Do the Baltimore Ravens Not Need Bernard Pierce?

Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce seems to have disappeared. Once a favorite to lock down the starting job, thanks to his collegiate experience running in a blocking scheme similar to that of Ravens' offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, Pierce now is left wanting for playing time.

Pierce was benched after fumbling the ball in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving Justin Forsett to get the rest of the team's carries—11 in all, for 70 yards and a touchdown. 

Heading into Week 2, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that the team would be taking a hot-hand approach to the run game, but not because of any problem with Pierce stemming from Week 1, as reported by ESPN:

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"You don't lose faith in a player because of a bad play. Bernard is still on his way to becoming, I would say, a very good player, and I've been saying that all along. I have the utmost confidence in him. He's going to fight and battle. He's not going to be perfect—none of us are—but Bernard Pierce is a big part of what we're doing, just as are Justin [and] Lorenzo [Taliaferro] as well."

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Indeed, Pierce bounced back in Week 2, a win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. He had 22 carries for 96 yards—a 4.4 yards-per-carry average—while Forsett took on a supporting role, with eight carries for 56 yards.

However, Week 3 saw Pierce sidelined with a thigh injury. Against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens opted to rely on Forsett and rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro, and both were very successful. Forsett had 11 rushes for 63 yards while Taliaferro had 18 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Player	Snaps	Atts.	Rush Yds.	YPC	Rush TD	Fum.	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec. TD
Forsett	163	44	255	5.8	2	0	19	16	63	0
Taliaferro	57	33	149	4.5	2	0	0	0	0	0
Pierce	47	28	113	4.0	0	1	2	1	7	0

Pierce wasn't sidelined with his injury for long—by Wednesday of last week he was practicing in full and expected to regain the starting running back role, or at least be a major contributor in a three-man committee. 

Instead, a healthy, dressed and active Pierce played exactly zero snaps on Sunday in Baltimore's 38-10 defeat of the Carolina Panthers. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported before the game that Pierce would be "eased into" the contest, owing to his recent injury.

But there was no easing-in. There was simply no playing time for Pierce on Sunday. Forsett and Taliaferro instead split the team's 30 carries, with Forsett rushing 14 times for 66 yards and Taliaferro rushing 15 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens, with both Forsett and Taliaferro running well in Pierce's absence, had incentive to keep Pierce off the field in Week 4. But it's not an encouraging sign for his touches going forward. Forsett and Taliaferro have established themselves as both available and effective; Pierce, on the other hand, missed a game with an injury and was benched for a fumble.

Taliaferro has established himself as a straightforward runner, which is useful when the Ravens are protecting a lead. Forsett has been effective both as a runner and as the passing-down running back, with 16 receptions on 19 targets for 63 yards. Suddenly, the roles the Ravens need filled by running backs are spoken for. Pierce is the odd man out.

This doesn't mean that Pierce is on the verge of being released or traded to another needy team. It also doesn't mean that Pierce won't be getting any touches down the line. But it does appear that the rises of both Forsett and Taliaferro have decreased Pierce's value to the Ravens.

Pierce could have a chance for a redemption of sorts. The Ravens have already shown a willingness to bench fumblers, which means that Forsett is one giveaway away from being replaced by Pierce. And there is an always-looming injury risk inherent with the position that could result in increased work for Pierce.

But right now it appears Pierce is on the outside looking in. The Ravens have a running back tandem in Forsett and Taliaferro that is paying dividends. Until that ceases, Pierce won't be getting the most touches even if Harbaugh is committed to either a hot-hand or a committee approach to running the ball.