Two-time Super Bowl champion's epic Ravens rant puts coach under heavy scrutiny

All year, the Baltimore Ravens have had a game-planning and playcalling problem. Their midseason turnaround masked that, but their Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots re-exposed those issues.

The Ravens held an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s clash. They had the game in their hands, but like they have become known for in 2025, they fumbled the win. Their 28-24 loss puts their season on life support, and it perfectly encapsulates the story of this year.

Week 16 is just another occasion where the coaching staff needs to be questioned. The biggest shock was not having superstar running back Derrick Henry on the field in the final 12 minutes. After extending Baltimore’s lead to 11 points with 12 minutes and 50 seconds to go, the five-time Pro Bowler was not given a single snap in the team’s final two drives.

Head Coach John Harbaugh was rightfully put on blast for not overriding the choice to give running backs Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali snaps over Henry. However, it is crazy that he even needed to do that.

Harbaugh and the rest of the coaching staff certainly got an earful from the media after the loss.

Rodney Harrison unleashes wild Ravens rant

Following the game, NFL legends and NBC analysts Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy discussed what transpired down the stretch. Harrison, in particular, had an epic rant on Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken.

“I absolutely at times hate the Ravens’ offensive strategy,” Harrison said. “What are you saving [Henry] for? You saving him for next year? You might as well run him now. That’s the reason why you redid his contract, you paid him a lot of money, for moments like this…[Monken] took Derrick Henry out, and it cost them the game. And it was Todd Monken, and that’s the problem with the Ravens offensively.”

See the full rant below.

This is not a new thing for Monken. All year, he has taken Henry out at the worst times. Countless times, they have started out hot with Henry, just to refuse to utilize him late in contests. Henry was brought in to close out must-win games like the one on Sunday Night Football, and once again, they showcased an inability to understand the moment.

Henry was having one of the best games of his season, too. He finished the night with 18 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell, on the other hand, finished with nine carries for 13 yards.

Harbaugh revealed on Monday that Henry and Running Backs Coach Willie Taggart made the decision to start the potential game-sealing drive with Mitchell. Regardless, Harbaugh and Monken have the authority to override those decisions. One of them should have stepped in beforehand, and if not, a play or two into the drive.

With their playoff hopes on the line, the Ravens should have put the ball in their superstar’s hands, and during the game, everyone seemed to understand that except for Baltimore’s coaching staff.