Is Derrick Henry playing today? Why Ravens RB is struggling in Week 5 vs. Texans

Mike Moraitis

Is Derrick Henry playing today? Why Ravens RB is struggling in Week 5 vs. Texans image

The Baltimore Ravens are in deep trouble after a 1-3 start and the last thing the team can afford is a down game from running back Derrick Henry.

The Ravens lost quarterback Lamar Jackson for what is expected to be multiple games and are now forced to start Cooper Rush.

In such a scenario, Henry needs to help carry the offense on his back moving forward. However, he has not done anything close to that early on in Week 5.

Here's a look at what's going on.

Is Derrick Henry playing today?

UPDATE: We are through an entire hall of football in Baltimore and Henry still has just six carries for eight yards.

The Ravens are getting blown out and that does not bode well for Henry's hopes of turning things around in the second half, as he's rarely involved in the passing game and Baltimore will be throwing a lot over the final two quarters.

END OF UPDATE

Yes, Henry is active, healthy and in the lineup, he just hasn't been able to get anything going with six carries for eight yards as of this writing.

One of the issues is the Texans are able to completely stack the box without having to fear Rush throwing the ball all over the field like Jackson can.

It also doesn't help that the Texans sported the No. 12 run defense in the NFL going into this game, so that only makes things more difficult.

After a monster game in Week 1, Henry hasn't been able to do much on the ground the last three weeks and he has struggled with fumbles.

Figures don't figure to get any easier as long as Jackson is sidelined.

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Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.