He’d been dominating the New England Patriots on the ground, so Derrick Henry must have been shocked to be watching from the sideline when the Baltimore Ravens tried and failed to score a winning touchdown without him on the final drive in Week 16.
Keeping Henry sidelined with the game on the line earned head coach John Harbaugh the ire of many onlookers. Harbaugh offered an unconvincing explanation for Henry’s absence, but the two-time NFL rushing champion also spoke out about not being involved during the pivotal stages of a 28-24 defeat that’s left the Ravens’ playoff hopes in the balance.
Derrick Henry Tried to Explain Final Drive Mystery
Henry didn’t get a touch after running for a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The score took his tally to 128 yards on only 18 carries, but somehow Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken wanted backup Keaton Mitchell on the field for the potential game-winning drive.
That decision appeared to be endorsed by Henry when he explained, “We’ve been doing a rotation for, I don’t know, how many weeks. Keaton has been doing a great job in the run game, and we are both in there doing the best we can. We have a lot of good players, so everybody has to get their touches and their opportunities, and Keaton is deserving of that,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Mitchell is a dynamic change-of-pace option with genuine breakaway speed, but his place in the rotation is weak justification for the Ravens taking Henry out the lineup. Particularly when the Patriots had struggled to contain the 31-year-old all night.
Henry had already proved too quick and too powerful for the Pats when he sprinted into the end zone from 21 yards in the first quarter.
Quite why Harbaugh went along with Monken’s curious strategy in a clutch moment remains a mystery. The coach’s attempts to clarify things hardly helped.
John Harbaugh Only Adds to Ravens Confusion
Harbaugh was frank when he revealed “Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes. But Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton [Mitchell] to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next. When you look back on it, I think it’s pretty easy to say, ‘Hey, he should have been in there.’ But we’re rotating those guys throughout the game. But yes, [on] game-winning drive, do I want Derrick on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field,” per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
Those comments don’t exactly clear up why Harbaugh didn’t make sure he got exactly what he wanted from his team on the final drive. The head coach often confines himself to setting the course and overseeing the big picture, but Harbaugh surely could have signalled to Monken to put Henry in ahead of Mitchell.
Not doing so has created unwanted questions for the Ravens when they’re on a short week and preparing for a difficult road game against the Green Bay Packers. The task is already tough enough, given the injury concerns about franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson and the prospect of backup Tyler Huntley starting at Lambeau Field.
Huntley has the backing of key players, including an All-Pro, but Harbaugh’s indecisiveness against the Pats won’t inspire the same confidence.
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