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It had been 645 days since Gus Edwards last played in a non-exhibition game for the Baltimore Ravens before he made his long-awaited return against the Browns in Week 7. He suffered a torn ACL just before the 2021 season got underway and missed the entire year. The patience that the team showed in bringing him back and ensuring he was “ready” paid major dividends on Sunday and was integral in their triumph.
“Gus is kind of a one-of-a-kind kind of guy, back-wise,” head coach John Harbaugh said in his postgame press conference. “He’s a downhill guy, he covers a lot of ground, he gets his pads down, he can make cuts. He’s unique; he’s his own kind of guy. Every back has a different style, and Gus’ style is very valuable to us.”
While he didn’t run for 100-plus yards, his 66 rushing yards led the team and he scored both of the Ravens’ touchdowns. Edwards looked like his old self on Sunday as he ran hard through contact, broke several tackles, carried multiple defenders for additional yards, and showed great burst and vision. According to Pro Football Focus, 44 of his total yards on the ground came after contact.
“It was tough yards, but we did some good things with [combination] blocks and everything,” Edwards said in his postgame press conference. “Big shoutout to the offensive line on both of those touchdowns for giving me … for making it easy on my part.”
In addition to tearing his ACL, Edwards shared that he also suffered a torn LCL and damage to his hamstring. He is blessed to be back on the field after a long arduous recovery and is grateful for the opportunity to continue his career.
“It took a lot of faith, getting through everything and all the adversity I faced with the injury,” Edwards said. “I had a strong team starting with God, and I’m just blessed to be in the position I am here a year later.”
The Battering Ram Is Back
Where Edwards made the biggest impact was in the aspect of the Ravens’ that his presence was sorely missed, short yardage and at the goal line. He carried the ball three times in a row to start the game, moved the chains in several short-yardage situations for key first downs, and punched the ball across the goal line for his second touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line in the third quarter.
“All that power – we’ve been missing that a lot,” Lamar Jackson said in his postgame press conference. “We’ve got a lot of ‘scat’ backs, fast, elusive backs, but he [Gus Edwards] can do both. But we’ve been missing the power, and it showed today. He was hitting the holes and getting like five yards a carry sometimes.”
“He moves the sticks, puts us in position to have positive plays at key times, and thank goodness we have him back in the lineup,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said in postgame comments.
The Key to Closing Out Games
With J.K. Dobbins out of commission for at least the next four games after being placed on injured reserve, Edwards’ timely return is just what this offense needs to close out games when they get big or narrow leads late in games.
“Any time you can convert on third and short and get yourselves another set of downs, that changes the game,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said in postgame comments. “We have to keep building on that, and we know Gus is a dominant downhill runner and he’s going to gain yardage when you give him the ball.”
The Ravens weren’t able to pick up a first down on their final drive of the game after Malik Harrison blocked the game-tying field which gave the Browns one last gasp to mount a comeback or force overtime that they weren’t able to capitalize on.
Edwards was on the sideline for that drive as the offense gained zero net yards likely because he had already reached his debut snap count limit. As he gets healthier, his usage will increase and he’ll be on the field to help the team salt away or come back in a game.
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