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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Running back Derrick Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns, both season highs, as the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens held off the Green Bay Packers, 41-24, in a must-win game Saturday night.

With the victory at Lambeau Field, the Ravens (8-8) kept their playoff hopes alive for at least another day. If the AFC North-leading Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Ravens would be eliminated from postseason contention ahead of their Week 18 trip to Pittsburgh. A Browns win would force a de facto AFC North championship game.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley, making his first start in place of the injured Jackson (back) since a Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears, and Henry led the way as the Ravens eclipsed 30 points for the first time since Week 8. Henry, whose late-game absence Sunday against the New England Patriots drew heavy criticism, finished with a career-high 36 carries — the most in any NFL game this season — and set a league record for the most career games with at least 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns (14).

In extending their season, the Ravens had to sweat out more late-game drama. After Huntley found wide receiver Zay Flowers for a 10-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that gave the Ravens a 34-24 lead, Packers quarterback Malik Willis promptly led Green Bay (9-6-1) back into Ravens territory.

But two plays after the second-string Willis left the game with a shoulder injury — starter Jordan Love was ruled out Friday because of a concussion — third-stringer Clayton Tune had a pass deflected and picked off by Marlon Humphrey, who along with fellow cornerback Nate Wiggins had struggled all night. On the ensuing drive, Henry put the game out of reach with a 25-yard touchdown run.

Huntley, who practiced with the first-team offense all week as Jackson recovered from the contusion he suffered Sunday, went 16-for-20 for 107 yards and had eight carries for 60 yards. The Ravens finished with 308 rushing yards (5.9 per carry), nearly double the 163 yards the Packers allowed in Week 9 to the Carolina Panthers, their previous season high.

The Ravens’ offense more than made up for a disappointing defense, which again struggled in prime time. Willis went 18-for-21 for 288 yards and one touchdown and had 22- and 11-yard rushing scores.

The Ravens’ offense got off to a dream start. For the first time since a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, they scored on every first-half possession. The Ravens entered halftime with a 27-14 lead — their biggest first-half output all season — and 23:46 in time of possession, longer than they held the ball over three full games this year.

Henry had 21 carries in a busy first half, with three runs from the Packers’ 3-yard line or closer for touchdowns. His last score restored the Ravens’ double-digit lead with just 10 seconds left in the half.

Too little, too late?

Like a bad bug, the Ravens have just been wearing on teams in recent weeks. Their past few opponents have come out of games with much longer injury lists than they entered with — and their run defenses with a lot more bad film.

The Ravens have long taken pride in being the more physical team. It’s a prerequisite for AFC North football. And now they’ve finally started to look it down the stretch, if only in fits and starts.

If the Browns can upset the Steelers on Sunday, the Ravens might finally have a formula for winning the AFC North and maybe making a postseason run. But they face long odds in getting there. It took them much longer than expected to find this identity.

— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter

Holes in the win

The Ravens finally got the offense cooking (which is a whole other topic), but the defense seemed to take a step back. Why can’t both these units step up at the same time?

The Packers picked apart the Ravens’ pass defense way too easily, considering they were playing with a backup quarterback. Should the Ravens still be in playoff contention at the end of this weekend, I have a hard time believing they would go far if they encounter a good passing offense because of how they’ve looked in the past two games. The Packers, who barely ran the ball, averaged 8.2 yards and scored 24 points on just 44 plays. That’s not a winning formula without a juggernaut of an offense, which the Ravens seem to have only if they put their faith in Derrick Henry.

— Giana Han, Ravens reporter

A painful win

Can a win hurt more than a loss? I think Saturday’s win in Green Bay makes the case. While it was cathartic, in one sense, to see the Ravens embrace being a team powered by human bowling ball Derrick Henry, in another, it was aggravating. Why haven’t the Ravens been a run-dominant, ball-possessing offense all year?

Giving Henry a career high in rushing attempts feels like a poor consolation prize after keeping him on a seeming carry restriction all year. When he scored his fourth touchdown, it made many observers wonder if Baltimore might be a Super Bowl contender instead of on the outside looking in if the coaching staff had made this pivot much, much sooner.

Aside from the Henry of it all, Tyler Huntley deserves a nod. He has clear limitations as a downfield passer, but he kept the Packers off balance with his arm and his legs. The pass rush was sad, and the secondary incredibly ineffective, but Marlon Humphrey (once again) came up with a game-changing play. Sometimes a good choice at the right moment is more important than playing well most of the time. It makes you wish the Ravens had made different choices at different moments earlier this season, preventing this from being possibly the last meaningful game of the season.

— Kyle Goon, columnist

Remembered Derrick Henry, just too late

When discussing the Ravens’ planned rotation of running backs this week, offensive coordinator Todd Monken noted that “it keeps [Derrick Henry] fresh.” Henry certainly looked like he was running with fresh legs as he dominated a hobbled Packers defense. But if Henry’s four-touchdown performance came at the expense of last week’s loss to the Patriots, it obviously wasn’t worth it. Baltimore finally remembered the King’s singular talent, but if the Browns fail to pull off the upset Sunday, it won’t matter.

— Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast co-host

Over to you, Browns

There was a beautiful simplicity to the way the Ravens won, and all it did was make you wonder where this approach had been in so many other situations that called for it this year. Watching Derrick Henry coast into the end zone for his fourth TD, while crossing the 200-yard mark, only made the questions of a week ago that much louder.

And now the Ravens need to hope the lowly Browns can beat the Steelers to keep the season alive. It’s not unthinkable — we’ve all watched a lot of AFC North games, after all — but it’s also not the position this team should be in.

— Chris Korman, editor