Baltimore Ravens: Javorius Allen Benching Should Not Be For Long

Baltimore Ravens rookie running back Javorius “Buck” Allen was benched by John Harbaugh after a costly fumble against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Turnovers are the easiest way to get yourself a permanent seat on the bench. Just ask Javorius Allen how it feels to be on John Harbaugh’s naughty list.

The Baltimore Ravens fourth-round pick was expected to be the leading rusher for the remainder of the season following the injury to Justin Forsett. After fumbling the ball in back-to-back games, Harbaugh taught him a lesson that he likely will not forget.

Allen’s final carry against the Kansas City Chiefs was not only a fumble, but it ultimately opened the flood gates on a day full of turnovers and mishaps. Chiefs safety Tyvon Branch recovered the fumble and would go 73 yards that put Kansas City out front for good.

After the fumble, Allen would stay on the sidelines the rest of the game. Terrance West finished with seven carries for 35 yards and Terrance Magee logged his first two carries in the NFL for five yards.

What is disappointing for Allen is he was enjoying a solid rookie campaign up until the last two weeks. Allen had his best effort of the season against the Miami Dolphins in Week 12, recording 17 carries for 63 yards and hauling in 12 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

He followed that effort with two duds. He had eight carries for 14 yards and a fumble against the Seattle Seahawks. The poor rushing performance was partly to blame on the fact the Russell Wilson and the Seahawks blasted the Ravens early, and Baltimore was left with little choice but to air it out the rest of the game. That doesn’t excuse Allen from fumbling the football, but Seattle is a defense known for causing multiple turnovers a game.

The fumble on Sunday was enough for Harbaugh to sit Allen for the rest of the afternoon. It remains to be seen how long this punishment will last, but Harbaugh has disciplined players for extended periods before.

It will be interesting to see if Allen gets the start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. West had a decent game against the Chiefs, but nothing too exciting to steal the job from Allen.

Next: Turnovers the Story in Loss to Chiefs

It cannot be forgotten that Allen is still a rookie. Mistakes are going to happen and Harbaugh knows that. He is not trying to crush the kid’s dreams, but let him know how important it is to hang onto the ball. It’s possible that Harbaugh would not have been as harsh on Allen if the play wasn’t returned for a score.

There are only two more games remaining for the Ravens and this is a critical period to evaluate the young talent on the roster.