The Baltimore Ravens hit the blunder button, not once but twice, on Sunday. Sitting at the 1-yard line on second and goal, they picked tight end Mark Andrews under centre for back-to-back tush pushes. Both times, the Los Angeles Rams shut it down cold. Then came the fourth down, where the Cooper Rush experiment also bore no fruit. Shockingly, Derrick Henry, who seemed to be the perfect fit for such conditions, wasn’t in the picture. But it appears that the fans have to wait for some more time as John Harbaugh clears the air around not handing over the ball to Henry.

“We like Mark doing it,” Sarah Ellison, former Ravens editor, writes. “He’s a good ball handler and has experience doing it. Derrick, that I know of, has never taken a snap under center. So, we’d have to teach him to do that,” Harbaugh said. “Why Derrick over Mark? Why would that be better? … I don’t know where that idea comes from, but that wouldn’t be a thought. No.” But doesn’t Harbaugh’s Henry “never taking a snap under center” appear to be incalculative?

He needs to look back at the 2019 playoffs when Henry singlehandedly destroyed the Ravens. He tore through the defense and bullzoned the defenders for clutch first downs. He then threw a jump pass to Corey Davis for a touchdown. Titans have also used Henry from the centre for the short passes more than once. Still, Harbaugh is determined to go with Andrews, and this might hurt Baltimore more.

Harbaugh’s confidence in Andrews can turn into a double-edged sword, as his record near the end zone is not very impressive. At the 2024 season’s last game for the Ravens, he fumbled one drive in the fourth quarter and later dropped a 2-point conversion. This week adds more misery when he lost control of the ball again on the tush push….only this time he got a pass from the refs when they called it dead. But as Andrews’ struggles increase, the Harbaugh could have no other way to give Henry a shot at crucial plays, who has his own battles to fight.

Derrick Henry eyes a comeback after unimpressive performances

Derrick Henry’s been seen as the clear candidate to step up and take over after the Texans completely shut him down last week. Houston held him to just 33 yards on 15 carries, but against the Rams, he managed to bounce back. In a 17-3 home loss, he was one of the few Ravens who took the field with an intent to fight back. He managed 122 yards on 24 carries, a major turnaround after four straight games under 50 rushing yards. But Henry still has a lot of cleaning to do.

It’s been a frustrating start to the season for Henry, and the numbers tell the story. Through six games, Henry accounts for three fumbles in three games. He has totaled 439 yards on 88 carries, averaging 5 yards per carry with 4 rushing touchdowns. Through the air, he has added just 44 yards on 5 receptions and has yet to find the end zone as a receiver.

All these numbers might have piled up to be the reason enough for Harbaugh not to give Henry the opportunity for crucial situations like the tush push. But the good news is, the Ravens are hopeful for Lamar Jackson‘s return from the hamstring injury that he sustained during the Chiefs‘ contest. This could help Henry cope with the transitioning NFL grind as he walks on the path of redemption from his past performances.