The Ravens scored the first touchdown of the 2024 NFL season when Derrick Henry plowed into the end zone on a five-yard run.
It came despite some early struggles with illegal formation penalties.
Baltimore was flagged for using an illegal formation three times on its first drive of the 2024 season. All three saw the officials flag one of the Ravens' offensive linemen for lining up behind the line of scrimmage as opposed to on it.
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That the officials called some extra illegal formation penalties isn't a surprise. The NFL made them one of the league's points of emphasis coming into the season, meaning there would be a crackdown regarding the alignment of offensive linemen in 2024.
Here's what to know about the illegal formation penalty and it will likely be a staple of the early part of the NFL season.
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Illegal formation penalties, explained
The NFL has fairly simple illegal formation rules for the offense. There are three principles by which the offense must abide, according to the NFL's official rulebook:
- It must have seven or more players on the line;
- Eligible receivers must be on both ends of the line, and all of the players on the line between them must be ineligible receivers;
- No player may be out of bounds.
"The line" is a reference to the line of scrimmage, where each of the team's five offensive linemen must be aligned before the play. If they are behind the line, they can be flagged for an illegal formation, which results in a five-yard penalty.
In the past, NFL officials gave a little leeway to players on the end of the offensive line. That meant tackles could be a half-step to a step further back of the line and typically, a penalty wouldn't be called.
Because of the NFL's point of emphasis, offensive tackles are being evaluated under heavier scrutiny. They must have their helmet aligned with at least the belt line of the center to avoid being flagged.
The Ravens couldn't do that on their first drive of the game, and it nearly proved costly.
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Ravens illegal formation penalties vs. Chiefs
The Ravens were called for their first illegal formation penalty on the second play of the game. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley lined up a hair too far back, and Shawn Hochuli's crew was quick to break the flag out and penalize him.
Four plays later, Ravens right tackle Patrick Mekari was called for the same issue. The Chiefs declined that penalty, as Lamar Jackson's screen pass to Derrick Henry was tipped and fell incomplete, but it created a sense of unease for viewers trying to familiarize themselves with the new emphasis.
On the next play, Stanley was once again whistled for being positioned too far back. The penalty offset a big-time downfield pass interference call on the Chiefs, which could have hurt the Ravens, and many — including NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth — expressed that the penalty was being called "razor-sharp" by the crew.
The Ravens were called for illegal formation three times on the first drive (twice for Ronnie Stanley) of the 2024 NFL season.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2024
"Wow! I mean, they are calling this razor-sharp here." - Cris Collinsworth 🏈🎙️🦓 pic.twitter.com/TecSqGP9nQ
Indeed, Stanley was lined up close to the right spot on that play, and his helmet may well have been in line with the center's belt line had he bent down. It appeared that his inside leg was at the appropriate depth as well.
Even so, Hochuli's crew saw enough to call the penalty, putting the Ravens in a tough, third-and-9 situation.
Stanley said after the game that he felt as though he was specifically being targeted by the officials.
"I thought it was a little different," Stanley said. "And then the way it was going through the game, I really feel like they were just trying to make an example and they chose me to be the one to do that. As far as I saw, they weren't doing it on both sides of the ball, and I know that I was lined up in good position the majority of those calls they made. But we'll go back and watch the film and we'll make sure of it and we'll send it in [to the league office]."
The Ravens offensive tackle felt as though the Chiefs also should have been called for the same penalties that he and his offensive line were being flagged for.
"I'm looking at their tackles, especially the right side, and I know I'm lining up in front of that guy," Stanley said. "And they didn't call him one time. It's a little bit of making me feel like I'm crazy, [that] I don't know where I'm lining up. I feel like we'll watch the film. They just need to be held accountable if that's what it is. If it's that egregious that they are making those calls — and they shouldn't be — they should be held accountable."
The Ravens managed to overcome those penalties in the game's early stages and cleaned up the operation after that. They were whistled for two more illegal formations on offense throughout the game, but only one after the first drive was the product for the offensive line.
But rest assured that between Week 1 and Week 2, John Harbaugh will address the NFL's emphasis on illegal formations with his offensive line.
