Kansas City Chiefs: 3 Ravens players to watch in Week 2

Offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva did not impress in his Baltimore debut. With Ronnie Stanley possibly out, how will the Ravens protect Lamar Jackson?

Whether Stanely plays Sunday or not, Alejandro Villanueva will still have an impact. The question remains if he will negatively or positively impact Baltimore’s game.

Villanueva came to Baltimore on a two-year, $14 million deal this past offseason. After several good seasons for divisional foe Pittsburgh Steelers, Villanueva came with expectations to be a solid, dependable right tackle following the Orlando Brown trade.

His debut did not meet that expectation.

Raiders defensive linemen Maxx Crosby gave Villanueva all he could handle, reaching nine quarterback pressures, eight quarterback hits, and two sacks. While Crosby is not a bad player, he is not on the elite level that Baltimore will consistently face.

Stanley did not practice at all following Week 1, and is not expected to see the field against the Kansas City Chiefs. Villanueva has extensive experience at left tackle, starting 90 straight games there for the Steelers from 2015-2020. However, Villanueva looked like a shell of that player at right tackle. Could a shift back to the left side be what he needs?

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Possibly, but the defense will feast either way. Whether it is Chiefs defensive linemen Chris Jones or the returning Frank Clark, Villanueva will face one or the other. If Crosby gave Villanueva fits, how dominant could Jones do in Week 2? Time will tell, but fans should certainly watch where Villanueva lines up and who lines up across him.