Ravens Prize Addition Underwhelms in Debut

The Baltimore Ravens' prized offseason acquisition scored a touchdown early on, but was quiet for the rest of the night.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a touchdown as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) attempts the tackle during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Leading up to the season opener, everyone was eager to see how star running back Derrick Henry would fare in his first game with the Baltimore Ravens. After all, adding the former Offensive Player of the Year to the league's best-rushing offense, led by reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, was an incredibly exciting prospect.

When the game actually rolled around, though, the results weren't as glamorous as one would've hoped for.

Henry finished his Ravens debut with a stat line of 13 carries for 46 yards (3.5 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. He had five carries for 19 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive, so the rest of the game was very quiet for his standards. The four-time Pro Bowl selection tied his career-low with 4.2 yards per attempt last season, and against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that finished 24th in yards per attempt allowed last year, his average went even lower.

"[There are a] couple runs I'd probably want back and do different," Henry told reporters after the game. "But [I] try to do the best I can to help this team win, and we came up short. One game doesn't define the whole season; we've got plenty more to go play. [We'll] watch some film, learn from it and get better. [I'll] be self-critical of myself and continue to improve."

In passing situations, Henry was essentially a non-factor. That's not exactly what he's known for, but still it's fair to expect a little more than no receptions on two targets. By contrast, fellow running back Justice Hill had six receptions for 52 yards on eight targets.

Speaking of Hill, it may come as a surprise that he actually had 43 snaps to Henry's 37. That's largely due to Hill being the back on most passing plays, and Lamar Jackson threw the ball 41 times in the game.

Henry is entering a very different system than the one he played in with the Tennessee Titans, one that features far more shotgun and less plays under center. It's not too surprising that his first game was unremarkable, but for the sake of him and the team, they better figure out a fit quickly.

"[There is a] lot of stuff you learn – individually and then as a team," Henry said. "Any time you play, whether it's a win or a loss, you look at the things that you need to get better at and the things that we did well [to] improve on, and I think just having a growth mindset.

"It's the first game. We came up short; it's not the end of the world. We've still got a lot of football left to play and just [have to] stay with it [and] hold each other accountable and keep wanting to come in, get better and make each other better."

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Isaiah Likely Cements Himself as Ravens Top TE
• LeBron James Makes Ravens Bold Prediction
• Ravens TE Drops Bomb After Chiefs Loss
• Ravens Lose Last-Second Heartbreaker to Chiefs
• Ravens LB Leaves Chiefs Game With Injury