Ravens running back goes off for 200-plus yards, four TDs

Wes Hodkiewicz

GREEN BAY It was no secret what the Packers' biggest objective needed to be heading into Saturday night's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.

With two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson out due to a back injury, Green Bay looked to center its attention on All-Pro running back Derrick Henry in order to leave Lambeau Field with its NFC North title hopes alive.

Instead, the 6-foot-2, 252-pound running back obliterated those aspirations after rushing 36 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-24 victory while handing the Packers their third straight defeat.

With Baltimore finishing with 307 rushing yards as a team, it marked just the third time over the last 45 years Green Bay allowed more than 300 rushing yards to an opponent, joining a 40-33 loss to Philadelphia in 2022 and the divisional playoff loss to San Francisco in January 2013.

"That's not our standard at all," linebackerEdgerrin Coopersaid. "That was very embarrassing, and that's just not us at all. We can't have that at all."

With backup quarterback Tyler Huntley at the controls, the Ravens won the opening coin toss and took the ball. It set the tone for the game, as Baltimore blitzed out of the gates with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Henry TD run.

Baltimore followed the 31-year-old running back's lead while scoring on each of its six first-half possessions. By half, Henry had already rushed 21 times for 106 yards and three scores as the Ravens nearly quadrupled the Packers in time of possession (23:46-6:14).

Green Bay forced Baltimore to punt at the start of the third quarter afterKingsley Enagbaredropped Henry for a 5-yard loss. It helped the Packers pull within one score, 27-24, before the defense yielded a 30-yard run to Henry on the final play of the quarter.

That gain keyed a 12-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers on third-and-8.

"I think I looked up at the end of the second and I saw they had 20 first downs," defensive endLukas Van Nesssaid. "It definitely can wear on you over the course of a game. Again, I don't think that's an acceptable reason to allow what happened tonight. We're gonna have to find some ways to be better."

When Henry wasn't breaking into the second level, he was routinely dragging the pile forward on 6- and 7-yard carries on early downs. That production supported the Ravens converting on 10 of their 14 third-down opportunities.

The game was pretty much out of reach by the time Marlon Humphrey picked off Packers third-string quarterbackClayton Tunein the fourth quarter, but Baltimore still ate five minutes off the clock on another scoring drive.

The series ended with Henry going untouched on a 25-yard touchdown run to eclipse 200 rushing yards on the evening.

Coincidentally, Henry's 216 rushing yards were the exact combined total Green Bay conceded to the two-time NFL rushing champion in their three previous matchups, with three fewer rushing scores.

"Anytime you come out, you've got to have something to prove in this league on every snap," safetyEvan Williamssaid. "Otherwise, teams are good enough to come out and embarrass you, like what you just saw. This is not up to our standard, truthfully. A lot that we can correct, a lot that we can get back right, but again, it all starts with just how hard we play, our aggression, our physicality at the point of attack."

It wasn't just Henry who did damage on the ground. While completing 16 of 20 passes for 107 yards and a TD, Huntley also scrambled for 60 yards on his own.

It all added up to a forgettable evening for the Packers, who haven't won since before Pro Bowl defensive endMicah Parsonswas lost for the season to a torn ACL earlier this month in Denver.

Van Ness said the message in the post-game locker room focused on guys needing to take a hard look in the mirror, as the Packers prepare for the regular-season finale against Minnesota.

Some veterans, including Enagbare, spoke up after the game and reminded the room of the sacrifices required if the Packers are to make a deep run in the playoffs.

"We knew they was gonna run the ball and we couldn't stop the run. Point blank. Period," safetyJavon Bullardsaid. "We gotta fix that tomorrow if we want to go past the wild-card game in the playoffs. If we don't, we're gonna be sitting our ass right back in Green Bay."