Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry admitted to reporters Wednesday that his fumbles this season (one apiece over his first three games) are “rough.” However, he is focused on rectifying the matter moving forward.
The 31-year-old Henry, a five-time Pro Bowler, isn’t slowing down in his 10th NFL season. Over three games, Henry has rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries (5.9 yards per attempt).
However, he’s also encountered issues holding onto the football, and two of those turnovers proved costly in Raven losses.
In Week 1, the Ravens were up 40-32 against the Buffalo Bills with 3:10 left. Baltimore was trying to run out the clock at this point. On 1st-and-10 from the Ravens’ 41-yard line, Henry got the ball, but defensive tackle Ed Oliver caused a fumble, which was recovered by linebacker Terrel Bernard.
In response, Buffalo scored a touchdown, forced a three-and-out and then kicked a field goal for the 41-40 win.
In Week 2, Henry fumbled in the second quarter of a 41-17 home win over the Cleveland Browns. However, Baltimore wide receiver Tylan Wallace recovered the ball and even caught a 15-yard touchdown pass on the next play, so it wasn’t a big deal at all.
In Week 3, the Ravens trailed 28-24 to the Detroit Lions with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter. Henry got the ball on 1st-and-10 from the Ravens’ 21-yard line, but Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson caused a fumble.
Lions cornerback D.J. Reed recovered it, and Detroit kicked a 45-yard field goal on its next drive en route to a 38-30 win.
Henry spent eight years with the Tennessee Titans before signing with the Ravens as a free agent before last season. He was fantastic for Baltimore last year, amassing 2,114 total yards and 18 touchdowns for the AFC North champions.
Obviously, this season has gotten off to a tough start for Baltimore at 1-2, but its two losses are against teams that could very well be in the Super Bowl this year. As far as Henry’s fumble issues, his three this year already match his three last season. However, he didn’t have any the year before and has just 23 overall for his career on 2,572 touches.
The bet here is on Henry figuring things out and not having a season-long fumbling issue. That would be good news for a Ravens team that’s greatly benefitted from Henry’s rushing prowess otherwise.
Henry and the Ravens will look to get back on track Sunday when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
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