Derrick Henry’s absence during a crucial fourth-quarter drive will haunt them.
Henry had a huge game (18 carries, 128 yards, two touchdowns) that was wasted in defeat.
His final carry was his 2-yard touchdown run with12:53 left that gave Baltimore a 24-13 lead.
After the Patriots answered with a touchdown drive to make the score 24-21, the Ravens took possession with nine minutes left. Instead of riding with Henry, Keaton Mitchell was in the game for that series while Henry watched from the sideline. Mitchell (nine carries, 13 yards) had two carries for four yards during that drive, but the Ravens were stopped after one first down and forced to punt, setting up New England’s go-ahead drive.
Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked if, in hindsight, he would have preferred to have Henry in the game for that crucial series.
“Looking back, would I rather have Derrick starting the drive? Yeah,” Harbaugh said. “You look back on it, it’s pretty easy to say he should have been in here, but we’re rotating those guys throughout the game. But [the] game-winning drive, do I want Derrick Henry on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field.”
The Ravens love Mitchell’s explosiveness, and finding adequate touches for him and Henry is a challenge. But part of Henry’s greatness is his ability to close out games. He didn’t get a chance to deliver the punch that could have knocked out the Patriots.