Baltimore Ravens backup running back Bernard Pierce immediately reached for his knee after taking a hit in the end zone at the end of his 20-yard touchdown run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Thursday's 44-16 victory.
Our concerns were alleviated once Pierce jogged off the field, but he noticeably was absent from Saturday's practice. Ravens coach John Harbaugh refused to divulge details of the injury Saturday, saying only, "If it's something serious, we'll let you know."
It's for reasons such as this that local newspapers and websites employ beat writers to dig around for the real story. Pierce did sprain his knee on the touchdown run, but sustained no structural damage, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday. A source told Wilson that Pierce is expected to miss "a few days."
The Ravens dodged a serious bullet. The offense will have to lean heavily on the ground attack with wide receiver Anquan Boldin in San Francisco and tight end Dennis Pitta out for the season. Coming in at No. 33 on Around The League's "Making the Leap" series, Pierce is one of the NFL's brightest young talents at tailback.
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