In a heartbreaking loss to the bitter rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens rookie running back J.K. Dobbins took the the leap many Baltimore fans have been anticipating since the season opened. With the starter in the depth chart Mark Ingram inactive with an ankle injury, the load was put on Dobbins and Gus Edwards to run the football and keep a stout defense rested.
Dobbins was given 15 carries for 113 yards, giving him 7.8 yards per carry with a long run of 28 yards. Dobbins becomes the first Ravens running back to go over 100 yards on the ground in a single game this season. Edwards was not too shabby himself with 87 yards and a score on 16 carries.
While losing to the Steelers is a bad day for any Ravens’ fan, Dobbins is a clear bright spot that will continue to be a big part of the Ravens offense in the second half of the season. If he can put together a few more games like this, it will pay dividends for the Ravens ability to take time off of the clock against the tough offenses of the AFC.
Dobbins proving he can be productive with a heavy workload is a major step for his NFL career. Establishing trust in the locker room along with the coaching staff should give him the green light moving forward. Considering how quarterback Lamar Jackson turned the ball over four times in the game, an argument could be made Dobbins would have been the key player in a major victory over the Steelers had the quarterback play been better.
With the Ravens sitting at 5-2, there’s no doubt they will take the positives from this close defeat and implement them into how they will run the offense moving forward. Look to see more from the 21-year old Dobbins in the latter half of 2020.
