With just under 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against New England, Derrick Henry powered in a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Ravens an 11-point cushion, 24-13. It felt like the kind of moment that signals a team is ready to slam the door shut. But what followed raised more questions than it answered - especially about Baltimore’s late-game approach.
After that touchdown, the Ravens had two more offensive possessions. Henry didn’t get a single touch. In fact, he never even stepped back on the field.
That decision - or lack thereof - didn’t go unnoticed, and head coach John Harbaugh addressed it both immediately after the game and again in his Monday press conference. While he acknowledged the absence of Henry in those final drives, he also explained the rotation and situational roles that factored into the decision-making process.
“We have a rotation,” Harbaugh said, referring to how the Ravens split reps between Henry and rookie Keaton Mitchell. “Derrick and Keaton are our first- and second-down backs.
That’s something we’ve settled into over the last few weeks. And in clear passing situations - third downs - that’s Rasheen Ali’s role.
He had about nine snaps in that game.”
As Harbaugh explained it, the rotation is designed to keep backs fresh while also playing to their strengths. Henry typically opens a series and handles the early-down work.
But if the drive extends, or if he needs a breather, Mitchell steps in. According to Harbaugh, on the second-to-last drive, running backs coach Willie Taggart and Henry agreed that Mitchell would start the series, and Henry would rotate in.
That was the plan - but it never materialized.
“Looking back at it right now, to your point, I’d have grabbed it, and I would have said, ‘No, put Derrick in the game,’” Harbaugh admitted. “But that’s not really the way it works in real time.”
The drive in question began with 8:52 left in the fourth, starting from Baltimore’s own 31-yard line. After a couple of plays, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley - filling in for the injured Lamar Jackson - hit DeAndre Hopkins for an 8-yard gain on third-and-6 to move the chains.
That might’ve been the moment to insert Henry, especially given his success on the ground that night. But Harbaugh noted that the next play was a play-action sweep, a concept typically run with Mitchell.
“I would have at least, probably, wanted [Henry in] after we got the first down,” Harbaugh said. “But I’m also looking at the play - it was a play-action pass, initially.
That’s a sweep play that Keaton takes most of the time. So, that’s going to draw eyes and draw attention to the play.
I can see why you’d want to put Keaton out there in that play.”
It’s a glimpse into the fast-moving chess match that is NFL play-calling - where personnel decisions are often tied directly to the design and intent of each play. Still, Harbaugh acknowledged the second-guessing is fair.
“There’s logic going the other way for sure,” he said. “You just put Derrick out there for whatever the play is, and we would have all been happy with that as well. So, that’s how it went.”
Pressed further, Harbaugh emphasized how quickly decisions are made on the sideline - with plays coming in, substitutions happening on the fly, and coaches relying on the rotation and the gameplan tags to dictate who’s on the field.
“It’s not just as simple as, ‘Oh, Derrick Henry didn’t play the whole fourth quarter,’” Harbaugh said. “It was those plays back-to-back; he was going to go in. That was part of the plan.”
But even with that context, Harbaugh didn’t shy away from owning the decision in hindsight.
“As I look back on it, I’m like, ‘Sure, I see the point.’ But I’m also not in the midst of saying, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Timeout. Keaton, come on.
I want Derrick in the game,’ in that moment. That’s a reality too.”
It’s clear Harbaugh isn’t trying to dodge responsibility. He’s explaining the process - and acknowledging that, yes, in retrospect, having Henry on the field to help salt away the game would’ve been the smarter move.
“I’m not arguing that,” he said. “That’s why I’m saying, if I look back at it now, I’d rather have [Henry] out there, absolutely. I’m not arguing that at all on a fundamental level.”
And it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Henry was averaging 7.1 yards per carry on 18 attempts - the kind of efficiency that screams “feed him the rock” in a close game, especially with your starting quarterback out. Instead, Baltimore leaned on the rotation and stuck to the script, and it may have cost them a chance to close the door.
Now, with the Ravens’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread, every missed opportunity looms a little larger. This one, in particular, will be tough to shake - not because of a blown assignment or a turnover, but because one of the most dominant backs in the league never got the chance to put the game away.