It was the first play of the fourth quarter. The Ravens were trailing by four points against the Lions. Their last hope was Derrick Henry having possession of the ball. But before he could make a play, opposing defensive end Aidan Hutchinson tracked him down and punched the ball out, resulting in a huge fumble by Henry—third in three weeks. The game was far gone from the hands of Baltimore as Detroit crowed itself champions by 38-30. Guess who was watching the game gawk-eyed? The Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense. 

Ahead of Week 4, the biggest challenge for the Chiefs isn’t Lamar Jackson, but star RB Henry. So, of course, they have been studying his playing style (like always). But this time, they might have found a holy grail to stop Henry, aka the entire Ravens. Counted among the top—if not the best running backs, the five-time Pro Bowler hasn’t been at his best this season. For the first time in his career, he has surrendered more than one fourth-quarter fumble in a single season. And the Chiefs plan to capitalize on that. 

“Big runs, we want to avoid that, obviously,” said K.C. defensive end George Karlaftis before getting to the main point. “There’s been an emphasis on punching the ball, and we’re going to try to do that.” Now, of course, the Chiefs aren’t oblivious to reality to believe that every punch would end in a fumble. But what’s wrong with trying? The goal is to stop the opposing run game, and if something is working thus far, why shouldn’t the Chiefs emphasize it? 

However, the bigger mantra to contain Henry is to leave no chance of errors. “When you play a guy like that, you can’t make any mistakes. If one guy’s out of your gap, he’s gone. So, it’s all about being detailed,” added Karlaftis. The defensive end is putting his faith in his defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, and his grand scheme of plans for a balanced attack. “He’s such a master at what he does,” Karlaftis said about Spagnuolo. 

As eager as the Chiefs are to capitalize on Henry’s struggle, Jackson ascertained that the Week 3 loss wasn’t the RB’s fault. “We still could have executed and made something happen. We can’t fault him for that. You know, he doesn’t mess up,” said quarterback Jackson. He was speaking in reference to Henry’s sideline outburst following his fumble and claiming to be “still pissed, mad at myself.” Now, there comes something K.C. should be worried about: “I’m working on it as hard as I can to get this issue resolved.” Just like the Chiefs, Henry, too, wouldn’t leave a space to make errors again. It now depends upon who stands tall by his words. 

Derrick Henry stresses preparation as Ravens gear up to face Chiefs

The three-time rushing touchdown leader knows the upcoming clash isn’t going to be easy. Both teams are standing at 1-2, and neither wants to drop to 1-3. So, of course, the upcoming game is a ‘huge game.’ “This team [Chiefs] has been a dynasty for a while now. They’re solid on all three phases,” Henry admitted. “Defense, I think they’re solid from top to bottom, and they got game records.” This means that all it comes down to is who’s better prepared. “Preparation is very key this week,” added the running back. 

Henry and the Ravens know that their opponent would target the RB’s weaknesses. Right now, it’s the fumbles. That’s why he emphaized that more than executing the plays the right way, the Ravens are focused on “what we need to do to be ready for something.” The Ravens are aiming big for Week 4, ‘cause it’s not just about winning a game. It’s the next chapter of their rivalry. Henry revealed that they are planning to make big plays in the run game—precisely what the Chiefs are hoping to stop. 

“We have everybody to be explosive and have big plays in the run game and be physical, dominate the line of scrimmage. We just got to go do it,” added the 31-year-old. The bottom line is, as painful as the Week 3 loss felt, the Ravens and Henry can’t dwell on the past. The road ahead isn’t easy, but head coach John Harbaugh is confident that his team will improve, and perhaps the upcoming Sunday will be a showdown of that.