In the middle of another standout performance, Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell suffered a likely season-ending knee injury.
“It’s going to be a serious injury,” coach John Harbaugh said after Sunday night’s 23-7 win against the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida. “It looks like he won’t be back for the rest of the season.”
Mitchell, the undrafted rookie who quickly became one of the team’s most important playmakers, went down at the end of a 13-yard run early in the fourth quarter. His left leg buckled as he was tripped up from behind, and he immediately grabbed his left knee. Trainers rushed onto the field to attend to Mitchell, and he was carried to the blue medical tent on the sideline before being put onto a cart. The Ravens ruled him out soon after.
Mitchell, who had nine carries for 73 yards and two catches for 15 yards before exiting, gave a thumbs-up while being carted to the locker room.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Harbaugh said. “I was just in [the locker room]. We were just in there, and we were talking, and we prayed, and he just has a great attitude and demeanor about him. It’s a guy that you want to see well. He deserves to do well. You just feel for his parents right now. They’re watching, and I’m sure they’re feeling that, too.”
Harbaugh said 30-year-old veteran Melvin Gordon III, who signed to the practice squad before the season and has 13 carries for 53 yards in two games, will likely be elevated in Mitchell’s absence. The Ravens lost starter J.K. Dobbins to a torn Achilles tendon in the season opener, leaving Gus Edwards and Justice Hill as the only other healthy running backs on the 53-man roster.
A former star at East Carolina whose father, Anthony, was a Ravens playoff hero, Mitchell had 396 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards in eight games this season. He missed the first five games after suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason.
“That was very tough,” said quarterback Lamar Jackson, who led the team with 97 rushing yards Sunday. “I believe [Mitchell’s run] was going to be a touchdown. He’s lights out. He was just starting to get started, so that’s tough to see. My thoughts and prayers are with him because he’s a guy. That was a crazy injury.”
Meanwhile, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley exited early in the fourth quarter after colliding with a Jaguars defender on a 20-yard run by Edwards. Stanley’s helmet made contact with the defender, and he left the field and entered the blue medical tent. He exited the tent without a helmet and was placed in concussion protocol, according to the team.
The NFL’s concussion protocol requires a player to complete five phases of activity — beginning with stretching and balancing activities — before he can return to play. Players must be cleared by the team’s physician, as well as an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who operates independently of the team. The process can take just a few days, but it can also last several weeks, depending on the case.
Safety Marcus Williams, who suffered a groin injury while making a tackle at the end of the first half and did not return, is “probably” day-to-day, Harbaugh said. Williams was replaced by Geno Stone, who finished with two tackles but also was in coverage on a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Agnew in the third quarter that brought Jacksonville within 10-7. Stone ranks second in the league with six interceptions.
