Lorenzo Taliaferro to be sidelined a couple weeks with MCL injury

The Baltimore Ravens announced today that running back Lorenzo Taliaferro will be sidelined for a few weeks with a MCL injury, according to Head Coach John Harbaugh.

“I don’t have a degree on it yet, but it’s going to be a few weeks,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “Some of those young guys are going to step up in the immediate future.”

Taliaferro got hurt on the same play that Joe Flacco threw an interception to Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Byron Maxwell late in the first quarter. Taliaferro was in on the tackle and ended up on the bottom of the pile with a Maxwell and Ravens offensive tackle James Hurst. Taliaferro was taken to the locker room for a knee injury and did not return to the game. Now we know the extent of the injury.

It’s a tough blow to the second-year running back who looked to be taking over the backup role to Justin Forsett. He finished with four carries for 8 yards against the Eagles, including a fourth-down conversion on the opening drive of the game. He has recorded 16 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown during preseason action.

The Ravens will now look to rookie Javorius “Buck” Allen as the backup tailback to Forsett entering the season. The former University of Southern California standout leads the team with 17 carries for 54 yards this preseason.

The injuries are starting to pile up for the Ravens. The team sat 15 players in Saturday’s matchup with the Eagles and suffered a couple of other significant injuries during the game.The offensive line was decimated before the start of the game, and lost two more in Hurst and De’Ondre Wesley.

Injuries are the one part of the game you can never plan for. This is the perfect opportunity for Allen to impress and young guys like Fitzgerald Toussaint and Terrence Magee to make an impression on the coaches.

The hope is the injury is minor and Taliaferro will be back in no time. He was off to a nice start this preseason and the Ravens could really use his power for short-yardage situations. If there is one thing to be thankful for, the injury took place now and not in the regular season.

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