For the past few years, the Baltimore Ravens have been dominant in the ground game because of their depth at running back. However, with the season opener just a few days away, John Harbaugh’s squad is already missing its top three options at the position.
On Thursday afternoon, Ravens running back Gus Edwards suffered a torn ACL in practice. He’s the third running back on the team to suffer a season-ending injury in just the past few weeks.
J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn ACL during the Ravens’ preseason finale. Justice Hill, meanwhile, suffered a torn Achilles in practice last week.
With the majority of the running back room injured, Lamar Jackson might be asked to legitimately carry Baltimore’s rushing attack.
Jackson has proven over the past two seasons that he can be a consistent 1,000-yard rusher, but fans are worried that his workload this season will be too strenuous.
Lamar Jackson now that he has to run for 3000 yards this year pic.twitter.com/KbPo1z2Raa
— Jerrick Valentine (@ThatGuy_JV) September 9, 2021
Lamar Jackson this season after handing the ball off to himself 48 times game pic.twitter.com/TkQgvoFxDt
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 9, 2021
*Ravens lose J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, and Gus Edwards*
Lamar Jackson: pic.twitter.com/POLyq8Z1tL
— Ryan Fowler (@FowlerRyan1) September 9, 2021
Last season, Jackson had 159 carries for 1,005 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The most carries he has received in an NFL season came in 2019, as he had 176 carries for 1,206 yards.
The Ravens are going to need Jackson to play at an MVP level in order to remain a playoff contender this season. That being said, the coaching staff needs to be careful with how much stress they put on the his body.
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