The One That Ran Away: Ravens Ready For Raheem Mostert, Dolphins Run Game

John Harbaugh couldn't help but look back at memory lane as brief Baltimore Raven Raheem Mostert leads the Miami Dolphins' run game into battle.

Countless films and television shows have gained cult status thanks to the prescience of future stars making their fledgling appearances on screen. 

Jennifer Aniston battled "Leprechaun." Ryan Gosling was a member of "The Mickey Mouse Club." Raheem Mostert was a Baltimore Raven.

No one's going to go back and watch the 2015 Baltimore Ravens' season the way they might view "Dazed and Confused" to see Renee Zellweger's cameo literally pass by. The five-win slog stands as the worst year of the John Harbaugh era and its dreary nature holds little, if any, rewatch value. Those who braved it, however, can get to say they saw Mostert's rise coming. 

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"We had him here, and unfortunately, he got off the hook," Harbaugh recalled this week, per Clifton Brown of the Ravens' official site. "We let him get away."

Mostert's career comes full circle on Sunday as the Ravens face the Miami Dolphins in a crucial conference clash in Baltimore (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Both Miami and Baltimore played host to Mostert's first official NFL moments when he was an undrafted rookie out of Purdue. 

Back then, it felt like Mostert's ultimate NFL impact would be made on special teams: between Miami, Baltimore, and one more stop in Cleveland, Mostert averaged just under 28  yards on 19 kickoff returns. A few more practice squad tours later awaited before his breakout 2019 season in San Francisco, which saw him play a major in the 49ers' run to Super Bowl LIV. 

Nowadays, the 31-year-old Mostert headlines one of the NFL's most potent rushing attacks and has set up an apparent residency in the end zone: with two games left in the regular season, Mostert has scored six on 21 different occasions, a single-season South Beach record. His 1,012 yards on the ground also rank fourth in the NFL and have helped Miami (11-4) reach the top of the AFC East and linger in contention for the conference's top seed and the first-round bye that comes with it.

Sunday's tilt could turn into a track meet: Miami's rushing attack is dangerous enough with Mostert, De'Von Achane, and Jeff Wilson in tow but it's well-countered by that of the Ravens. 

Baltimore (12-3) leads the league in rushing despite losing primary man J.K. Dobbins after just one game and rookie breakout Keaton Mitchell earlier this month. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has built a sizable MVP case with a dual attack that has mustered 786 yards on the ground while Gus Edwards has earned a dozen scores of his own. Fellow depth star Justice Hill rounds things out. 

Ravens' Deep Running Back Room Could Produce 'The Next Raheem Mostert'

But Harbaugh knows that they can't let Mostert and Co. get up to their old tricks ... ones that originated in Charm City nearly a decade ago and earned the longtime Raven boss' respect.

"He's the lead guy, but they use all three guys, and they're all very similar. They're all very fast. They're very physical. They run downhill; they can get the edge. They're all good in the passing game. Seeing Raheem's success after being here for that period of time is really neat to see."