Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon hurt his right knee twice during the team's 34-23 victory, but he was able to come back in and continue playing. Mixon admitted after the game that it wasn't easy to come back into the game. If it wouldn't have been close, he would have probably just sat out the rest of the game, according to Bengals.com.
“I had to talk myself to going back in,” Mixon said. “It’s mental toughness. It was real hard… It felt weird. The knee was hurting. The mental side of it is you always want to play 100 percent. When it’s bothering you, it’s hard mentally. I just had to check back in mentally and tough it out physically.”
“I think I would have played it safe,” said Mixon when asked if he would have sat with a bigger lead. “At the end of the day it was crunch time and I had to deliver and that’s what we ended up doing.”
It was a good thing that Mixon was able to return, because he made the run that helped clinch the game. He had a 21-yard run from the Ravens 37 with under six minutes left to go that set up a field goal that Randy Bullock hit to ice the game.
Mixon finished the game with 21 rushing attempts for 84 yards for four yards an attempt. Early on this season, he looks like he is going to be one of the best running backs in the league. Hopefully, the extra time off will help his knee heal ahead of the Bengals' Week 3 tilt against the Carolina Panthers.
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