OWINGS MILL — The Ravens don’t want a one-dimensional offense that revolves around four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry.
Instead, coach John Harbaugh wants a dominant rushing attack to complement a dynamic passing game.
Henry had 13 carries for 46 yards with a 5-yard touchdown in a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season opener. He played 37 snaps (46 percent of the offense), which were six fewer than his backup, Justice Hill.
Fans were clamoring for Henry to get more carries, but Harbaugh was content with the workload.
“We didn’t bring Derrick in here to be the guy that gets the ball 30 times a game,” Harbaugh said after Monday’s practice. “He’s done that before. That’s really not the plan.”
The goal is to get multiple players involved in the offense so the team does not become predictable and easy to defend. Harbaugh wants quarterback Lamar Jackson to target tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. He also wants solid production from the starting group of wide receivers that includes Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor.
The wideouts weren’t particularly productive against Kansas City.
Flowers led the wide receivers with six receptions on 10 targets for 37 yards (6.2 yards per catch). Bateman was only targeted twice, but he made an impressive catch for 38 yards and had another 15-yard reception. Agholor was the only other wide receiver involved with one catch for 6 yards.
Likely got most of the work with nine catches on 12 targets for 111 yards and a 49-yard touchdown. Andrews was only targeted twice, but he was on the field for 59 snaps (75 percent of the offense), taking attention away from Likely, who was effective at getting open.
Part of the problem getting the ball to the wideouts was the Chiefs’ pressure on Jackson, who didn’t have much time to throw.
Harbaugh expects the offensive game plan to change week-to-week.
“The plan is Derrick, Lamar, Mark, Isaiah, Zay, ‘Bate,’ and ‘Nelly.’. That’s kind of the plan in this offense going forward, so I think that evaluation will be best made over the course of the season,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh expects Henry to get plenty of opportunities. He also wants a healthy and fresh Henry for a playoff run, so Harbaugh and second-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken are trying to find the right balance.
“I’m very confident, there are going to be games where Derrick is going to go for 100-plus [yards] or more,” Harbaugh said. “And you’re going to be asking me, ‘Why does Zay only have two catches?’ That’s probably going to happen during the course of the season, and that’s going to be good for us. That’s what we want to be. We want to be unpredictable that way. Where does the game take us as we get into the game?”
