ExtremeRavens Posted September 23 Posted September 23 Derrick Henry’s teammates came to his defense Monday after he fumbled for the third time in three games. But former Ravens defensive end Chris Canty didn’t back up the future Hall of Fame running back in a Tuesday morning appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.” “You can’t give him the ball,” Canty told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in a heated three-minute debate about Henry’s fumbles. “You can’t trust him with the ball.” The Ravens gave Henry just 12 carries for 50 yards in a 38-30 loss to the Lions, and his fourth-quarter fumble led to a Lions field goal. After rushing for 169 yards in Week 1, Henry hasn’t reached 100 combined rushing yards in the two games since. He’s fumbled once in each of the first three weeks, although his Week 2 fumble against the Browns was recovered by the Ravens. Smith strongly disagreed with Canty, who played for the Ravens from 2013 through 2015 and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants before joining Baltimore. He finished his career with 354 tackles and 22 1/2 sacks. “He’ll fix it,” Smith said. “He’s Derrick Henry. If I was him, I’d be very upset with you. I’d be very upset with you right now.” Smith blamed coach John Harbaugh and Baltimore’s defense for the loss. The Ravens gave up a pair of 95-plus-yard touchdown drives, as the team’s run defense looked suspect without defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike available because of injury. Detroit rushed for 224 yards and finished with over 400 yards of total offense. “That’s a bigger problem than him fumbling the ball,” Smith countered. Canty and Smith then broke into a shouting match after Canty mentioned that the Ravens have failed to reach 100 rushing yards in consecutive weeks for the first time in the Lamar Jackson era. “You think that’s going to happen again?” Smith yelled. “You think Derrick Henry is going to be held for 50 yards rushing?” “I didn’t think I’d say a lot of things,” Canty replied. “I didn’t think they were going to blow a three-possession lead to the Buffalo Bills. They did that!” “Ain’t his fault,” Smith replied. “I didn’t think they were going to get bullied in Baltimore by the Lions,” Canty continued. “That’s a big problem!” Smith admitted. “That’s a John Harbaugh problem. Don’t blame that on Derrick Henry.” Stephen A. Smith and Chris Canty erupt in a nuclear First Take showdown over Derrick Henry's fumbles. https://t.co/s8vKeYYmpB pic.twitter.com/P0aVwdQ7WL — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 23, 2025 It’s unlikely the Ravens turn away from their star running back, but he leads all NFL running backs in fumbles through three games. The turnovers in Week 1 and Week 3 led directly to scoring drives in the fourth quarter. “We’ve got to get it fixed,” Harbaugh said. Henry agreed and even offered an apology to fans. “I apologize to Flock Nation, and I just want to keep working and get this fixed,” he said. Baltimore likes to turn to Henry late in games to put opponents away. He hasn’t delivered knockout blows this season. Instead, defenders have punched the ball away from the usually reliable Henry. “Now that that’s out there on tape, what do you think the other defenses that the Ravens are going to be playing are going to do?” Canty, who has five career forced fumbles, asked. “Punch it out!” ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin, who was also on Tuesday’s show, shouted in reply. It’s up to Henry to better protect the ball from those attempts, and Canty says the Ravens might have already lost some trust in the runner despite what they’re saying publicly. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article Quote
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