In Week 3, Derrick Henry’s costly fourth-quarter fumble against Aidan Hutchinson sealed the Baltimore Ravens’ 38-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.

It was his third in as many weeks. And now the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense is circling that weakness like sharks. Heading into their Week 4 clash, Kansas City isn’t just worried about Lamar Jackson.

But about exposing Henry’s uncharacteristic ball-security struggles. For the first time in his career, the five-time Pro Bowler has coughed up multiple late-game fumbles in a season, and the Chiefs believe that could be the key to slowing down Baltimore’s entire offense.

“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 eas. But head coach John Harbaugh is confident that his team will improve, and perhaps the upcoming Sunday will be a showdown of that.