Chargers struggle to score after RB J.K. Dobbins hurts his knee in his reunion game with Ravens

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Although three years of injury problems ruined J.K. Dobbins' once-promising tenure with the Ravens, he was off to a strong start Monday night in his reunion game against Baltimore.

And then another injury ended yet another night early for the Los Angeles Chargers' star-crossed new running back.

Dobbins hurt his knee late in the first half and didn't return to the Chargers' 30-23 loss to the Ravens. Los Angeles coach Jim Harbaugh didn't know the severity of the injury after the game, but the ball-carrier who began the night third in the AFC in yards rushing must fight back from yet another setback to his promising career.

“I thought we did a good job running the ball in the first half,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said. “Obviously I’m hoping J.K. is OK.”

Dobbins had 40 yards on his first six carries against Baltimore, showing off the elusiveness and speed that have revitalized his career this year in Los Angeles.

But Dobbins got hurt about five minutes before halftime when he was wrenched backward by linebacker Malik Harrison and then gang-tackled by Baltimore on a play erased by a holding penalty against the Chargers.

Dobbins grabbed his knee after getting up, and he eventually went to the Bolts' locker room. He was ruled out for the night in the second half.

“I don’t have any update,” Harbaugh said. “I know it’s a knee.”

Although backup Gus Edwards stepped in for Dobbins — just as he did in Baltimore when they were teammates with the Ravens — he managed only 11 yards on nine carries. The Chargers struggled to move the ball in Dobbins' absence, managing just two field goals on their next five drives before tacking on a late touchdown in the loss that snapped their four-game winning streak.

Los Angeles finished with just 83 yards on the ground after entering the weekend with the NFL's 12th-ranked rushing offense.

The Chargers have remarkably few standout offensive playmakers for a seven-win team, and a prolonged absence for Dobbins would severely test their ability to keep up with other elite AFC offenses.

Dobbins is vital as perhaps the most proven skill-position player helping Herbert, who lost receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and running back Austin Ekeler in the offseason.

The Ravens drafted Dobbins in the second round in 2020 out of Ohio State, envisioning him as the next workhorse back in an offense with a history of strong rushers. But after Dobbins rushed for 805 yards in 15 games as a rookie, he played in just nine games over the next three seasons.

Dobbins tore a knee ligament in the preseason in 2021, sidelining him for the year and the first two weeks of the 2022 season. He promptly injured his knee again and missed two months, limiting him to eight games in 2022.

Dobbins then tore his Achilles tendon in the Ravens’ 2023 season opener, ending another season after only eight carries.

He signed a one-year deal with the Chargers during the offseason as a chance to prove he could still compete in the NFL — and he has been outstanding with mostly good health on the West Coast.

Dobbins entered Monday night with 726 yards rushing on 4.8 yards per carry, and he hasn’t missed a game this season. He is clearly a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year after his struggles in Baltimore.

Herbert fought to keep Los Angeles in contention during the second half, but his remaining targets couldn't make the difference. Receiver Quentin Johnson had a particularly rough night, with no receptions on five targets — including three very catchable balls that would have resulted in significant gains.

“He’s done an incredible job all year, and you never want to see that,” Herbert said. “Just like when I throw an interception or when I miss a throw, he’s going to come up to me and tell me, ‘Hey, it’s the next play.’ And that’s the way it is. Everyone in that locker room is professionals, and Q will do a great job. I can give him better placement, better balls. It’s on all of us. It’s not just on him.

Johnston had improved from his difficult rookie season this fall, catching six touchdown passes among his modest 22 receptions. But Los Angeles clearly needs more from its 2023 first-round draft pick, and Johnston knows it.

“You kind of just learn not to dwell on it too much, and just try to put it past me as much as I can,” Johnston said. “Obviously I want to have catches back, but I can't. So I can't do anything but just learn from it. ... I know I've got to get better.”