Getty Ravens WR Rahsod Bateman is took exception to some recent comments made by the man that drafted him.
While the Baltimore Ravens offense has been able to move the ball consistently over the last three weeks, they’ve averaged just 19.6 points per game after averaging 33 points per game in the first three weeks of the season because they haven’t been able to capitalize in the red zone. Help could soon be on the horizon with another big divisional matchup looming in Week 7.
When they host the Cleveland Browns for an AFC North showdown this upcoming Sunday, October 23, star quarterback Lamar Jackson could be doing so with two of his best weapons at his disposal.
After missing the past two games with a sprained foot he suffered late in the Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills, second-year wide receiver Rashod Bateman could be one of several players that could be making their return to action from a minor injury.
“He’s close,” head coach John Harbaugh said in a press conference on October 17. “We’re close on a lot of guys. I’m looking forward to all those guys getting back. We’ll be talking about him this week, we’ll be talking about him on Thursday.”
Despite not playing the last two weeks, the 2021 first-round pick’s 243 receiving yards still lead his position group and are the second most on the team behind All-Pro tight Mark Andrews per Pro Football Reference. His absence has been especially missed in the big-play department and vertical passing game.
Bateman was averaging 22.1 yards per catch before he went down and even though Jackson has had Andrews and other receivers open downfield during that span, he hasn’t been connecting like he was with his top wideout through the first four weeks of the season.
“We’re not losing any concepts because he’s not out there, but it’s one less really good player out there affecting the defense,” Harbaugh said.
One player that could make his 2022 debut coming off a major injury that cost him all of the 2021 season is running back Gus Edwards. The former undrafted gem suffered a torn ACL last September but has been practicing and looking strong the past two weeks.
“Gus is in the mix. We’ll see about this week – possibly, maybe next week, maybe Thursday, somewhere in there,” Harbaugh said.
Edwards is entering his third week of practice and the team has until October 26, 2022, to decide whether to move him to the active 53-man roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
Key Starters Were Held Out in Week 6 as a Precaution
Countless Ravens fans and media pundits were wondering with bated breath to find out the status of a pair of offensive starters that remained on the sidelines for the entire second half of the team’s Week 6 loss to the New York Giants but didn’t re-enter the game.
Starting right tackle Morgan Moses appeared to look like the latest victim of the infamous and notorious turf monster that resides in MetLife Stadium when he had to be carted to the locker room after going down with a lower leg injury.
Not only did the ninth-year veteran offensive lineman emerge from the locker room still in uniform, but he could have returned to the field if necessary. The team decided to stick with Patrick Mekari who they have the utmost faith in to come in and play at a high level at any of the five positions just to be safe.
“Doesn’t look like a serious injury,” Harbaugh said in a press conference on October 16. “He was up in the second half and I chose to go with Pat [Mekari]. I just felt like it was the safer thing to do in this situation to hold him out till next week.”
The Ravens decided to pull starting running back J.K. Dobbins from their backfield rotation before he could be the third member of the team to suffer a serious injury on that field this season after his already surgically repaired knee “tightened up”.
“It just didn’t respond, probably to the turf maybe, I don’t know,” Harbaugh said. “But it tightened up and he couldn’t go.”
In their season-opening win over the New York Jets in Week 1, the Ravens saw both veteran offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller go down with season-ending injuries on that very same field. It was better safe than sorry for both Dobbins and Moses last week as both should be back for the Browns’ game.
Ravens Rushing Attack Had Best Game Yet in Week 6
Despite not having their top-running back available for the entire second half, the Ravens had their most productive and efficient rushing performance of the season to date. They finished with 211 yards on the ground on 24 carries for an impressive 8.79 yards per carry and for the first time since Week 1, Jackson wasn’t their leading rusher but still managed to average 11 yards per carry on his way to running for 77 yards on seven carries.
The player that capitalized on the extensive playing time with Dobbins out was veteran Kenyan Drake who finally looks comfortable and well-adjusted in the Ravens’ offense. He led the team in rushing for the second time this season with a season-high 119 yards on 10 carries, averaged nearly a dozen yards per carry, and scored his first touchdown of the season on a 30-yard sprint where he went untouched on his way to the end zone.
.@KDx32 for 6❗️❗️
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“It’s always next man up mentality, and he (Dobbins) was my biggest cheerleader,” Drake said in a press conference on October 16. “He’s coming off an injury and I’m coming off one myself. I felt as good as I’ve felt since my injury. I’m going to use it for momentum moving forward.”
He exhibited excellent vision, cuts, bursts, acceleration, and physicality with the ball in his from start to finish. Drake also added eight yards to his scrimmage total on a swing pass he caught out of the backfield for a first down.
SUCH a nice jump cut and use of leverage by Kenyan Drake. Awesome awesome run.
“K.D. did a really good job,” Harbaugh said. “He hit some runs, made some plays where he had to bounce one way or the other, front side or back side, hit some downhill runs. He played really well.”
Even when Dobbins, Edwards, and Hill all return, Drake has proved how explosive and effective he can be and will certainly continue to have a regular role going forward.