Jamal Lewis thinks the Ravens already have their answer in Derrick Henry - and Sunday’s loss to the Saints was a reminder of how quickly that answer can get buried.
Baltimore took a 17-9 lead into the fourth quarter against New Orleans, but Henry touched the ball just once in that final period during the Ravens’ 24-17 defeat. That usage drew sharp criticism from Lewis, the former Ravens running back and franchise icon, who made his case on the latest edition of the "BMore Football Podcast."
“He’s a workhorse,” Lewis said about Henry, per Grant Gordon of the NFL's website. “You’re not going to have a workhorse like that for long, so you better use him.”
The Ravens made a decision late that stood out even more after the final result. Clifton Brown of the Ravens' website noted that Baltimore chose to throw on a third-and-1 near its own 35-yard line in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 17 instead of giving Henry the ball. The pass was broken up, and New Orleans followed with the drive that ended up delivering the winning touchdown.
Lewis didn’t hide how he viewed that kind of sequence from a running back’s perspective.
“If I only got the ball 10 times in the second half, I was pi---- off,” Lewis explained.
Henry finished with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against New Orleans. After the game, Minter said Henry “was definitely himself” and was not banged up in the fourth quarter, according to Smith.
Still, Lewis wanted the message to land with Baltimore’s first-year head coach Jesse Minter and first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
“Hopefully the offensive coordinator and the head coach learn from the mistake, being that it is early in the season,” Lewis added. “Don’t make that mistake again.”
The Ravens are 1-1 heading into their next game against the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ESPN stats show Dallas has allowed the league’s third-most rushing yards, 347, over the first two weeks, which could give Henry another chance to do damage on the final Sunday of September.
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