Patrick Smith/Getty Images Running back J.K. Dobbins of the Baltimore Ravens is tackled by defensive end Isaiah Buggs of the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 01, 2020.
On Monday the Baltimore Ravens announced that “multiple members” of their organization have tested positive for COVID-19. As such, those individuals are now self-quarantining and the team has started the process of contact tracing. In addition, the team’s facility has been closed, so all activities are currently being conducted virtually.
According to Mike Garafolo, reporter for NFL Network, Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and D.K. Dobbins have both tested positive for COVID-19 and will be placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Monday afternoon.
Dobbins, a rookie out of Ohio State, has 72 carriers for 380 yards this season, along with three touchdowns. Ingram has 57 carries for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Neither running back will be available to the Ravens when the club plays the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, even if the game is postponed for three or four days. That means the Ravens will be forced to rely on Gus Edwards, who has 85 carries for 376 yards and three touchdowns this year.
Ravens-Steelers Scheduled to Play on Thanksgiving Night
At the moment, the Ravens (6-4) are still scheduled to play the Steelers (10-0) at Heinz Field at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, but the NFL could postpone the game until Sunday—or even Monday—if more Baltimore Ravens players test positive in the coming days.
If the Ravens-Steelers game is postponed it would be the second Steelers game to be postponed this season. In early October the Steelers-Titans matchup in Nashville was delayed after a COVID-19 outbreak among Titans players and coaches. (The game was played on October 25th, with the Steelers winning 27-24.)
Baltimore has lost three of its last four games and currently has 11 players on its injured reserve list. Coming into Monday it already had two players on its COVID-19 reserve list, those being third-string quarterback Trace McSorley and second-year cornerback Iman Marshall.
The other NFL games that are scheduled for Thanksgiving Day are Houston at Detroit (12:30 p.m. ET) and Washington at Dallas (4:30 p.m. ET).
Joe Burrow’s Knee Injury
Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network are both reporting that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee during his team’s game at Washington on Sunday. As such he will undergo reconstructive surgery and begin rehabbing in an attempt to come back in 2021.
Building on that news, Adam Schefter (Senior NFL Insider for ESPN) reports that Burrow suffered “other structural issues in his knee” beyond the torn ACL and MCL and that “next year’s status is now in question,” as this kind of knee injury typically sidelines a player for nine to 12 months.
The Bengals will now turn to backup Ryan Finley, a second-year QB out of North Carolina State. The aforementioned Pelissero also reports that the Bengals plan to elevate fourth-year QB Brandon Allen (Arkansas) from the team’s practice squad.
The #Bengals plan to sign QB Brandon Allen to the active roster from their practice squad, per source.
So after Joe Burrow’s season-ending knee injury, Cincinnati’s QB depth chart now includes Ryan Finley and Brandon Allen.
Finley is 0-3 as a starter and has appeared in five NFL games, during which time he has completed 44 of 97 passes (45.4 percent) for 504 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions.
Allen has a 1-2 record as a starter and has completed 39 of 84 passes for 515 yards (3 TDs, 2 INTs) during the course of his career.
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