Bernard Pierce must have had no room for error.
The moment Pierce made a mistake in Baltimore's 23-16 loss to the Bengals, the Ravens pulled him and decided not to play him the rest of the game.
With 4:36 to go in the second quarter, Pierce took a hand-off but couldn't find any room. Falling forward, the ball was jarred loose and recovered by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. After the Ravens' defense held Cincinnati to a field goal, Pierce was nowhere to be seen.
And after halftime, Pierce stood on the sideline and became a spectator.
Before Pierce's fumble, he had 14 yards on five carries. Rushes were sporadically called and early on, neither Pierce or Justin Forsett could gain any momentum. Forsett ended up having a solid second half and finished with 70 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Pierce won't have time to dwell on this missed opportunity. He'll have to regroup and get ready for Pittsburgh this coming Thursday. However, you'd have to think the Ravens will be going with Forsett as the lead back against the Steelers.
And after that game Ray Rice returns. All of a sudden, things aren't looking so bright for Pierce in Baltimore.