Why illegal lineup penalties dominated the Chiefs' season opener against the Ravens and what that means for the rest of 2024

The 2024 NFL season began Thursday night, marked by as much hype over offensive line penalties as it was by high-scoring performances by the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, the Ravens failed to complete a single drive without receiving three different flags for illegal lineup, a violation that left tackle Ronnie Stanley committed four times in the first half alone.

Why this sudden rush of flags for illegal positioning? And what does this mean for the rest of the season?

First things first: The NFL puts a focus on referees every year. Sometimes it tests replays of pass interference (remember those?). This year, according to Football Zebras, it was to crack down on illegal lineups.

The violation refers to a team failing to properly line up at the line of scrimmage at the start of an offensive play with seven players. Offensive tackles are normally allowed to line up “off” the line if their helmet is not behind the center's waist, but this has been a gray area in recent years, particularly in Week 1 of last season when Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor repeatedly and “outrageous” against the Detroit Lions, which resulted in several markings and even more criticism on social media.

“The formation fouls were discussed in detail with the teams before, during and after training camps by the referees’ department,” Football Zebras reported on Thursday. “The bowing of the linemen is an advantage in pass rush situations, and the [NFL’s] The competition committee said it had to be closed.”

Hence the quick and repeated emphasis on the fouls in Thursday's game. As for the future, don't expect illegal lineup penalties to stop immediately. Fans worried about a season full of penalties, however, needn't worry too much. CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore noted last year in the wake of Taylor's Week 1 violations that the first week of the regular season is a “wake-up call” for players and referee teams. Up until that point, no one has really been running full-speed NFL action since last year, and so the rampant violations tend to even out in the weeks that follow.