John Harbaugh finally admitted an obvious truth about the Baltimore Ravens’ offense and running back Keaton Mitchell. Harbaugh made the admission while revealing the plan he came up with for dynamic speedster Mitchell before Week 8’s 30-16 win over the Chicago Bears.
Harbaugh told reporters how “during the bye that they decided they had to carve out carries for Keaton Mitchell,” per Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
The Ravens made good on this strategy by handing Mitchell a season-high four carries at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, October 26. He justified the expanded workload by averaging 10.8 yards per rushing attempt.
It’s a number good enough to merit Mitchell getting more touches moving forward. He’s a legitimate breakaway threat and a natural complement to the brute force of two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry.
Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken had been overlooking Mitchell for too long, but his inclusion against the Bears helped the Ravens get back to their roots as a rushing powerhouse.
Keaton Mitchell Needs More Touches
Getting Mitchell more involved has been a tricky needle to thread for the Ravens, and not just because of the player’s injury history. Tearing his ACL as a rookie in 2023 naturally stunted Mitchell’s development, but subsequent knee issues delayed his return as a breakout factor in this offense.
The Ravens wanted to accelerate the process by turning Mitchell loose on special teams, but plans to build a new formation around him in the running game never came to fruition. Fortunately, there were enough moments against the Bears to suggest Harbaugh and Monken should get Mitchell onto the field with Henry.
It’s the obvious next step after Henry powered a revival on the ground.
Ravens Returned to Rushing Dominance
This looked like the Ravens of old, a bully boy on the deck, with Henry punishing the Bears on 21 gruelling carries. Although he averaged a mere 3.4 yards per rushing attempt, Henry did score two touchdowns to surpass a Hall of Famer on the all-time list.
Henry also brought back some of the oomph missing from Baltimore’s offense this season. It helped to have All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard in front of him again.
Ricard had to wait to make his season debut because of a calf problem, a delay he called “gut wrenching,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Thankfully for Henry, 6-foot-3, 300-pounder Ricard looked like himself thanks to some crushing blocks to mark his return.
While Ricard and Henry brought the power, Mitchell added some suddenness to proceedings. His 25-yard run was a typically swift break from a player who’s a threat to go the distance on every carry.
The Ravens need to balance Mitchell’s sudden-strike capability alongside Henry’s enduring talent as a grinder. It’s the ideal thunder and lightning mix to maintain the running game as the driving force in the engine room of this offense, especially when franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson returns to the lineup.
Two-time NFL MVP Jackson is in line to start against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, according to Harbaugh (h/t Mink), but the Ravens will need to protect the signal-caller who hasn’t played since Week 4.
Leaning into the running game is the best way to protect Jackson, before mixing his dual-threat talents into an expanded share of carries between Henry and Mitchell.
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