“That's not the way it works in real time”: John Harbaugh addresses Derrick Henry mismanagement backlash amid Ravens’ 28-24 loss vs. Patriots

John Harbaugh continues to take heat over how he used his star running back on Sunday. Down the stretch of their close game against the New England Patriots, Derrick Henry was barely used, with the offense featuring Keaton Mitchell. It’s something that the Ravens coach looks back on with regret.

“Looking back at it right now, I would have grabbed it, and I would have said, ‘No, put Derrick in the game,” said Harbaugh on Monday (Time Stamp 0:47).

Unfortunately, John says it’s a lot simpler looking back on it after the fact than in the moment.

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“That’s not really the way it works in real time,” admitted Harbaugh (Time Stamp 0:52).

Henry had himself a very strong game, rushing 128 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. The loss drops the Ravens to 7-8, on the outside of the playoff picture with only two games remaining.

The rotation at that point in the game called for Mitchell to play, according to the Ravens coach. He adds that in the moment, it’s a lot more complicated than what people witnessed watching the game from afar.

“It’s not just as simple as oh, Derrick Henry didn’t play the whole fourth quarter,” added Harbaugh (Time Stamp 2:27).

Henry’s fourth quarter rushing score put the Ravens ahead 24-13. The Patriots stormed back with two touchdown drives to upend Baltimore and put them on the playoff bubble. Football analyst Chris Broussard called for Harbaugh to be fired because of the way he called their game on Sunday against the Pats.

Harbaugh is not worried about his job

While some people have suggested it’s time for the Ravens to move on from Harbaugh, the coach doesn’t appear to be too concerned.

“We don't have control over that, except for the job we do today,” he told reporters on Monday.

He’s been coaching the Ravens for 18 years, capturing one Super Bowl during his tenure. His team was pegged as one of the Super Bowl favorites, but getting into the postseason now will be a stretch.

Their loss to the Pats marked the team’s sixth since 2019 in which it led by double digits in the fourth quarter. The Chicago Bears have been the most dominant in the NFL over that span. At 7-8, the Ravens have a losing record for the first time since 2015. The Ravens have been behind the eight-ball chasing the playoffs all season, starting 2025 at 1-5.

A loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday or a Pittsburgh Steelers win on Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns would officially eliminate them from postseason contention.

Edited by Joel Lefevre