OWINGS MILLS, Md. — While Baltimore Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon spent much of his time rehabbing an injured knee over the past few months and eventually re-joined non-contact practices, many of his counterparts across the league absorbed blow after blow on game days.

So Dixon felt energized when he came off injured reserve in time to carry the ball eight times for 37 yards in Sunday’s win over the Falcons. He didn’t appear sluggish or worn down. And looking ahead, the final four game of the season represent an opportunity for Dixon to round into his top form rather than a trudge to the finish line of a brutal campaign.

“I know when I get out there that I got fresh legs,” said Dixon, a third-year running back. “I’ve been out for 11 weeks.”

By placing Alex Collins (foot) on injured reserve over the weekend to clear space on the roster for Dixon, the Ravens turned away from the most established ball-carrier on their roster. That leaves the team ramping up its playoff push while relying on a couple of running backs who lack both heavy experience and significant wear and tear.

Perhaps, coach John Harbaugh said, that could work in Baltimore’s favor.

Dixon suffered a Week 1 injury, so he’s played in just two games this year. And the team’s new workhorse in the backfield, undrafted rookie Gus Edwards, began the season on the practice squad and had just 15 total carries up until the Baltimore’s mid-November bye week. In the three games since, Edwards has piled up 315 yards on 61 carries, surging from relative anonymity onto the radar of Ravens fans and fantasy football players across the country.

With Collins out of the fold, it appears Dixon and Edwards are the backs who’ll serve as quarterback Lamar Jackson’s complements in the running game down the stretch of the season. Those two have combined for 97 rushing attempts this year.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, James Conner has racked up 202 carries alone this season for the Steelers.

At a time when many NFL coaches are managing the workload of their running backs and hoping they’ll have the health and aggression to finish the year well, the Ravens simply added new runners into the fold. Edwards and Dixon are fresh and physical ball-carriers, too.

“It’s tough being a running back,” Harbaugh said. “You’re the punching bag, so to speak. But those two guys deliver the blow, too. I like the way they run.”

Collins failed this season to match his production from 2017. His yards per carry average dipped from 4.6 to 3.6, and when Jackson entered the lineup to reinvigorate the running game, Edwards was more prominent backfield partner.

Harbaugh suggested Monday Baltimore’s decision to put Collins on injured reserve was rooted in the desire to add Dixon to the roster as much as it was the health of Collins’ foot.

“We needed the roster spot, so that usually dictates when you have to make the move,” Harbaugh said.

Javorius Allen, who was Collins’ primary backup earlier this season, didn’t play a single snap Sunday in Atlanta. Instead, the Ravens mixed Edwards and Dixon on early downs and brought Ty Montgomery into the game as a change-of-pace or third-down back.

It was a rotation that worked well enough to get the Ravens past the 200-yard mark on the ground for a franchise-record third straight game, and it’s one Baltimore might continue to employ as it reaches toward its first playoff berth since 2014.

Dixon’s eager for the chance to play his role in all this. He’s been waiting for the chance.

“I can bring the same thing to the offense as Gus does,” Dixon said. “When your number is called, it’s just time for you to go.”