail-biting 28-25 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that Jackson, sitting a few feet to Harbaugh’s right as the coach spoke from the adjacent podium, interrupted halfway through the news conference to shout out his besieged guard’s name in praise.
“I’ve seen it,” Jackson said later. “I see a lot of things – when [people are] tweeting and stuff – but that’s just social media. At the end of the day, he is getting paid to do what he’s supposed to do, and he busted his behind each and every time. It’s not like he’s trying to mess up. All of us make mistakes out there on that field. But, he came in clutch for us today, and I want the same people who were giving him that doubt to praise him and give him that credit for what he deserves.”
Then there was Henry, who two days before the game took the unusual step of spending time with the offensive line during warmups and after the game praised the group, along with fullback Patrick Ricard, by mentioning each of them by name.
“I was letting them know, ‘I believe in you. We’ve got to do this together,’” he said. “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 and be wrong 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.”
Harbaugh didn’t make the expected changes to the offensive line because he didn’t have to. The Ravens ran all over the Cowboys, and while it was a group effort to reach 274 rushing yards, no one was perhaps more improved than the 24-year-old Australia native and 2022 fourth-round draft pick, particularly on paving the way for Jackson and Henry. Faalele was the second-highest-rated lineman on the team in zone run blocking behind only Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum with an 80.3 grade, per Pro Football Focus. His pass blocking wasn’t as sharp, but it didn’t have to be with Baltimore throwing the ball just 15 times. He allowed just two pressures and on sacks.
“It’s good knowing that they believe in me,” the soft-spoken Faalele said. “I’m just going to keep getting better and keep working at what I need to get better at.
“I try to just block out all the noise.”
Ravens right guard Daniel Faalele, right, makes a block to help lead the way for running back Derrick Henry in Sunday’s win against the Cowboys. (Gareth Patterson/AP)
Sunday, there were several plays where he blocked out the Cowboys, too. There were perhaps no better and consistent examples than on the Ravens’ last drive of the first half and the opening one of the third quarter, both resulting in touchdowns.
On the former, Faalele helped clear the way for runs of 12 and 13 yards for Henry early in the drive. Then, on a screen pass, he briefly blocked defensive tackle Mazi Smith before releasing downfield to gobble up safety Donovan Wilson, springing Henry for a 23-yard gain. Three plays later, Faalele briefly helped on defensive end Carlos Watkins before picking up a twisting DeMarcus Lawrence, buying Jackson enough time to find Rashod Bateman wide-open in the end zone.
In the third quarter, Faalele picked up where he left off in the second. On a third-and-1 from the Ravens’ 29-yard line, he assisted on Smith before engulfing Wilson as Henry galloped for 29 more yards. Three plays later, Faalele and Linderbaum took care of Smith, while right tackle Patrick Mekari sealed off his defender, and Henry burst through a big opening for a 26-yard score.
Derrick Henry is bullying the Cowboys D
pic.twitter.com/XQAxtYFd6J
— PFF (@PFF) September 22, 2024
“What made me stick with it was they were doing so well,” Harbaugh said of the offensive line. “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 there.”
Parsons, one of the great pass rushers in the game, was held to just five tackles, one quarterback hit and zero sacks.
This, seven days after Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby tore through Baltimore’s line and straight to AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Still, there were occasions Sunday when Faalele was too slow or got pushed around or both.
On the Ravens’ second series of the game, he was unable to help Mekari after Parsons beat the tackle to the inside and the All-Pro linebacker chased Jackson down on a scramble to the sideline. One play later, Smith easily beat Faalele on the outside but was saved when Jackson quickly unloaded a short out to receiver Nelson Agholor, who juked his defender and raced 56 yards down the sideline.
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Then on a third-and-8 from their own 34 early in the second quarter, Faalele’s footwork and hand placement lagged as he tried unsuccessfully to prevent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from getting by his outside shoulder. Jackson was nearly sacked as he got off a short pass to Zay Flowers that only went for 4 yards and led to a punt.
There were other times, too, when Faalele was moved backward, including near the end of a long day that included 63 snaps on offense and a furious comeback by the Cowboys.
But when the game was in the balance, Jackson came through, picking up 10 yards on a run-pass option on second-and-9 with under 2 minutes remaining to seal it. One of the blockers leading the way? A pulling Faalele, who picked off linebacker Eric Kendricks to prevent him from closing the hole.
“I just feel like we were all just leaning on each other more and trusting each other, believing in each other and just trusting ourselves,” Faalele said. “It’s a big relief [to get my] first win as a starter, and I’m just happy.”
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