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After the Ravens’ 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night, starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley said he thinks the offense needs to make the run game its identity again.

On Monday, coach John Harbaugh agreed, saying he would like to see more balance between run plays and pass plays.

“Those aren’t the numbers we want at all,” he said.

Running back Derrick Henry finished with 10 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter, Henry did not get a single carry after he rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown in the first period.

“We’re a running team, and that’s a fact,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are a throwing team, too, because they have a great quarterback in Lamar Jackson and talented receivers, but they’ve always had an identity as a running team, Harbaugh said.

He noted that circumstances drove them away from running the ball. After Henry’s touchdown, Jackson fumbled deep in Ravens territory on Baltimore’s next drive, the offense went three-and-out on the subsequent possession, and tight end Isaiah Likely fumbled just before reaching the goal line on long pass play the possession after that. Then the Ravens found themselves in their two-minute offense.

“So that explains the lack of carries in the second quarter,” Harbaugh said. “We didn’t have any plays in the second quarter to have the chance to even run the ball.”

The Ravens have struggled to open holes for Henry the way they did last year. He is averaging 4.7 yards per attempt compared to 5.9 last year and has only had four 100-yard games this year compared to six by this point last year.

Next up, the Ravens face the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose defense ranks in the middle of the pack for both rushing yards allowed and yards per carry allowed. Their 4.3 yards allowed per carry rank well above the Bengals at 5.1 yards allowed per carry.

Ball security

Harbaugh called the Ravens’ five turnovers Thursday “shocking.”

Likely admitted after the game that he was trying to make something happen for a unit that had been searching for a spark for weeks.

Running to the goal line with two defenders trying to take him down, Likely tried to shift the ball and extend it for a touchdown. Instead, he lost his hold and the ball bounced out of the end zone for a Cincinnati touchback.

Harbaugh explained Monday that he wants his players to keep the ball high and tight against them in almost every situation. The exception is if a player has enough time and space to securely extend the ball with two strong hands — but even then, he’s ambivalent.

“Because even if you do that, and you don’t execute it, then it was too much,” Harbaugh said.

Fumbling has been an issue the entire season. The Ravens are second in the NFL with 19, behind only the Minnesota Vikings.

Henry, who has rarely struggled with ball security through his storied career, fumbled the ball in each of the first three games. He was able to turn things around and hasn’t lost the ball since.

Jackson has four fumbles (two lost) since Week 9.

Harbaugh said every situation has been different, but it all comes down to ball security.

“It’s got to be done,” Harbaugh said. “It’s got to be intentional. It’s got to be intentional in everything you do from day one. It’s got to be in practice, it’s got to be in the forefront of your mind at all times when you’re a ball handler.”

A full week of practice for Jackson?

After three straight weeks with an absence, Jackson will practice as much as he can this week.

“That’s what he’s going to do and always has,” Harbaugh said.

Jackson missed Monday’s walk-through during the short week leading up to the Ravens’ game against the Bengals. Prior to that, he missed consecutive Wednesday practices — before the Ravens’ chaotic win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 and their ugly win over the New York Jets in Week 12.

Earlier this season he missed three games due to a hamstring injury he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. In the last three weeks, each practice absence was attributed to a different lower body injury. First a knee injury, then an ankle injury, and most recently a toe injury.

Through the injuries, Jackson’s completion percentage has tanked. He’s completed less than 60% of his passes in each of the last four games.

Jackson said after the Bengals loss that he’s not having accuracy issues in practice. He also said that he didn’t feel like his injuries were affecting his performance and that his injured toe felt good.

Harbaugh said Monday that players have off days sometimes — it’s a part of sports.

“You go back to work,” Harbaugh said when asked what they can do to help Jackson. “You get in there. You practice, and you study it, and you work together to be as precise as you can. It was not a precise offensive performance in any way.”

He did not specify any areas he’d like Jackson to focus on or improve.