Derrick Henry apologizes after another fumble as Baltimore Ravens’ problems mount

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh has plenty to work on with his defense struggling against the run and offensive weapon Derrick Henry committing another fumble during the loss to the Detroit Lions last night.

The Ravens slumped to 1-2 on the season after the Lions left Baltimore with a 38-30 triumph, leaving Harbaugh scratching his head at why his highly fancied team were struggling to get anything going.

The Lions ran for 224 yards – the third-most any team has had against the Ravens during the Harbaugh era that started in 2008 – and missed 20 tackles in a sloppy display.

David Montgomery led the Lions’ charge with 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“There’s nobody in that locker room that thinks that’s good enough,” Harbaugh said. “That’s disappointing. That’s bad run defense, and that’s not who we are. It cannot be who we are. It’s not going to be acceptable, and it has to be better.”

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey added: “I feel like they kind of did whatever they wanted to do all night. They just simply executed better than us and we never got them off schedule. … We’re just not very good.”

Henry fumbles again as Ravens grounded

It’s not just Baltimore’s defense that is struggling, their offense is also looking short of its best.

Henry, who ranks 18th on the league’s all-time rushing list with 11,665 yards and is sixth with 109 rushing touchdowns, has been sloppy so far this season.

He suffered another crucial fumble against the Lions midway through the fourth quarter and with his team looking to overturn a four-point deficit, having the ball punched from his grasp by Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at his own 16-yard line. The Lions converted the turnover into a field goal.

It was Henry’s third fumble in three games after having had just three in the entirety of last season.

The 31-year-old showed his frustration by slamming his helmet into the bench as he walked off before apologizing to his team-mates after the game.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Henry said. “This sucks right now. I ain’t going to lie to y’all. 

“It’s just crazy. 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.”

We have to protect the football – Harbaugh

Henry managed just 50 rushing yards against the Lions having been restricted to 24 in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns.

Harbaugh said of the fumble: “That was kind of a blind shot there. 

“I thought he had the ball in good position. Still, we just want to protect the football; all our guys do, and we have to do it. We have to be good at it.”

It does not get any easier for the Ravens as they go to the Kansas City Chiefs next to face Patrick Mahomes.

“Adversity is rough right now,” Henry said. “But as long as we stay focused – and everybody will stay focused – we’ll try to turn this thing around. I know we will.”