Kenneth Dixon Set To Make His Exciting Debut For Ravens
By Hassan Zakai
Kenneth Dixon’s debut is exciting for the Ravens and potentially troubling for the Redskins:
The Ravens finally get their fourth-round pick back on the field Sunday against the Redskins. Normally, waiting on a late round rookie wouldn’t generate much excitement. However, Dixon is a special player. He has the opportunity to make a difference for the Ravens immediately.
With Justin Forsett and the team mutually parting ways, the door for the young stable of running backs has been blown wide open. Terrance West, Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon all have the opportunity to earn the starting gig.
Terrance West had his best showing of the season against the Raiders. He finished with 113 yards on 21 carries, a 5.4 yard per carry average. Those are fantastic numbers and West was consistently getting good gains, especially in the second half. He did have a fumble, but it was a very hard hit in an awkward position. It’s hard to fault him too much for that one.
Buck Allen had a limited showing against Oakland, but got some critical first downs that kept drives alive. He is a fantastic receiver from the backfield, and the team will likely keep using him as a third-down back.
Kenneth Dixon has the opportunity to get the lions’ share of carries, especially late in the season when the weather and style of the game changes dramatically. The Ravens want to be able to break down defenses with their physical run game, and Dixon has a unique running style compared to West or Allen.
Dixon is similar to former Raven Ray Rice, in terms of shiftiness and fits in perfectly in the zone-blocking run scheme that the team employs. He has the ability to break open the game and consistently gets good yardage per carry. He even averaged more yards after first contact than before when he was at Louisiana Tech.
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Heck, if it wasn’t for fellow rookie Keenan Reynolds, Dixon would have the most rushing touchdowns in NCAA history. The Ravens have been desperately searching for a goal line back, and Dixon is the best fit. He gets every last yard possible on every carry.
Many viewed Kenneth Dixon as an absolute steal as a fourth-round pick and come Sunday, he’ll have every opportunity to show why he belongs in the NFL.