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John Harbaugh sends blunt message on Derrick Henry’s fumbles

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Mike Gianakos, ClutchPoints | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 12:55 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens came up short in an offensive slugfest against the Detroit Lions in Week 3. The 38-30 Monday Night Football loss dropped the Ravens to 1-2 on the season. Baltimore entered the matchup with the NFL’s 32nd-ranked defense, allowing a league-high 409.5 yards per game. And that trend continued Monday as Detroit racked up 426 total yards against the Ravens.

However, it was an offensive miscue that had fans talking after the MNF clash. Trailing 28-24 with 8:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, Derrick Henry committed a brutal turnover deep in Ravens territory.

Lions’ star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson came up with the punch out, causing Henry to lose the ball. Detroit recovered and turned the fumble into points, kicking a field goal to go up 31-24 with 6:35 remaining.

Aidan Hutchinson forces the fumble as the Lions recover pic.twitter.com/klCud9HzLl

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After the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh addressed the error. “It’s not going to be the norm,” Harbaugh said simply, per The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker.

Ravens fall short against Lions on MNF

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While it may not be the norm, a Henry fumble is far from an aberration this season. The All-Pro rusher already has three fumbles through three games. And he’s lost two of them. Henry fumbled three times total in 17 games last season and only lost one. In 2023, he didn’t have any fumbles despite carrying the ball 280 times.

Turnovers have not been an issue for Henry throughout his 10-year career. But he’s now lost the ball twice in key moments this season. In Week 1, the Ravens led the Buffalo Bills 40-32 with a little over three minutes remaining in the game. Baltimore planned on grinding out a win on the ground against a bitter conference rival. But disaster struck.

Henry lost the ball in Ravens territory, opening the door for a Bills comeback. On Monday night, Henry’s fumble led to a field goal that put the Lions up 31-24. Despite a second Mark Andrews touchdown, Baltimore couldn’t recover as Detroit went on to win 38-30.

The brutal loss, obviously, isn’t all on Henry, who apologized to fans for the mistake. The Ravens’ defense allowed David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to combine for 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns. While Jared Goff threw for 202 yards and another score.

The Lions had something to prove after an ugly 2023 loss to the Ravens. And Detroit put the rest of the NFL on notice with a big win over Baltimore.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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