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John Harbaugh’s latest update is bad news for the Cincinnati Bengals because the NFL’s best offense could welcome back Keaton Mitchell for Thursday Night Football in Week 10. The breakout running back for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 is nearing a return from the knee injury that’s kept him out since last December, and Harbaugh is ready to create a spot on the 53-man active roster for Mitchell.
Harbaugh spoke to reporters on Monday, November 4 and revealed, “We’ll make the roster spot, you know, work for Keaton. When he’s ready to go and compete and protect himself and all those different things, I promise you he’ll definitely be out there.
When pressed if there was a chance of Mitchell suiting up against the Ravens’ AFC North rivals at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday, Harbaugh declared, “there’s a chance. There’s always a chance.”
Having Mitchell back in the lineup would add one more big-play specialist to an offense loaded with playmakers. The Ravens are likely to need all of them to overcome a Bengals team that’s been a thorn in their sides during recent years.
Keaton Mitchell Would Be Another Home-Run Hitter
It’s not as if the Ravens are lacking sudden-strike capability on the ground. Not when NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry has stockpiled “12 runs of 20+ yards this season. That’s more than any player had all of last season,” according to The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia.
Henry is winning with his distinctive combination of brute force and deceptive, field-stretching speed. The latter quality is something Mitchell possesses.
Natural acceleration helped the undrafted free agent out of East Carolina rip off several big runs in limited action. Those splash plays included a 40-yard touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks that saw Mitchell hit a top speed of “20.99 mph,” per Next Gen Stats.
This was just one example of the dynamism that made Mitchell a breakout star before injury cruelly struck. Now he’s getting closer to a full return, the 22-year-old can join Henry to help the Ravens field the league’s premier thunder and lightning combination.
If the Bengals are the first victims, the Ravens will sweep a team that continues to give them problems.
Bengals Have Been a Tough Matchup for Ravens
Although they won 41-38 in overtime in Week 5, the Ravens were given all they could handle in Cincinnati. A close game was no surprise, even though the Ravens own a 3-5 record over the Bengals since 2020.
The Bengals still pose matchup problems thanks to quarterback Joe Burrow and a fleet of talent wide receivers enjoying mastery over a struggling secondary. There’s also a rugged front seven led by edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson, defensive tackle B.J. Hill and middle linebacker Logan Wilson, that’s generally been able to compete physically against Baltimore’s brawn.
Burrow and Co. dropped two lopsided losses on the Ravens in 2021 and bounced the team out of the playoffs after the 2022 season. Two of those games involved Cincy piling up 40-plus points.
Scoring bonanzas have been the currency of the Ravens this season. They’re coming off a 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos inspired by Lamar Jackson’s brilliance as a passer, along with Henry’s almost impossibly high standards.
Adding another weapon alongside this elite duo, and All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and gifted wideout Zay Flowers, would cement this season’s Ravens as unstoppable.
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