Derrick Henry looked crushed on Monday night. After another costly fumble in the fourth quarter, the veteran back slammed his helmet on the bench and sat in disbelief. By the time he reached the tunnel, Henry looked stunned at how his mistake once again tilted the game. And the Baltimore Ravens never recovered in a 38-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Still, Lamar Jackson refused to let his teammate carry all the weight.

When asked about Henry, the Ravens’ quarterback had a different view. “I feel like it’s a Capricorn thing. You know, you want to win. And once things don’t, once you feel like you’re a part of something, like might be a loss, you know, you felt like you did something wrong. You always put the blame on yourself. And like I said, after the game Monday, it was like six minutes and a half left. You know, we still could have executed and made something happen. We can’t fault him for that. You know, he doesn’t mess up.” Jackson’s words made it clear: Baltimore is not pointing fingers.

Henry’s ball security issues have been rare throughout his career. In nine seasons before joining Baltimore, he had lost just two fourth-quarter fumbles across 136 games. However lately Henry is facing problems.

On Monday, with the Ravens trailing 28-24, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson punched the ball free from Henry’s hands at Baltimore’s own 16. Detroit evetually turned it into a field goal. That was Henry’s second fourth-quarter fumble of this season alone. But as Jackson said, it’s not like that took the game away from them completely.

The blame wasn’t just Henry’s to take. Baltimore finished with just 85 rushing yards—50 of them came from Henry himself, while the remaining was covered by Jackson. The defense also lacked bite. With the Lions at 31-24 at the two-minute warning following the fumble, Jared Goff threw a 20-yarder to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth-and-2 from Detroit’s own 49. David Montgomery then rushed 31-yards for a score on the following play.

And get this, he alone covered 151 in rushing.

However, Henry didn’t hide. He apologized to teammates, coaches, and Ravens fans. “It’s just crazy,” Henry said. “Three fumbles [in three games] straight. I’m trying every day to fix the problem that just keeps occurring. I’m my worst critic, so I’m not going to try to beat myself up too much. But it’s hard not to when it’s consecutive and consistent [instances] of me doing the same thing.” So, Ravens wants Henry to return to his u form.

Now at 1-2, Baltimore heads to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. And for that, Jackson made it clear: the Ravens better come prepared.

Lamar Jackson’s urgent demand from teammates after 1-2 start

The Ravens’ 1-2 stumble has shocked Charm City and frustrated Raven Flock. This was not how the season was supposed to open. The offense is piling up points, leading the league at 37 per game. Yet protection issues (Jackson has been sacked 12 times already, 7 in the game against Detroit alone) and defensive lapses keep undoing that work. So on Wednesday, Lamar Jackson stepped in with a clear message during his media session.

“We gotta lock in. We’ve got to play Ravens football. We’ve got to tighten up. It’s a long season ahead of us, but we’ve just got to lock in,” the two-time MVP said. His words carried weight, because while the passing game continues to pop, the inconsistency in the run game has been a problem. Of course, Derrick Henry’s struggles in a big example.

On the bright side, Jackson’s chemistry with Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman has given this offense big-play juice. Andrews had a perfect game in terms of receptions against the Lions, holding on to 6 out of 6 targets for 91 yards and two scores. However, the defense is bleeding. Without Nnamdi Madubuike, who’s been sidelined since Week 2 with a neck issue, opponents have found open lanes all over the field. The front looks vulnerable, and rival offenses are taking advantage every week.

Now the pressure ramps up. The Ravens are second to last (Browns) in AFC North. The Week 4 matchup is now all about survival. Whether Jackson’s demand sparks a shift remains unknown, but time is running out fast in Charm City.