Why have the Ravens been penalized so often for illegal lineups?

One of the most notable stories from the NFL's season opener was the number of times referees called the Baltimore Ravens a penalty for illegal lineup.

In their 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, the Baltimore Ravens were called for illegal lineup four times in the first half. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley received three of those penalties – two of them on the Ravens' first drive.

Stanley said after the game that he had the impression that the referees wanted to make an example, and the penalty was called differently than when the league's referees were at training camps during the offseason and were communicated to the team.

But why were there so many such calls on Thursday evening?

What you need to know:

What is an illegal company?

An illegal formation occurs when the offense does not have enough players on the line of scrimmage or when those players are not in the right places on the line.

Teams must have seven or more players on the line of scrimmage and eligible receivers must be on both ends of the line. Any player on the line between those receivers is considered ineligible and will be assessed a five-yard penalty and the down will be replayed.

An example of this was the recent illegal lineup penalty assessed to Baltimore's Rashod Bateman. The receiver lined up near the Ravens' sideline but was ruled not to be at the line of scrimmage, meaning Baltimore did not have an eligible receiver on that side of the field.

Why were the Ravens penalized so often?

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the game that teams had been informed that referees would place special emphasis on alignment before the snap and that plays would therefore be “different.”

“[Not] “They understood how different we started the first offensive series of the season, and I think everyone who saw it probably saw that,” Harbaugh said.

Referees ruled that Stanley (twice) and Ravens offensive lineman Patrick Mekari (once) were too far back three times on the Ravens' opening drive. Stanley said he felt the rulings were inconsistent with how they were told the rule would be enforced.

“We actually talked to the referees at the OTAs and got pretty good explanations,” he said. “We did a good job at the OTAs and today it's suddenly the referees' decision, no matter what they call. But it didn't feel consistent with what the other referees had told us before.”

Why are these flags controversial?

Stanley and several fans on various social media sites said the Chiefs' tackles were similarly directed and went unpunished.

“I look at their tackles, especially on the right side, and I know I'm lining up in front of this guy. And they haven't called him once,” Stanley said. “It makes me feel a little crazy that I don't know where I'm lining up.”

Stanley was referring to Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who coincidentally led the NFL with 17 penalties in 2023. Stanley said he spoke to officials during the game and was told he needed to “step up.”

“And I thought to myself, 'How far do I have to go?'” he said. “It's not my first year in this league. I know where to line up, and I was much further forward than usual. I know my helmet broke the center's butt.”

Will the term “illegal formation” remain the same throughout the year?

Harbaugh said after the game that he hoped they would call out illegal lineups in the same way in the future.

“I challenge them to say it all season long like they said it tonight,” he said.

(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)