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A standard NFL helmet can apparently hold up to the force of Derrick Henry’s 6-foot-2, 252-pound frame smashing it at a high velocity.
Henry tested this as he exited the field after fumbling for the third time in the Ravens’ first three games, this time in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions with his team down only four and a chance to go ahead in a game it would lose 38-30.
As he reached the bench, he unleashed his frustration on the inanimate objects around him.
Henry, as offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten pointed out, is a “gold jacket player,” one destined for the Hall of Fame.
He’s proven it for the Ravens, rushing for close to 2,000 yards (1,921) in his first year in Baltimore despite turning 31 that season. He’s lived up to his reputation as an explosive player and a workhorse who wears down defenses.
But the one thing he hasn’t carried over to Baltimore is his ball security. Over his first nine seasons, Henry fumbled 20 times in 105 games, averaging 2.2 fumbles a season.
Last year, he had three fumbles in 19 games.
This year, he has three fumbles in three games.
And two came at critical points, one in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills and the other in the fourth quarter against the Lions. The Ravens were up by eight against the Bills, but the fumble allowed Buffalo to draw within two.
On Monday night, Henry’s fumble came with 8:31 left on the first play of a fresh drive after the defense had forced a punt.
Henry ran around left end and appeared ready to turn the corner, but Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson caught him from behind and punched the ball out.
“It’s crazy right now,” an even-quieter-than-normal Henry said after the game. “Three games straight, that hasn’t happened in my career, straight fumbles in critical moments. ... I apologize to Flock Nation. Going to keep working and get this fixed.”
The fumble was not as devastating as it could have been. It gave the Lions the ball at the Baltimore 16-yard line, but the defense drove the Lions back to the 21 and forced a field goal.
“Our defense did a great job stopping those guys,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We just have to find a way to drive the ball down the field [and] score right away. We were still in the game. It wasn’t like it was a blowout or anything like that.”
When the offense took the field, the Ravens sent Henry right back out.
“It hasn’t been [a problem], and I don’t think it will be going forward,” coach John Harbaugh said. “But we got to get it fixed. I mean, that was kind of a blind shot there. I thought he had the ball in good position. I thought the defender got a good look at it, though, because it was kind of a retrace, cutback play. So a little bit of a perfect storm.”
The thing is, Henry has been working on it. He said he’s his own worst critic, and he wasn’t happy after the first one. He certainly wasn’t pleased after a second.
After a third? He was at a loss for words.
“I guess just try to implement those situations, be more cautious and just try to hold it as tight as you can,” Henry offered as possible solutions. “... I don’t know, just got to keep working. That’s all I can think of. It sucks right now.”
Henry doesn’t have much time to get it figured out. The Monday game makes for a short week. The Ravens face the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Neither teammates nor coaches expressed doubt that Henry will figure it out. Besides being bound for the Hall of Fame, he has stood out to everyone within the Ravens organization for his professionalism.
“I believe that on the next play — he’s a next-play guy — he’s going to come back and he’s going to run it for a 90-yard touchdown,” Rosengarten said. “Derrick’s a Hall of Fame player.”
Henry has surpassed three fumbles in a season only twice. In 2015, he fumbled five times but earned his first Pro Bowl invite. In 2022, he fumbled six times but carried the ball 349 times. Compared to most seasons, he’s met his quota.
“It’s just playing through a little adversity, but adversity is a terrible thing to waste, so I’m just going to keep going,” Henry said.
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