ExtremeRavens Posted 22 hours ago Posted 22 hours ago GREEN BAY, Wis. — At some point Saturday evening, as Derrick Henry kept getting the ball and the Packers kept failing to stop him, the question turned from, “Can the Ravens keep doing this?” to “Why hasn’t this been the plan all along?” Henry repeatedly answered it with brute force and physicality. After his fourth and final touchdown, Henry climbed into the stands for a deserved Lambeau Leap, boosted upward by an offensive line that had helped author his career night. A handful of disgruntled Packers fans, including one that exuded the double bird, seated near the front row of the south end zone, shoved back. Henry grinned anyway with his arms extended, soaking in his moment. With their backs against the wall and Lamar Jackson sidelined, the Ravens handed the keys to the King and watched him dismantle the Packers into submission. Henry touted the ball a career-high 36 times for 216 yards, powering Baltimore to a 41-24 victory that kept its playoff hopes alive for at least one more day. His performance was pure dominance, smash-mouth football. It raised an unavoidable follow-up: What took so long? This was only the fifth game all season in which Henry finished with more than 20 carries. Too often this season, including last Sunday’s loss to New England, the Ravens drifted away from their most physically imposing playmaker. In this late-season contest, they finally stopped getting in their own way and unleashed Henry with no regret. “It’s one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen,” coach John Harbaugh said of Henry. “Hard, downhill running, but also a lot of ‘make [them] miss.’ He’s taking it inside; he’s taking it outside.” Against a Packers defense built on speed and tackling at the second level, Henry forced a whopping nine missed tackles. Late in the second half, Henry flung cornerback Carrington Valentine aside with his signature stiff arm. According to Next Gen Stats, Henry recorded his fourth career game with 100-plus rushing yards inside and outside the tackles. He’s the only player in the Next Gen Stats era to accomplish such a feat in one game. After he abandoned Henry multiple times this season, coordinator Todd Monken committed to his horse in a do-or-die Week 17 intraconference showdown. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley had a commendable outing, but make no mistake, this was Henry’s show. The Ravens dominated time of possession, 40:16 to 19:44. “They throw big people at us; we throw big people right back at them,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “It just comes down to who wants it more.” Playoff-bound Green Bay apparently didn’t want it. Coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged as much, saying the Packers were “babied” by the Ravens. The Packers had no intentions of wanting to bring down Henry. Even when they did, they came down hobbled and bruised. Saturday night belonged to the King. “Derrick Henry is a beast,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “He’s one of one. It’s really just a joy to block for him. He’s so fast. He’s so physical. He’s tough to bring down one-on-one.” Henry shredded the cheese. The defense, meanwhile, again showed why Baltimore is clinging to hope instead of controlling its destiny. The Ravens entered Week 17 with the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense and lived up to its billing for long stretches. Green Bay barely ran the ball, yet backup quarterback Malik Willis picked Baltimore apart, completing all but three passes for 288 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 134.6. It wasn’t until Willis exited with a shoulder injury that the Ravens finally strung together consistent stops. “We played OK,” veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “We have to play better, and we will next week. We have a high standard, and that wasn’t our standard fully tonight. Grateful the offense was able to do their thing … but collectively, we all have to get better.” Sadly, there isn’t much time to get better. This wasn’t a complete performance the Ravens have been searching for all season. It was a lopsided one, overpowering in one phase and poor in another. That specific imbalance is why even a win this emphatic doesn’t fully restore order. “We’ve got a bunch of fighters in this room,” Andrews said. “Obviously this isn’t a spot we wanted to be in.” Refusing to give up is admirable. It’s also the bare minimum for a roster this talented, Andrews acknowledged. After a night that showcased their power and muscle, Baltimore eagerly waits. The Ravens need the Browns to beat the first-place Steelers on Sunday afternoon to maintain a shot at the division title next weekend at Pittsburgh. “I’ll be watching and praying [for a Browns win], for sure,” Henry said. “I’m going to pray as soon as I get on the plane, when I get home, when I wake up. Hopefully we get blessed with the opportunity to play for something in Week 18.” Hoping and praying for external factors wasn’t exactly part of the plan when the season kicked off. But here the Ravens are, rooting for Cleveland and rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders (who reportedly did not want to be drafted by Baltimore), watching two of their division rivals battle it out with hopes their season gets one more breath. It sure feels like a strange place to reside for a team capable of this kind of late-season dominance that was on display at Lambeau Field. Truthfully, Baltimore’s season has felt fragile since October. Was Saturday evening just a delayed ending? “At the end of the day, whatever [coaches] present, we have to be able to run the ball and pass the ball,” Linderbaum said. “Obviously, as an O-lineman, you want to run the ball every single time when we have Derrick Henry back there. But whatever [coaches] give us, at the end of the day, if a run play is called, we have to impose our will. If a pass play is called, we have to protect our balls off.” The Ravens and Henry reminded fans what they look like when they stop overthinking. The lingering frustration is that it took a Lamar Jackson absence and a season on life support for the Ravens to finally lean all the way into their identity. Week 17. Everything on the line. Derrick Henry banner game. This type of performance shouldn’t have required desperation. What took so long? Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's 41-24 victory over the Packers. Henry carried the ball 36 times, tying a career high. (Matt Ludtke/AP) View the full article Quote
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