NFL News: Ravens’ Rushing Streak Ends In Win, Chiefs Eyeing Colts’ Mack, Injury Roundup
Ravens Fall One Game Short Of Setting Rushing Record, Prevail In OT
The Baltimore Ravens carried an impressive streak into their Week 5 Monday night home tilt against the Indianapolis Colts: 43 consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards.
This tied the record initially set by the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974 to ‘77. If Baltimore could have picked up just 100 more rushing yards on Monday, John Harbaugh’s squad would be alone in the record books.
Rather than break the record, however, the Ravens got something even more important: A crucial come-from-behind overtime win over the Colts that moved them atop the AFC North.
The Ravens never led in regulation and found themselves trailing by 19 points in the third quarter, so the only option was to run a pass-happy offense with Lamar Jackson.
Jackson finished with 37 completions on 43 attempts for a career-high 442 passing yards and four touchdowns without any interceptions. The Ravens finished with 86 yards on the night, falling just 14 yards short of the monumental record.
“We got the win. That’s all I care about,” Jackson said after the game, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
With the win, the 4-1 Ravens are tied with the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers for the top seed in the AFC.
The Ravens are one of the best Super Bowl bets. Only the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs currently have higher odds of winning the AFC.
Kansas City Has “looked into” Marlon Mack
The struggling 2-3 Kansas City Chiefs will be without lead running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the foreseeable future, and it could force them into trading for a new workhorse RB.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Edwards-Helaire is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a sprained MCL. The second-year running back was injured in Sunday’s 38-20 home loss against the Bills.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that Andy Reid’s club has “ looked into” Colts running back Marlon Mack.
Jonathan Taylor took over as Indy’s lead runner last year, but the Colts opted to retain Mack on a one-year pact this offseason. The 25-year-old has seen very little usage this offseason, rushing the ball just 20 times for 85 yards while notching two receptions for eight yards.
On Sept. 28, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Mack and the Colts “have agreed to mutually seek a trade.”
The #Colts and RB Marlon Mack have agreed to mutually seek a trade, per sources. Mack is fully healthy after last year’s Achilles tear. But Jonathan Taylor as the bell cow and Nyheim Hines recently extended, Mack is hoping for opportunities elsewhere.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2021
Mack is two seasons removed from a career year that saw him post 1,091 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 of the 2020 campaign that ended Mack’s season abruptly.
Now recovered and healthy, Mack could be a valuable addition to a team in need of a short-term RB1 like the Chiefs.
Injury Roundup
Following another heartbreaking loss that dropped them to 0-5 on the year, the Detroit Lions received some bad news on Tuesday.
Star center Frank Ragnow will undergo toe surgery and is out for the season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ragnow was injured in Detroit’s Week 4 24-14 road loss to the Chicago Bears and didn’t play in week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. The 25-year-old was coming off a career year that saw him earn Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro nods.
Injuries continue to mount for the San Francisco 49ers. In place of injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance made his first start on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
The rookie QB suffered a sprain in his left knee during Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Cardinals. On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Lance could miss time, per Schefter.
Garoppolo suffered a calf injury in the 49ers’ Week 4 28-21 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, prompting Lance to start against Arizona. The 49ers are now on a bye week, and the hope is that Garoppolo will be ready to suit up for the Week 7 Sunday night home tilt against the Colts (8:20 PM EST).
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ banged-up defense suffered another injury in Sunday’s 45-17 home win over the Miami Dolphins. Star linebacker Lavonte David has a low-ankle sprain and is out for the team’s Week 6 road game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday (8:20 PM EST), per Rapoport.
David is considered week-to-week now. The Buccaneers are also without tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs), Carlton Davis (quad) and Sean Murphy-Bunting (dislocated elbow).
