Hall Of Famer Rips Ravens After Browns Loss

Few people understood the Baltimore Ravens' plan on offense in their upset loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball as Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit (9) tackles him during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

After leaning on Derrick Henry for much of their five-game winning streak, the Baltimore Ravens strayed away from that against the Cleveland Browns.

The lack of touches for Henry played a big role in the Ravens' 29-24 upset loss to the Browns on Sunday. Among those confused with the approach on offense was ESPN host and Hall-Of-Famer Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe called out the Ravens not continuing to lean on Henry, especially given their struggles on defense and being without starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and rookie Nate Wiggins.

"They threw the football 17 times more than they ran the football knowing that Derrick Henry had been on a tear that we hadn't seen in a very long time from a running back and to take the football out of his hands," Sharpe said on First Take. "Why? You know your defense is not very good in pass coverage. "You're down your two top corners. So why would you not run the football to limit their ability to get on the field? The last thing that you want to do if you have a weak defense is put them on the field because if they can't stop somebody when they're fresh, what happens when they get tired? They wear down even more. It looks even worse, so I was very surprised with the game plan."

Henry got 11 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland and as a team, Baltimore ran the ball 21 times for 124 yards. During the Ravens' winning streak, he averaged just under 21 carries for nearly 150 yards a game and ran for eight touchdowns. By contrast, Lamar Jackson threw the ball 38 times, going 23-38 for 289 yards with two touchdowns.

Even with the Browns holding their own and containing Henry for much of the game and most of his production coming on a 39-yard run, few teams can keep up the All-Pro running back is getting multiple carries a drive. There's often an inevitable feeling that he'll break through at some point if he constantly has the ball in his hands. The chances of that happening, though, are slim if he's only getting the ball 11 times.

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense and an ability to hold onto the ball. Sunday's performance was proof that may be the Ravens' best path moving forward until they figure things out on defense.

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