J.K. Dobbins’ 2022 debut for the Ravens went as well as planned

Following weeks of speculation, Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins finally stepped onto the field on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

While he didn’t post record numbers or rewrite history like other Ravens players did (namely, Lamar Jackson), Dobbins still put together a solid performance that makes his 2022 campaign look very promising.

The Ravens’ running back corps clicked into another gear as Greg Roman opted to rotate between Dobbins and Justice Hill for starting snaps and relegate Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake to the sidelines.

Given that this was Dobbins’ first game back from injury, Hill assumed the workhorse role and led the team with six carries for 60 yards; Dobbins followed that with seven carries for 23 yards along with two catches for 17 yards.

Fans can expect the Ravens to ease Dobbins into more minutes throughout the season, yet this first outlook bodes well for the development of the team’s running game.

Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins made his highly anticipated debut in Week 3

Week 3 against the Patriots was easily the Ravens’ most effective rushing performance of the season; the one and only Lamar Jackson led the game on the ground with 11 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, posing as a menace whenever he decided to take the ball and run.

Now, Jackson has potentially his No. 1 running back in J.K. Dobbins, and the two combined can add even more power and punch to an electrified rushing attack.

Dobbins ran for 805 yards as a rookie before suffering his devastating knee injury, and while his rehab was long and grueling, it was worth it.

After the game, Dobbins spoke to reporters about how he was feeling in Week 3:

"“It felt great, (I’m) blessed to be back out there. I’m happy about that, but now it’s time for me to try to do what I do. And that’s run for 100 yards and stuff like that.”"

The 2020 second-rounder looked tough in his debut for the Ravens this season and got over his first looming obstacle — the next challenge for Dobbins is to ramp up his production in these coming weeks.

The Ravens’ running game is just getting started in 2022.