On a frigid Sunday night in Foxborough, Derrick Henry turned back the clock - and then, somehow, vanished.
The Ravens’ bruising back delivered his most dominant performance since Week 1, piling up 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots. His second score, a vintage 8-yard rumble through contact, gave Baltimore a 24-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. At that point, Henry looked every bit like the engine of the Ravens’ offense, especially with Lamar Jackson sidelined due to injury.
But then, with the game hanging in the balance, Henry never saw the field again.
He wasn’t hurt. He wasn’t gassed.
He simply didn’t return. Instead, it was Keaton Mitchell - the speedy change-of-pace back - who took over.
We just need to lose the next 3 games, bc the play calling makes no sense and Derrick Henry knows it. We have the ultimate closer and chose not to use him. pic.twitter.com/MNUjo1UJFY
— WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAVENS? (@fastlanepayne) December 22, 2025
Mitchell finished with nine carries for just 13 yards, and it was he who got Baltimore’s final two rushing attempts of the game. The Ravens punted, and the Patriots, led by rookie quarterback Drake Maye, mounted a cold-blooded go-ahead touchdown drive with just over two minutes left.
As New England celebrated, the camera cut to Henry on the bench, helmet off, shaking his head. A silent moment that said plenty.
After the game, head coach John Harbaugh didn’t dodge the obvious. Asked why Henry wasn’t on the field late, Harbaugh admitted it didn’t look like the right call in hindsight.
“You look back on it, I think it’s pretty easy to say he should have been in there or he shouldn’t have been in there,” Harbaugh said. “But we’re rotating those guys throughout the game as two backs.
But yeah, game-winning drive, do I want Derrick Henry on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field.”
That’s about as close as you’ll get to a coach saying, “Yeah, we probably messed that one up.”
Mitchell had been electric in recent weeks, coming into Sunday night averaging 10 yards per carry over his previous two games. But against New England’s front, he couldn’t find daylight.
Heading into that final drive, Mitchell had seven carries for nine yards. Henry, on the other hand, was averaging 7.1 yards per tote and had been the most consistent threat Baltimore had all night.
With Jackson out, the Ravens needed someone to carry the offense - quite literally. Henry looked like that guy. And yet, when the game turned into a fourth-quarter street fight, the 247-pound hammer stayed on the sideline.
It’s a tough pill for the Ravens to swallow, especially considering where Henry is in his career. At 31, in his 10th season, he’s still putting up elite numbers - 1,253 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, and a clean 5.0 yards per carry on the year.
He’s not just a short-yardage back or a veteran locker room presence. He’s still producing like one of the best backs in the league.
John Harbaugh on absence of Derrick Henry at end of the game. “He should’ve been in there.” 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/DqPog4QVZO
— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) December 22, 2025
And on Sunday night, he looked like the Ravens’ best - and maybe only - path to closing out a tough win on the road.
Instead, Baltimore let the game slip away. And Henry? He watched it happen from the bench.