Ravens running back Willis McGahee struggled to watch his teammates have success in a 17-10 win over Cincinnati.
“I think it was worthwhile not playing last week,” he said. “I really wanted to play. I was getting anxious and watching Le’Ron [McClain] and Ray [Rice] have success, I had that itch.”
McGahee had athroscopic surgery on his left knee the second week of August and has yet to return to full contact drills or play in a game. The 6-foot, 232-pounder had missed just three games in the past four seasons — and just one last fall, when he rushed for 1,207 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 231 yards and a score.
But McGahee plans to look like the dynamic, Pro Bowl player he was a year ago when he makes his season debut at Houston on Sunday afternoon at 4:15.
“I didn’t think it was going to be as frustrating to watch at first,” he said. “But the offense was looking good and we scored a touchdown. There was a few times I had to go back to the bench and just think ‘stay calm, stay calm.’”
The Ravens running game dominated Bengals, as it gained 229 yards on 46 carries. Rice had 22 carries for 64 yards and McClain had 19 carries for 86 yards.
Both of the team’s touchdowns were on long runs — a 42-yarder by receiver Mark Clayton and a 38-yarder by rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. And the team expects its relentless running game to be part of its identity all season.
“It’s so tough out there,” Rice, a rookie out of Rutgers, said. “It is just completely different than the preseason. You have to step up your level.”
The Ravens’ offense looks to have success against Houston, as the Texans yielded 183 yards rushing in a 38-17 loss at Pittsburgh. What remains to be seen, however, is who will get the majority of the carries.
“This will be a great time to get Willis back,” Rice said. “The more weapons we have in our backfield, the better we are.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is pleased with McGahee’s progress.
“We went through the team walkthrough and we are excited to have Willis back,” he said. “I think Willis was inspired by the effort of our whole team. He was definitely part of [the win over Cincinnati] and has been part of our preparations every week.”
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