The Baltimore Ravens‘ playoff hopes hang by a thread after their nail-biting 28-24 loss against the New England Patriots. However, this defeat could have been avoided if the Ravens held onto a 24-13 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Instead, the Patriots pulled off another incredible comeback before handing the Ravens a final chance to reclaim the lead and win. But surprisingly, on this final drive, Baltimore was without star running back Derrick Henry and ultimately fell short.

Questioning the bizarre decision, Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby called out the Ravens on his The Rush podcast.

“He needs to be on the field, bro,” Crosby exclaimed. “He’s one of the best running backs of our generation. That’s crazy, especially with a backup quarterback, and you’re thinking, okay, we’re going to run the f*****g rock. We got Derrick Henry, we’re good.”

And Crosby’s concerns seem valid, as Derrick Henry, until that point, had a stellar performance with 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Furthermore, it was Henry who ran for 30 yards and scored his second touchdown to take Baltimore to 24 points at the start of the fourth quarter.

With this loss, the Baltimore Ravens now need other results to fall in their favor to ensure they make the playoffs. Along with winning their last two games of the season against the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens need the 3-12 Cleveland Browns to beat the Steelers.

Had the Ravens defeated New England, they would have had control of their postseason chances, as the wins would have allowed them to overtake Pittsburgh in the tight divisional race. Further stressing how important Derrick Henry’s absence was on that crucial play against the Patriots.

With the season sitting on a knife-edge, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh issued an explanation of why Henry didn’t play in the last minutes against the Patriots.

Harbaugh explains Henry’s absence against New England

With the Baltimore Ravens suffering a 28-24 defeat against the New England Patriots, questions were raised about why Derrick Henry was on the bench during the most decisive moment of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Addressing these concerns, head coach John Harbaugh had a regretful explanation about how a running back rotation led to this decision.

“I don’t like the drive at all,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes. But Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next. So, they were working that rotation.”

This explanation stems from the fact that, as the Ravens got the ball back, they were not only facing a point deficit but also were against the clock. Further, Baltimore hasn’t used Henry as a pass-catcher, and hence, replacing him with Keaton Mitchell made sense.

Now with the Green Bay Packers next on the schedule, the Baltimore fans will hope that their long-term head coach, John Harbaugh, avoids such mistakes and gives the Ravens the best possible chance to qualify for the playoffs.