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What John Harbaugh, Derrick Henry had to say about Ravens RB’s late-game absence
"Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes."
The Ravens weigh in on Derrick Henry’s late-game disappearance: Amid the Patriots’ dramatic comeback win against the Ravens on Sunday, one of the seemingly inexplicable details that emerged was the conspicuous absence of running back Derrick Henry as Baltimore tried to stage a rally.
Henry was on the sidelines for the Ravens’ final two drives of the game, including the last drive after the Patriots took the lead. This came despite Henry dominating for large stretches on Sunday, rumbling for 128 yards on 18 carries.
But after scoring a touchdown with 12:50 left in the game to give Baltimore a commanding 24-13 lead, he didn’t touch the ball again. Why, having apparently found a straightforward and successful formula on offense, did Ravens head coach John Harbaugh deviate from the strategy?
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He was asked about the final drive, and Henry’s absence, in the postgame press conference. The Baltimore coach cited the team’s collective running back approach, as Henry splits carries with Keaton Mitchell.
“I don’t like the drive at all,” 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.”
Henry concurred, noting Mitchell has earned his role in the offense.
“We’ve been doing a rotation for I don’t know how many weeks,” Henry explained after the game. “Keaton has been doing a great job in the run game, and we are both in there doing the best we can. We have a lot of good players, so everybody has to get their touches and get opportunities, and Keaton is deserving of it.”
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The 31-year-old, who is averaging five yards per carry this season and now has 12 rushing touchdowns, was ultimately more annoyed at his first half fumble. It was his fourth of the season, the most he’s had since 2022.
“It’s just really embarrassing,” Henry said. “I feel like some of that momentum that we had in that drive – I feel like we would have scored, and that would have given us seven [points] – so I took seven points away. And I feel like I took a little bit of momentum from the team and the defense, and they went on a long drive and scored, and it’s just been disappointing, kind of like this whole year.”
The Ravens now face an uphill climb to make the postseason. One more Steelers win, or one more Baltimore loss, and the Ravens are out of the playoff race.
The Patriots, on the other hand, clinched a playoff spot with the win. New England is still in contention for both the top seed in the AFC, and the AFC East divisional crown.
Trivia: Aside from Derrick Henry himself, can you name every NFL running back to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season?
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(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Their initials are OS, ED, BS, TD, JL, CJ, AP
Scores and schedules:
The Patriots rallied to defeat the Ravens 28-24 on Sunday night. With the win, New England clinched its first playoff berth since the 2021 season. New England will face the Jets on Sunday, Dec. 28 at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Also on Sunday, the Bruins lost to the Senators 6-2. The Bruins face the Canadiens on Tuesday at TD Garden. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
And the Boston Fleet defeated the Seattle Torrent 3-1 on Sunday.
The Celtics host the Pacers tonight at 7:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- 13 takeaways from Patriots’ comeback win over Ravens
- Fabian Zetterlund scores 2 as Senators beat Bruins 6-2 for 4th straight win
- Patriots Stock Watch: Who stood out and struggled in comeback win against Ravens
- AFC Playoff Picture: Where the Patriots stand after beating the Ravens
- From TreVeyon Henderson to offensive tackle depth, injuries are piling up for the Patriots
- Wins like Sunday night, by players like Drake Maye, make it feel like sky might be the limit for Patriots
- Patriots WR Stefon Diggs explains escaping medical tent before torching Ravens
- What Mike Vrabel said of controversial non-call by refs against Patriots
- Report: Red Sox trade for Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras
- Celtics welcome Isaiah Thomas back to TD Garden, this time as a guest
- Did Bruins make wrong call starting Jeremy Swayman for 4th-straight game?
Plays of the game: A standout moment arrived via the unexpectedly important contribution of rookie speedster Kyle Williams.
A game-winning drive: A play-by-play look back at the go-ahead touchdown that the Patriots scored to (eventually) decide the comeback win.
On this day: In 1956, Bill Russell made his NBA debut in a thrilling 95-93 win over the St. Louis Hawks. Russell, whose first game with the Celtics had been delayed by weeks due to his participation in the 1956 Summer Olympics — which, because they were held in Australia, took place in November and December — totaled six points with 16 rebounds.
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It was a preview of the upcoming NBA Finals, as the Celtics would go on to win the team’s first championship several months later in a thriller against St. Louis.
Daily highlight: On a day that included some tremendous NFL plays, it was a bicycle kick from Day 1 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that commands the highlight spot. The tournament hosts won 2-0 over Comoros in their opener (Morocco will also play at Gillette Stadium in the World Cup against Scotland on June 19).
Trivia answer: O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson
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