Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins didn’t touch the ball once on a pivotal second-half series in his team’s wild-card playoff loss to the Bengals on Sunday night, and he candidly voiced his displeasure after the game.
The ninth and decisive play over the drive came with 11:39 to play in the fourth quarter when Tyler Huntley went over the top on a quarterback sneak at the 1-yard line. The ball was knocked loose by a defender before crossing the goal line, and Bengals defensive lineman Sam Hubbard returned the fumble 98 yards for what turned out to be the winning touchdown.
That was the closest the Ravens got to scoring the rest of the game. In total, Baltimore ran three plays inside the 3-yard line on the drive in question, and Dobbins didn’t touch the ball on any of them.
“I’m a guy who feels like I should be on the field all the time,” Dobbins said after the game. “It’s the playoffs. Why am I not out there?”
After Huntley fumbled in what proved to be the decisive play of the game, Dobbins couldn’t help but think that Huntley should have never been put in that position as a backup quarterback.
“He should have never been in that situation,” Dobbins said. “I don’t get a single carry. I didn’t get a single carry. He should never have been in that situation. I believe I would have put it in the end zone again.”
Dobbins continued to voice his frustration in follow-up questions and asked out loud to reporters why he’s being held back.
“I should be the guy,” Dobbins said. “I’m tired of holding that back. I’m a playmaker. I’m a guy that my teammates feed off me when I’m on the field.”
Dobbins also was asked about the absence of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and whether or not he would have made a difference in the outcome of the game. Dobbins said that if Jackson played, he believes that Baltimore would have won the game. However, Dobbins added that his opinion shouldn’t take away from the performance of Huntley in Jackson’s place.
“If we’d have had Lamar, we’d have won, too,” Dobbins said. “[But] Snoop played a hell of a game.”
It will be an offseason of question marks for the Ravens, as Jackson prepares to enter free agency, while Dobbins apparently is frustrated with his lack of a clearly defined role in the offense.
The team’s personnel decisions in the coming months could prove to be pivotal as the Ravens try to hold their place as a contender in the AFC North.
