The NFL preseason winds down this weekend, and all 32 teams are hoping to accomplish the same goal.
Get through the final slate of preseason games while avoiding any serious injuries.
Unfortunately, it seems like the Baltimore Ravens might not have met that goal.
On the Ravens’ first drive of their preseason finale against the Washington Football Team, Dobbins took in a short screen pass on the left side of the Baltimore offense and looked for yardage upfield. He was chopped down by a pair of Washington defenders did not get up:
Here is a video of the Dobbins injury
He was carted to the locker room.pic.twitter.com/ZGSyIMDIsh
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 28, 2021
You can see his left knee buckle on this replay angle, as well as Dobbins being helped up by teammates:
#Ravens RB JK Dobbins went down with an injury and had to be helped off the field. pic.twitter.com/SNJskhhSZi
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 28, 2021
Dobbins was helped off the field and taken to the medical tent. After being examined, he was then taken to the locker room via a cart:
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is out of the blue medical tent and appears to be going on a cart to locker room. Several Ravens offensive players are going over to to see him.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 28, 2021
While the Ravens await word on the extent of the injury, Mario Pilato, the injury expert at Pro Football Focus, outlined some possibilities based on the video:
#Ravens RB JK Dobbins went down with an injury. Clips I have seen it was contact that forced a hyperextension. Common possibilities = PCL and/MCL injury or bone bruise. ACL (potential but uncommon in hyperextension).
— Mario Pilato (@PFF_Mario) August 28, 2021
Trevor Sikkema, also of Pro Football Focus, summed up what much of the football world was feeling:
NO. DONT DO THIS @GOD https://t.co/HIL5br52rt
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) August 28, 2021
Injuries are unfortunately part of the sport, and you never want to see a player suffer an injury like this in a preseason game. With the NFL placing a bye week between the third and final preseason game, and the start of the regular season, more starter-level players like Dobbins are seeing the field in this final preseason tune-up, as coaches want to avoid players having a long layoff between games. Whether this is changed next year is likely to be debated in the coming months.
