Ravens tackle rips refs for slew of head-scratching penalties

Scott Davis

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Ravens tackle rips refs for slew of head-scratching penalties image

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley wasn't pleased with the referees' emphasis on illegal formations on Thursday.

The Ravens were flagged four times for illegal formations during their opening-night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Stanley was flagged three times for illegal formation.

Illegal formation is a point of emphasis for referees this season. In the past, officials wouldn't always flag players if the offensive line bowed backward or if players were half-a-step behind the line of scrimmage. But on Thursday, referees called it tightly, especially so for the Ravens.

After the game, Stanley criticized the refs, saying he felt they were making an example out of him.

"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," Stanley told reporters (via The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec). "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 a 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.

"If it’s that egregious that they are making those calls and they shouldn’t be, they should be held accountable."

Stanley felt the game was called differently than how NFL referees handled it during training camp.

"I would even go as far to say, I was lining up more in front of what I used to do in years past because of the emphasis," Stanley said. "That was something we knew about in training camp and we were working on it as linemen. We have refs at practice all the time. It’s never been an issue."

NFL fans and analysts noted throughout the night that there was a discrepancy between how the Ravens were allowed to line up and how the Chiefs were. Several people on social media felt the Chiefs were dropping back on the line and not being called for it.

After the game, on ESPN's "SportsCenter," Scott Van Pelt said he felt the referees were a little too involved in the game.

The Ravens have nine days until their Week 2 home-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. They will surely try to correct how they're lining up to avoid more costly penalties. But they will likely also express their displeasure to the league.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis Photo

Scott Davis covers the Knicks and Ravens on The Sporting News. He previously spent much of the last decade as a sports reporter for Business Insider, covering all sports, with a specific focus on the NBA and NFL. Follow him on Twitter/X @WScottDavis