RAVENS' STRUGGLING GROUND GAME TAKES A POUNDING FROM COVID-19

Ingram, rookie Dobbins to miss showdown with unbeaten AFC North rival Steelers

Could matters get any worse for the Baltimore Ravens?

After dropping to 6-4 on the season and into third place in the AFC North following Sunday's overtime loss to Tennessee, the Ravens lost two of their three running backs on Monday to the coronavirus.

Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed in a late-afternoon video conference with reporters that both Mark Ingram and rookie J.K. Dobbins have contracted COVID-19, and must quarantine for at least 10 days.

So not only will the rush-dependent Ravens' attack lose 62 per cent of its running back production (612 of 988 yards) for this Thursday's game at archrival Pittsburgh — in the nightcap of the league's annual U.S. Thanksgiving Day triple-header — but both Ingram and Dobbins might well miss next week's Thursday nighter against visiting Dallas, too.

The NFL said this Thursday's game in Pittsburgh is a go.

Harbaugh furthermore announced that defensive lineman Brandon Williams will self-isolate for a minimum of five days, after being deemed the sole high-risk close contact with either Ingram or Dobbins, as a result of the immediate contact tracing investigation conducted jointly by the league and Ravens.

This means Williams, Baltimore's starting nose tackle, won't be available to play in Pittsburgh either.

The Ravens placed Ingram, Dobbins and Williams on the COVID-19/reserve list.

The last thing the Ravens — losers of three of their last four — needed was to play their rematch against the 10-0 Steelers without two of their three running backs. Pittsburgh won the first encounter on Nov. 1 by a 28-24 count.

Gus Edwards, who has rushed for 376 yards on the season, will be Baltimore's go-to running back in Pittsburgh.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing with 575 yards.

Cleveland won again with quarterback Baker Mayfield doing little of anything elite, this time in a 22-17 defeat of the stumbling Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

In Cleveland's past three games, all at home this month, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick has completed a combined 36 of 69 passes (52 per cent) for 458 yards and no touchdowns.

To give you a sense of how paltry those numbers are, Dak Prescott of Dallas in one game last month, against Cleveland no less, completed 41 of 58 for 502 yards and four touchdowns.

Now, all that said, you have to know a couple things.

First, that Cleveland's rushing attack has become downright savage, with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt bludgeoning defences. So, no need to pass a whole lot, especially when Cleveland in recent games has been mostly ahead on the scoreboard, when the Browns' elite pass rush unit can tee off on opposing QBs.

The other mitigating factor is that the weather at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium for these past three games was horrific from a passing standpoint.

We might not see Joe Burrow back on an NFL field until well into the 2021 season.

NFL Network and ESPN reported Monday that the rookie Cincinnati Bengals quarterback suffered more than just a torn ACL on Sunday at Washington. An MRI revealed a torn MCL as well, plus other structural damage, the reports said.

Such multi-level damage can sideline a player from competition for nine to 12 months, the reports said. If Burrow's recovery follows that timeline, he would return to play anywhere from late August to late November of 2021.

More NFL players on Monday were placed on the COVID-19/ reserve list, including star Minnesota wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Thielen leads the NFL with 11 TD receptions.