Ravens Finally Unleash Explosive Weapon vs. Bears

"It felt great. Man, I almost blacked out," Mitchell said. "Thank God, I was praying, staying patient, and when I got the chance, just do what I do."

That wasn't the only chunk play Mitchell ripped off in this game. he picked up 13 yards and a first down on his third carry and finished with 43 rushing yards on 4 attempts for an average of 10.8. On special teams, he showed some nice burst and explosion as a kick returner, ripping off returns of 27 and 39 yards.

"I mean, whatever they need me to do to help the team out, I'm willing to do it," Mitchell said. "I'm going to give my all, and hopefully I was able to help the team today."

On the Ravens' sixth and final scoring drive of the game, Mitchell carried the ball on three straight plays that included an 8-yard carry that was negated by an defensive offsides penalty. Two plays later, five-time Pro Bowl veteran running back Derick Henry was in the end zone for the second time to effectively seal the win. The future Hall of Famer was more excited about his young mentee getting to shine than he was for himself.

"It was huge for us," Henry said. "Very proud of him getting the opportunities that he had and taking advantage of them. There'll be plenty more to do that. He did a heck of a job today."

Expect more to come

Devising more ways to get the all-purpose playmaking more regularly involved was "one of the many things" Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken made a priority during the bye week, and it paid off major dividends against the Bears.

"We said, 'We have to tag plays for Keaton,'" Harbaugh said. "We just said, 'We have to do it.' You want to make sure Derrick gets his reps, and Justice [Hill] is effective, but we just said, 'We have got to tag plays for Keaton Mitchell and make sure we get him the ball.'"

Needing to go on a generational run to dig themselves out of the 2-5 hole they put themselves in, the Ravens can't afford not to use every valuable weapon at their disposal to reach their goals. His teammates gave him the apt nickname 'Wink', in homage of his blazing breakaway speed that could see him find the end zone from anywhere on the field in the blink of an eye. He provides the offense with an exciting change-of-pace option to Henry without reducing Hill's role as the preferred third-down back.

"If my number's called, whenever my number is called, I'm going to do what I got to do," Mitchell said.