Hall of Famer rips Baltimore Ravens after Cleveland Browns loss

After relying on Derrick Henry for most of their five-game winning streak, the Baltimore Ravens broke away from it against the Cleveland Browns.

Henry's lack of touches played a big role in the Ravens' surprising 29-24 loss to the Browns on Sunday. Among those confused with the offensive approach was ESPN anchor and Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe warned that the Ravens would not continue to rely 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 it because they knew Derrick Henry had a run that we hadn't seen in a long time and they took the football out of his hands,” Sharpe said on the first take . “Why? You know your defense isn't very good at pass coverage. “You're down in your top two corners.” So why wouldn't you run the football to limit your ability to get on the field? The last thing you want to do when you have a weak defense is send them onto the field because if they can't stop someone when they're fresh, what happens when they get tired? They wear out even more. It looks even worse, so I was very surprised by the game plan.

Henry scored 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 nearly 21 carries for nearly 150 yards per game and ran for eight touchdowns. In contrast, Lamar Jackson threw the ball 38 times for a 23-38 record for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

Even though the Browns hold their own and contain Henry for most of the game, with most of his production coming on a 39-yard run, few teams can keep up. The All-Pro running back gets multiple carries and a drive. It's often inevitable that if he constantly has the ball in his hands, he'll eventually break through. However, the likelihood of that happening is slim if he only gets the ball 11 times.

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

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