With Derrick Henry dominating the Baltimore Ravens backfield and Justice Hill serving as a solid backup, there aren’t many carries left for anyone else.
That could change soon, though, as Baltimore’s road game against the Cleveland Browns (2-7) approaches on Sunday, Keaton Mitchell could see more action in the game.
The third-year guard was inactive for the first four games and played primarily on special teams. However, Mitchell had four carries for 31 yards in last week’s win over the Vikings, including a 22-yard run in the second quarter.
“I’ve watched Keaton throughout the season and he works really hard,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “He’s got his sea legs, both on offense and on special teams. He made two big plays as a shooter on Sunday and as a running back over the last four or five weeks, he’s come back to life.”
Mitchell has 93 rushing yards, which matches Hill.
“I’d like to see more of Keaton,” Harbaugh said. “It’s hard to take plays off Derrick Henry’s plate. So (Mitchell’s use) will be game to game.”
The obvious key to getting the Ravens (4-5) back into playoff contention is Lamar Jackson, who led Baltimore to a 27-19 victory over the Vikings last Sunday.
Jackson has missed three games this season with a hamstring injury. He didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice, but Harbaugh didn’t seem concerned.
“It will be listed as a knee (on the injury report),” Harbaugh said. “It’s not the hamstring. Nothing there, some soreness coming out of the game so he should be fine. Looking forward to training tomorrow.”
The Vikings only sacked Jackson once, but he was hit four times, including a body slam that resulted in a penalty. Minnesota blitzed 58% of the time.
Browns cornerback Denzel Ward says he’ll be ready for the electric Jackson.
Ward didn’t have a single pass thrown his way during the Browns’ 27-20 loss to the Jets last week.
Ward has been targeted three or fewer times in four of nine games this season. Jackson started the four-time Pro Bowl selection three times in Week 2, a Ravens 41-17 victory highlighted by the two-time MVP’s four TD passes.
“(Jackson is) a playmaker. He’s able to extend plays,” Ward told Cleveland.com. “So it’s already hard to cover guys in this league, but when he’s able to extend the play longer than average, you just have to cover a lot longer.”
On offense, the Browns were held to three points by the Jets after pulling out to a 17-17 halftime tie.
Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth start.
Gabriel led the Browns 95 yards on their first possession, hitting David Njoku for a 9-yard score.
However, the Browns’ second-half struggles brought back questions about whether fellow forward Shedeur Sanders might get a chance.
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday he’s sticking with Gabriel.
“A lot of us need to do things better at every position,” he said. “Whether it’s the quarterback or the coaches, it doesn’t matter. We have to put our players in a position to win.”
Baltimore’s injured list included Jackson (knee), Hill (toe), linebacker Jay Higgins (knee) and wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle), all of whom did not practice Wednesday. Mitchell (knee), tight end Isaiah Likely (hip) and safety Malaki Starks (knee) were limited. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was ruled out this week with a finger injury.
Cleveland’s injured list includes defensive end Alex Wright, who did not practice due to an injured quad. Receivers Isaiah Bond (foot) and Cedric Tillman (gluteus), linebackers Jerome Baker (Achilles) and Carson Schwesinger (shoulder), tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (hamstring) and tackle Cornelius Lucas (back) were all limited.
–Field level media
