Keaton Mitchell nearly broke free for a touchdown, but instead went down with a season-ending knee injury.
After the Ravens' 23-7 win in Jacksonville Sunday night, Head Coach John Harbaugh announced that Mitchell will miss the rest of the season – a tough blow for a promising rookie and an offense that had started to lean on him.
"Keaton is going to be a serious knee injury," Harbaugh said. "It looks like he won't be back for the rest of the season."
On Monday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that an MRI showed that it's an ACL tear.
The injury happened early in the fourth quarter as Mitchell exploded for an outside run around the right tackle. Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard dove to try to stop Mitchell and barely tripped him from behind, making Mitchell land awkwardly.
Ravens players immediately went down on one knee, recognizing the severity of the injury. Harbaugh said it was "heartbreaking."
"That was very tough," quarterback Lamar Jackson added. "He was just starting to get started. That's tough to see. My thoughts and prayers are with him."
The undrafted rookie had established himself as Baltimore's lead running back in recent weeks, bringing a different level of explosion and big-play ability. He finished the game with nine carries for 73 yards (8.1 per carry), including a 24-yarder when he reversed field.
With Mitchell out, the Ravens will lean more heavily once again on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. Edwards scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge to start the fourth quarter and ran 16 times for 58 yards. Harbaugh said the Ravens will bring veteran Melvin Gordon III up to the active roster.
While the Ravens' win in Jacksonville was big and clinched a playoff spot, the celebration was a bit more muted because of losing Mitchell.
"It's kind of hard to be excited about clinching and everything because he was a big part of our team," Edwards said. "We've got to rally around him, just being there for him. I know it's going to be an emotional ride, but he's built for it."
