A long year just got longer, and John Harbaugh’s team sits on the brink of playoff elimination after a 28-24 loss to the Patriots on NBC Sunday Night Football. Baltimore needs to defeat Green Bay and have Cleveland defeat Pittsburgh in Week 17 after losing to the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. One of the biggest storylines from the loss was the usage or lack thereof of Ravens All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson was injured in the first half and forced to exit with a back injury. The two-time MVP finished 7-10 passing for 101 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 102.5 rating. He was replaced by Tyler Huntley, who was 9-10 passing for 65 yards in one half of action.

With Jackson out and the passing game grounded, Henry was dominating his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, and the Patriots’ defense.

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Early in the fourth quarter — 12:50 mark– Henry had 128 yards on 18 carries. It’s the 15th time that Henry has recorded a 100-yard rushing game in two seasons for Baltimore. It was also his last carry and snap in a disappointing loss.

Henry said he wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t in the game at the start of that drive.

“We’ve been doing a rotation for I don’t know how many weeks. Keaton has been doing a great job in the run game, and we are both in there doing the best we can,” Henry said. “We have a lot of good players, so everybody has to get their touches and get opportunities, and Keaton is deserving of it.”

Henry didn’t receive another snap down the stretch. Overall, the Ravens wasted a supreme effort from Henry, who finished with that stat line and was not involved on the final two possessions.

Even with inconsistent usage rates and play calling, Henry is still fourth in the NFL in rushing, but should seek a change of address this March, with the Ravens unwilling to commit to the future Hall of Fame running back.

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When asked about the disparity in carries, OC Todd Monken and head coach John Harbaugh referenced a running back by committee with Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali getting an equal amount of snaps despite Henry dominating the Patriots.

“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.”

The 30-year-old running back deserves better and should request an off-season trade. Henry has been a perfect fit with the Ravens, and signed a two-year contract extension with Baltimore back in May, keeping him in purple through the 2027 season. The extension is worth $30 million total with $25 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

It was the richest deal in NFL history for a running back over 30 years old, and outside of four fumbles this season (career high), Henry has done nothing to show that he’s slowing down or lost a step.

Last season, Henry finished second in the league in rushing yards with 1,921, trailing Barkley’s 2,005. Henry averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per carry and finished tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns (16).

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Henry will start to decline at some point, and if the Ravens are unsure how to utilize his talents properly, there are about a dozen or more playoff-caliber teams that wouldn’t let a Hall of Fame running back go nearly a quarter without a touch or a snap.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Derrick Henry should request an offseason trade from Ravens