A bruising Baltimore Ravens running back of the past is confused by the use, or lack thereof, of a Charm City standout of the present.
In the aftermath of Derrick Henry getting just five carries in the second half of the Ravens’ 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Baltimore’s all-time leading rusher, Jamal Lewis, was blunt in his criticism of the approach.
“He’s a workhorse,” Lewis said on the BMore Football Podcast. “You’re not going to have a workhorse like that for long, so you better use him.”
Henry, 32, finished the Week 2 defeat with 16 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown.
With Baltimore leading at halftime, 14-6, Henry had rushed for 51 yards and a 1-yard touchdown on 11 carries. In the second half, he was given just five totes and earned 17 yards as the Ravens squandered a lead that was as wide as 11 points in the opening half.
Baltimore getting away from giving Henry the ball has been a curious occurrence at times dating back to John Harbaugh’s reign. In the 2025 Ravens’ win-or-go-home Week 18 battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers, for instance, Henry had 15 carries for 112 yards in the first half, but was given the ball just five times in the second half of the 26-24 loss.
It was confusing for many then, and it remains a conundrum now.
“If I only got the ball 10 times in the second half, I was pissed off,” said Lewis, who admitted it was a much different situation when he played than for Henry, who lines up in the backfield with Lamar Jackson, the most prolific rushing quarterback in NFL history.