Ravens Star RB Flops Again vs. Texans

Lamar Jackson was ruled out from making his usual start for the Baltimore Ravens entering Week 5, opening the door for a few key teammates to try stepping up and fill in for the quarterback's usual scoring pressure.

Cooper Rush earned eyes as Jackson's direct understudy, a career-backup who was suddenly thrust into the heart of a spiraling offense, but many expected Derrick Henry to break out of his generally-quiet start to the season.

It hasn't been for a lack of skill, as Henry's looked as formidable as ever whenever he's gotten the ball on any downhill drives, but he simply hasn't been burdened his usual herculean usage rates. Jackson's picky passing, his spotty offensive line and some of the coaching staff's questionable play-calling have gotten some of the blame for his odd under-utilization, and with the Ravens; most valuable weapon out for their showdown against the Houston Texans, some analysts readied themselves for a return to form for the star back.

What they got instead was one of Henry's least-impactful games in a Ravens uniform, with his scoring Baltimore's lone touchdown with the game already-well out of hand saving him from an otherwise-ineffective statline. He once again got single-digit carries, managing just 16 yards on nine attempts for a paltry 1.8 yards per touch, by far the fewest yards he's ever finished a game with in his 21-game regular season Baltimore career.

The Texans knew that Henry's value is built on his ability to pick up steam and drag the occasional defender with him downfield, and picked on that injured offensive line to keep him from ever finding any momentum or major gains.

His inability to force his way through the defense like he has all throughout his illustrious career is certainly elevated by Jackson's absence, making Henry look a lot closer to his 30+ age than many fans have been willing to consider. His rushing partner in crime diverts much of the attention from the running back, and without Henry's impact, the ground game falls apart.