On what were the Baltimore Ravens' two most important drives of the 2025 season on Sunday night against the New England Patriots, running back Derrick Henry didn't touch the field.
The Ravens got the ball back with a 24-21 lead with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Baltimore deployed backup running back Keaton Mitchell over Henry.
Then, on Baltimore's final offensive possession of the game, when the Ravens were trailing, 28-24, Henry was absent yet again. The drive ended after two plays, with wide receiver Zay Flowers losing a fumble, allowing the Pats to ice the game.
That means Henry did not see the field over the final two drives following his scoring a touchdown that gave Baltimore a 24-13 lead early in the fourth.
We've seen the Ravens do this all season long, but it was especially inexcusable in such a huge spot on Sunday night, and with Henry playing as well as he was, his fumble earlier in the game not withstanding.
After the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admits it was a mistake to not have Henry on the field for the final drive, but noted that the star running back would've seen the field if the possession lasted longer.
Harbaugh also pointed to the running back rotation the Ravens have been utilizing this season, which explains (but doesn't justify) why he wasn't on the field for the second-to-last drive.
"I don't like the drive at all," Harbaugh said, according to Ryan Mink of the team's official website. "Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes. But Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next. So, they were working that rotation."
As for Henry's thoughts, the Ravens running back had no issue with how things went down and noted that there was nothing unusual about the rotation with Mitchell.
"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," Henry said. "We have a lot of good players, so everybody has to get their touches and get opportunities, and Keaton is deserving of it."
Over the course of his career, Henry has been one of the very best closers in the NFL. In fact, he might be one of the best closers of all time.
He should have been on the field for both of those drives, but especially for the second-to-last series when the Ravens were trying to close the game out with a lead.
New England had no answer for Henry the entire game and Baltimore should have been feeding him down the stretch as a result.
Would that have changed the outcome? We can't say for sure, but feeding Henry was undoubtedly the most logical approach under the circumstances.
Now, the Ravens are one loss or one Pittsburgh Steelers win away from falling short of the playoffs in 2025.
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