Slated to be the Ravensโ starting running back as Ray Rice serves a two-game suspension to begin the season, Bernard Pierce left Saturdayโs game against the Washington Redskins with a concussion.
The third-year back was injured in the first quarter when Washington safety Brandon Meriweather delivered a blow to his head on a carry for a 5-yard loss. The hit was legal because Pierce was not considered a defenseless player, but Meriweather has earned a reputation for being a headhunter entering his eighth NFL season.
Pierce was taken to the locker room by team doctors as he began going through the leagueโs mandatory concussion testing protocol and didnโt return to the game.
โWeโll have to see. Iโm not sure where heโs at right now,โ head coach John Harbaugh said after the 23-17 win. โHe obviously didnโt return in the game. His head, weโll just have to see how that goes.โ
The 2012 third-round pick was making his second straight start of the preseason and carried the ball four times for -3 yards against Washington. In three contests this summer, Pierce has gained 89 yards on 21 carries and has made one reception for three years. He has looked lighter and faster this summer after a disappointing 2013 campaign in which he averaged an anemic 2.9 yards per carry.
Pierce indicated on his official Twitter account on Sunday afternoon that he was fine.
โIf anyone was wondering, Iโm fine,โ Pierce wrote.
Pierce has never missed a game in his brief NFL career despite sustaining a concussion late in his rookie season and dealing with other nagging injuries in his first two years. After spending a large portion of the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, Pierce will have two weeks to recover in time for the season opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 7.
In what didnโt come as a major surprise considering Harbaugh had already said the Ravens would focus on giving carries to Pierce as well as reserve running backs Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro on Saturday night, Rice did not play against Washington. It remains unclear if the Ravens will allow Rice to play in Thursdayโs game against New Orleans since most starters rarely play in the final preseason tuneup and heโd be running behind the second-string offensive line.
โThat was our plan this week [not to play Rice],โ Harbaugh said. โNext week, weโll let you know. Youโll see it when you see it.โ
Forsett carried seven times for 30 yards while the rookie Taliaferro carried 11 times for 25 yards.
Ravens running back Pierce leaves Saturday's game with concussion
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Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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