Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens Should've Let Derrick Henry Lead Way All Season

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Anthony Miller | Last updated Dec 28, 2025 8:21 AM ET

While there are a lot of happy Baltimore Ravens fans after their impressive 41-24 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, there will be many who left that game even more frustrated about how the 2025 season has gone.

Many expected that Ravens running back Derrick Henry was going to steal the show for the team, and he certainly lived up to those expectations.

Henry finished the game with 36 carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Even when the Packers knew Henry was going to get the ball, they still couldn't stop him, which makes the victory that much sweeter. It will also upset Ravens fans.

Derrick Henry should have carried the rock the whole season for Baltimore

There will be a lot of complaints about this season, with one being that the Ravens didn't lean on Henry to run the ball more often than they should have. A prime example was in the Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots, when Henry wasn't even on the field for the last two drives of the game after the Titans held an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Baltimore's offense is all about running the football and giving it to Henry, and has been since last season. The Ravens got away from that, throwing the ball more with Lamar Jackson when he played, and that didn't work out the way they hoped.

It also doesn't help that Jackson has pretty much been injured all season, so the Ravens ran fewer QB-designed runs, which hurt Henry from breaking loose more often. With Tyler Huntley playing, the threat of his legs made life easy for Henry to have long runs and pick up six yards a carry.

Henry now sees himself at number three in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,469 yards and second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 16. It is quite the comeback for Henry late in the season after just one 100-yard game in the first five games, as he now has six since then.

Because of the coaching malpractice of the pass, the Ravens are now in a situation where they need help to even stay in the playoff hunt in Week 18, as they need a Cleveland Browns win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. There are going to be a lot of questions about Ravens head coach John Harbaugh going into the offseason, but at least they were able to right one wrong from last, even if it might have been too late.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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