Derrick Henry holds himself accountable, and not only when he's carrying the football.
Head Coach Jesse Minter asked the team's leaders to step up after Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, in which the Ravens gave up 35 unanswered points. Henry and other Ravens leaders are answering that call.
"I can speak for myself. I pride myself in being one of the leaders on this team," Henry said. "I am one of the vets, and I haven't been doing a good enough job as far as leading.
"When I talked about it being flat on the sidelines, when we don't have energy or things are not going the way they're supposed to, somebody has to bring that spark, whether it's speaking or out there on the field making a play that turns everything around. That's what I need to do. The leaders have to lead, have to have accountability and have to bring the juice."
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is the team's longest-tenured player as a first-round pick in 2016. He didn't like the vibe on the sideline against Cincinnati after the Ravens lost the lead and said it was discussed among players after the game ended.
"I know a couple of us, we met together after the game, without him (Minter) even having to tell us anything," Stanley said. "Just seeing the energy that we had on the sideline when things aren't going our way is something that needs to change."
Stanley if that requires him to be more vocal, so be it.
"A lot of people have different ways they lead and different leadership styles, but I think being more vocal is something that I can get better at personally," Stanley said.
Minter Says It's 'Open' Who Will Play Right Guard vs. Bills
Vega Ioane (knee) reportedly has a short-term injury, and Minter did not rule out the possibility of the rookie right guard playing Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills.
"We'll see where it's at with V," Minter said. "If there's anybody that can do something crazy and overcome things, he's got the right mentality."
Emery Jones Jr. replaced Ioane after his injury against Cincinnati, but Minter said Andrew Vorhees would also compete to start against Buffalo. Vorhees had previously started the Ravens' Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans but suffered a foot injury.
"I think it's open," Minter said. "We'll put the best guy out there that will give us the best opportunity for this particular game."
Ravens Search for Run Game Consistency
Baltimore has averaged just 85 yards rushing during its two-game losing streak, and Henry rushed for just 45 yards on 17 carries against Cincinnati.
The Ravens have struggled to convert in short yardage situations, and their explosive plays in the run game have disappeared recently. Against the Bengals, the Ravens' longest carry went for just nine yards, and they didn't make Cincinnati pay for loading the box to stop Henry.
Not only have the Ravens been inconsistent offensively, they've also hurt themselves with pre-snap penalties. That's made it harder for them to run the ball consistently.
"Yes, especially when you have operational issues, self-inflicted wounds and not executing well – those things are going to happen," Henry said. "You're not going to have success, but we just have to work on fixing those things. We just have to be better in those critical moments."
Having Lamar Jackson back would certainly help the Ravens' run game. Per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Henry has averaged 4.5 yards per carry with Lamar Jackson on the field and 3.3 yards per carry with him sidelined.
Stanley said it's important for the Ravens to run the ball effectively during the next 10 games to help establish an offensive identity.
"To get to where we want to be, that's something that we know we have to do," Stanley said. "When we need those yards, we need to get them, and that comes with execution [and] technique. It's easier said than done, but we have the guys capable of doing that."
Mike Green Feels Comfortable Rushing From Left Side
Veteran outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson prefers rushing from the right side of the defense and second-year linebacker Mike Green is happy to oblige. Green rushed 36 times against the Bengals, all from the left side, while Hendrickson rushed exclusively from the right.
"I'm just as confident rushing from the left side than I am rushing from the right side," Green said. "I just try to make sure that I'm being intentional of making sure that I'm getting reps at both sides regardless."
It will be important for the Ravens to take disciplined rush lines against Bills quarterback Josh Allen, one of the NFL's most physical quarterbacks and perhaps the toughest to bring down. Allen leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards (240) this season.
"We know that he's a bigger body, and we know that he's fast as well and he can scramble out well to his right," Green said. "Whatever rush plan we have going into this game, we stick true to it and make sure that we're counting on our brothers to take care of what they need to do."
