Le'Veon Bell Bowls Over Ravens in Vintage Performance, Showing His Value in Jets Loss
Just days after a report indicated that the New York Jets might trade Le’Veon Bell this offseason, the running back had his best rushing performance of the season in a 42-21 loss at the Baltimore Ravens.
Bell had 87 rushing yards on 21 carries, an impressive performance after he missed last Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins due to illness. The yardage was the most Bell, a free agent signing this offseason, has gotten since joining the Jets.
His 21 carries are tied for the most he’s had all season. The 4.1 yards per carry is his second highest number of 2019.
Noting that the Jets “didn’t play as well as we could have played,” Bell nonetheless had a breakout performance of sorts at the Ravens. It was a throwback performance from Bell, who was considered one of the best running backs in the NFL over the past few seasons but hasn't always shown that this year with the Jets.
In the first half in particular, Bell got a heavy amount of carries and the result was a running back who ran effectively and efficiently. Earlier this week at the team’s facility, Bell alluded to the fact that he would like more carries in the offense.
“I think when you get the ball kind of like sporadic, rather than like kind of sprinkled around - when you get it in doses. It allows you to feel the defense out, the o-line gets to feel themselves out,” Bell told reporters in the locker room following the loss in Baltimore.
“You get in a rhythm with the o-line and that’s when special things start to happen. I think we got a little sense of that today and it felt good.”
Earlier this week, a report from SNY said that the Jets could potentially move Bell and safety Jamal Adams this offseason.
The performance was good timing by Bell, both to answer his value to the team in what has been a disappointing year but also to quiet another story on him that popped up recently.
Earlier this week, a story linked Bell to bowling a few games on Saturday night at an alley in north Jersey. His trip to bowl a few games with his family came hours after he was ruled out of the next day’s game due to illness.
It wasn’t a good look for Bell, who then went out this week and put together a performance that showed his value to the Jets. Perhaps, a game like this is a good lobbying effort for Bell to get more touches the rest of the season and to be a bigger part of the offense.
He told reporters that he didn’t feel any side effects from the illness that sidelined him last week.
“I felt good. My breathing felt fine. Coaches did a good job of still getting me out of the game every now and then. I never pulled myself out,” Bell said post-game.
“Personnel things and changes, kind of give me a breather. Kind of protecting me from myself.”
