The Ravens couldn’t afford to lose any of these three players against the Jaguars on Sunday night. Keaton Mitchell was one of them. Along with quarterback Lamar Jackson and middle linebacker Roquan Smith, the rookie running back from East Carolina had become indispensable, but he was carted off the field early in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 23-7 victory in Jacksonville due to a severe knee injury that was so bad that replays were not shown by the NBC broadcast.
With the victory, the Ravens advanced to the postseason; however, head coach John Harbaugh announced following the game that Mitchell will not participate in the postseason because he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
“It’s devastating,” Harbaugh exclaimed. “[Mitchell] is a man who…” I was just in [the changing area]. He simply has such a wonderful attitude and manner about him. We were in there, talking, praying. You want to get to know this guy. He is deserving of success. Right now, you just feel bad for his parents. They are undoubtedly feeling what they are witnessing as well.
The Ravens will, of course, recite the NFL cliche “next man up,” but other than Jackson, none of the players on the roster are capable of Mitchell’s big-play explosion. A player who can make a play that changes the game’s momentum and trajectory is referred to as a “sudden change” in the National Football League. For Baltimore, that was Mitchell.
Mitchell is the most explosive rushing back the Ravens have had since Priest Holmes in 1997–2000. Ray Rice was a solid all-around player and Jamal Lewis was a powerful back, but Mitchell’s additional gear added another level to the running game. It’s rare to find a runner in the NFL who can round the corner and reverse field as quickly as Mitchell did on Sunday night, when he gained 24 yards in the latter part of the third quarter.
That is extremely quick. It is really absurd. The Ravens had a complete complement of weaponry with Mitchell. With Mitchell, Jackson, and rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers all possessing an abundance of speed, defenders were obliged to play them “honestly” and cover sideline to sideline when Jackson and Mitchell combined. This would allow receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman as well as tight end Isaiah Likely space to maneuver, opening up the middle of the field for the passing game.
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