Can Return of J.K. Dobbins Spark Ravens Run Game?

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There is a lot riding on the potential return of J.K. Dobbins for the Ravens.

“He’s been week-to-week the last couple of weeks, so that’s what it is," coach John Harbaugh said about Dobbins. "When he’s ready, he’ll be out there.”

Since Dobbins injured his knee in last year's preseason, Baltimore has struggled to get production from its running backs.

Last year, the Ravens signed veteran Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman, and Le'Veon Bell when Dobbins and Gus Edwards were sidelined. Baltimore finished ranked third in the NFL with 145.8 rushing yards per game.

However, quarterback Lamar Jackson deserved most of the credit because he led the Ravens with 767 yards rushing, followed by Freeman (576) and Murray (501).

The @Ravens' offense scored points but the defense faltered in a 42-38 loss to the @Dolphins.
Here's their Report Card.#RavensFlock #RavensFootball https://t.co/EbVBx01nxQ via @toddkarpovich
— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) September 19, 2022

The Ravens are also struggling to get production from their running backs this season.

Kenyan Drake, Mike Davis, and Justice Hill have 29 carries and have a combined 74 yards rushing through two games. They have carried the ball 10 times for no gain or negative yards and have managed just 1 yard six times.

Comparably, quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the team with 136 yards on 15 carries.

Jackson said the team needs to overcome the challenge with the running game by throwing the ball and being more explosive.

“It’s not the Ravens of the past no more," Jackson said. "This is the NFL; it’s a new era. We’ve got to play ball. We’ve got to know that if the passing is working, we’ve got to keep passing it – if we’re doing it. We had some success running the ball, because we did score on the long one – we aren’t going to say that – but we’ve just got to finish. That’s the main thing because we were up. We’ve just got to finish, man – all phases.”

However, the Ravens do need the run game to help dictate the flow of the game. The team had a three-touchdown lead in Week 2 against the Dolphins and could not eat much of the clock because of the struggles with the running backs.

The Dolphins took advantage and threw the ball downfield for a stunning, come-from-behind 42-38 victory.

Dobbins is coming off a major knee injury and has been held out of the first two games after missing all of last season.

The Ravens are hopeful he can back to the same form he had as a rookie when he led the running backs with 805 yards on 134 carries with nine touchdowns.

Without Dobbins, there will be continued uncertainty with the Ravens running backs.

“I don’t have any predictions on how close we are or how far away we are,” Harbaugh said about getting the running game revved up.

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