Gus "The Bus" Edwards is out of the mechanic's shop and rolling.
Playing his first game in more than a year, Edwards made an instant impact and showed how much the Ravens have missed his powerful running style. Edwards scored two touchdowns and handled a majority of the workload during Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns, finishing with a team-high 66 yards on 16 carries.
The soft-spoken Edwards usually lets his actions speak for him, but it had been 645 days since his last NFL game. After months of rehab to get back on the field, Edwards finally got his reward on Sunday.
"It's a blessing, I just want to give God his glory," Edwards said. "It took a lot of patience through all the adversity I faced through the injury. I'm just blessed to be in this position a year later."
He was ready to roll from the start, getting the ball on Baltimore's first three plays and rumbling for 12 yards on his third carry.
Edwards was just getting started. On first-and-goal from the seven in the second quarter, Edwards rolled untouched into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown just before halftime that gave Baltimore a 13-10 lead. At halftime, Edwards was the game's leading rusher with 49 yards on 10 carries.
In the third quarter, with the Ravens needing their hammer on the goal line, Edwards entered the game on fourth-and-1 and plunged forward for a second touchdown to give the Ravens a 20-10 lead.
Edwards showed no ill effects from the torn ACL suffered last year that cost him the entire 2021 season. It's been a long road back for Edwards, and his return comes at an opportune time for the Ravens, who placed running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) on injured reserve Saturday.
Edwards figures to get stronger as the season progresses, and his presence could be a major lift to the offense in the second half of the season. He wasn't sure he would get such a heavy workload in his first game back, but Edwards said he felt fine after the game.
"I felt good," Edwards said. "Big shoutout to the offensive line. Both of those touchdowns they were making it easy on my part. It's a lot of season left. I'm even fortunate to be playing right now with the type of injury I had. I've just got to get building off this."
Head Coach John Harbaugh knows that Edwards gives the Ravens the kind of power runner that many teams don't possess. With Edwards healthy again, the Ravens let "The Bus" roll and it paid off.
"Gus is unique," Harbaugh said. "He's a downhill guy, he covers a lot of ground. Every back has a different style and Gus' style is very valuable to us."
