Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins reflects on his first game back after devastating injury
BALTIMORE -- Every game matters in the NFL season, but the Ravens' victory at New England in Week 3 carried even greater meaning for running back J.K. Dobbins. It was his first game in more than a year after a devastating knee injury.
Dobbins joined Torrey Smith and me at Jimmy's Famous Seafood for WJZ's "Purple Playbook" show and discussed in-depth his first game back.
He was anxious and eager for weeks, saying he was ready to play in the previous two games. But the Ravens played his debut cautiously, and he played against the Patriots without pain or fear, catching two passes and carrying the ball seven times in the win.
I asked dobbins when he became aware that New England would be his first game back.
"I knew probably that Monday. Coming into the week, [head coach] John Harbaugh told me he was going to let me out of the cage," Dobbins said. "I was happy about. It was like, 'Man, finally.' I thought I was ready for it weeks ago. But the organization, they do well by me, they take care of me.
"I'm kind of glad that they made me sit out," he continued. "It just shows that they care for me, they genuinely care for me."
In a rebound season for the Ravens, getting the running game back in gear is a big part of returning to the playoffs.
Like Dobbins, Justice Hill is another ravens running back making a comeback from an injury that caused him to miss all of last season. Hill tore his Achilles.
Last week at New England, Hill had the best game yet for a Ravens running back this year, six carries for 60 yards.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the Ravens leading rusher with 243 yards, and that's not likely to change. But having other effective ball-carriers like Dobbins and Hill diversifies the attack.
"He's been coming on all camp like that. He's just really even a better player than he was last year when he went out," Harbaugh said of Hill. "So, he and I, we were talking about it after coming off the field, because he and I have been talking about this game - that he was going to have this game - and to see him have this game is just really rewarding and not surprising at all."
Tune in to "Purple Playbook" on Saturday at 11:35 p.m. to hear more from Dobbins and Smith.
