Derrick Henry’s fumbles are a problem, and the veteran running back knows it.
Yet, the Baltimore Ravens‘ superstar running back can’t quite put his finger on what is causing his inability to hold onto the ball after he lost another fourth-quarter fumble — his second in the past three weeks — in their 38-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Henry leads the NFL in fumbles (3) and has put the ball on the ground as many times as he did in the previous two seasons combined. Henry is on pace for 17 fumbles, and 11 lost, which would be by far the most of his career.
The Ravens (1-2) will try to get back to .500 when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) in a battle of struggling AFC titans at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Henry’s Fumbling Woes Are ‘Just Crazy’
Henry entered the season with just 10 lost fumbles in his 10-season NFL career, and he’s already lost more fumbles (2) in three games than he had in 2023 and 2024 combined (1).
That fact sent him into delirium after Henry lost a crucial fumble in the fourth quarter that set up the Lions with a short field. Though it lost 11 yards on the subsequent drive, Detroit kicked a field goal and went up 31-24, in its eight-point win at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I’m my worst critic,” Henry said. “I’m gonna go watch the film and probably continue to watch it. It’s just crazy. Trying every day to fix the [fumbling] problem, and it just keeps occurring, so just trying to work on it.”
Like most running backs, Henry has gone through bouts of fumbling before, notably in 2022 when he had six and lost three in a three-week span — including two lost in one game — as a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Yet, Henry’s fumbles are coming at the worst possible time. His Week 1 fumble, of course, set the Buffalo Bills up with a short field and enabled them to go 30 yards on four plays in their furious fourth-quarter rally in their 41-40 win over the Ravens in Western New York.
Henry also fumbled in the first half of Baltimore’s 41-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at home last weekend, yet the Ravens recovered it and went on to score a touchdown on that drive.
“I’m trying not to beat myself up too much, but it’s hard not to when it’s consecutive and consistent,” Henry said. “I just gotta be better and go back to work. I said I apologize to teammates and coaches and [Ravens] nation.”
Lamar Jackson Is Building Henry Up
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is both an elite passer and runner, but he also is a superb leader who is trying to build up Henry’s confidence.
“I said ‘just let it go,'” Jackson said of what he told Henry after the fumble. “We had like six minutes and a half left. We were still in the game. It wasn’t like it was a blowout or nothing like that.”
Henry said Jackson wasn’t the only Ravens personnel member to approach him after the fumble.
“Everybody talked to me and tried to tell me what they saw,” Henry said.
Ravens RB Derrick Henry Delivers Honest Message on Fumbles