The Baltimore Ravens continue to run their way into the history books. After last season’s unbelievable, record-setting campaign, they proved it was no fluke with an even more astonishing encore. With their lopsided victory over the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens set a new franchise record for single-game rushing yards, gaining 404 yards on the ground.
Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins led the way on the day, rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. It was Dobbins’ 72-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter that initially passed the Ravens’ franchise single-game record of 350 yards in a game, originally set in 2003 against the Cleveland Browns. It also helped him extend his franchise record for rookie touchdowns, bringing his total on the year to nine.
Though Dobbins ran for the most yards on the day, Baltimore had plenty of help from the rest of the roster. In total, seven different players had at least one carry. Behind Dobbins, quarterback Lamar Jackson (97 yards), Gus Edwards (60 yards), Mark Ingram (39 yards), Devin Duvernay (22 yards), Justice Hill (21 yards), and Tyler Huntley (five yards) made up the rest.
The Ravens were only 23 yards away from breaking the NFL record for team single-game rushing yards, which was set back in 1934. Had Baltimore kept the starters on the field into the fourth quarter, there’s little doubt they would have broken it by a good margin. But with the playoffs all but clinched at the time, it made far more sense to rest the starters ahead of the wild-card matchup.
Dobbins has proven to be every bit as effective as a rusher as he was at Ohio State, positioning himself as the lead back in Baltimore’s backfield heading into the playoffs. With each passing game, the future at the position looks increasingly bright with Dobbins and Edwards appearing to be the winning complement to Lamar Jackson and their run-heavy offensive approach.
With such youth and energy abound on the field, one has to wonder if these records are only the beginning. How much further can this offense go? If the rushing yard they’ve amassed thus far is any indication, there may be no amount of yardsticks to count.
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