Before this season, one would be hard-pressed to find a time where Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry had such an uncharacteristically pedestrian stretch.
"The King," as he's known, has been shockingly quiet to start the season. After rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, a performance that was sadly tainted by a late fourth-quarter fumble, Henry has rushed for 50 or fewer yards in three-straight games. The last time that happened was in Weeks 11-13 of the 2018 season, and he didn't even start those three games.
That said, the Ravens' Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was a bit of a different story. Henry finished the game with only 42 rushing yards, yes, but he also had just eight carries on the day. Only three of those carries came in the second half, including just one in the fourth quarter.
Despite that, Henry didn't put much focus on his carries, or lack thereof.
"I always try to take advantage of my opportunities," Henry told reporters after the game. "I don't try to get too caught up in that. [I] just [try to] make something happen when I'm out there with the opportunities I get."
Even more puzzling than Henry's lack of carries was the Ravens' reluctance to give him the ball in short-yardage situations. There were multiple third-and-short or fourth-and-short situations where he wasn't on the field, which is just baffling considering he's one of the best short-yardage running backs in recent history. John Harbaugh's explanation after the game didn't exactly clear things up on that front either.
The #Ravens just had 3rd-and-1 again.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2025
Derrick Henry wasn't on the field.
They didn't convert.
Tony Romo is beside himself in the booth.
It doesn't make sense to not even have him on the field. https://t.co/mASPLiW3yL
"Yes, I mean that's play calling," Harbaugh said. "I am not going to sit here and say I'm happy about it, at all. I am sure that [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] is not happy about it either. None of us are. You have to look at that and decide what you want to run there, in some of those circumstances and situations.
"If they work, they look good. [The Chiefs] threw the ball on fourth-and-short and third-and-short a few times and completed them, so maybe we just need better plays, plays that are going to pop open. Maybe we have to do a better job of game-planning in those plays. That's what I would say."
Now, the Ravens are 1-3 on the season with Henry not looking like himself and Lamar Jackson dealing with a hamstring injury. However, the former Offensive Player of the Year isn't backing down from the challenge ahead.
"Bring it on," Henry told reporters. "I look at it with a positive mindset. We are 1-3. Nobody is going to come out and do it for us. We have to go back to work."
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