Ravens left tackle James Hurst struggles in second career start

A week ago, everything seemed great for undrafted rookie James Hurst.

Filling in at left tackle for the injured Eugene Monroe, Hurst stepped in and held his own against the Panthers in a dominating win. A week later it was the exact opposite. In a 20-13 loss, in which the offense failed to sustain any kind of momentum, Hurst surrendered three of the offensive line's four sacks allowed, getting beat routinely on speed rushes.

That's the NFL sometimes. One week you're riding high, the next you're knocked down. There's a reason Hurst went undrafted and it's because he's not an NFL starter, at least not yet. Potential exists due to how he pass blocked against Carolina. But Sunday showed that he's not ready to take a starting job any time soon.

"He's never played against that team before," left guard Kelechi Osemele told The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson. "So, it's kind of hard to really learn from that until you watch the film. We'll have to watch the film and see what we can do about that."

The Ravens will need to get more of the Hurst that showed up against the Panthers than who stepped in against the Colts, at least for as long as Monroe is out with the knee injury. It can certainly be used as a learning experience for the young tackle, who is essentially learning as he goes right now.