Derrick Henry Had Powerful Message for Rookie Kicker Tyler Loop After Missed FG

Tyler Loop's missed field goal at the buzzer ended the Ravens' season.
Tyler Loop's missed field goal at the buzzer ended the Ravens' season. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Ravens had their season come to a brutal end Sunday night when rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal at the buzzer, which gave the Steelers a 26-24 win and the AFC North title.

Lamar Jackson did everything he could to put the Ravens in a position to win the game, as he had two long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and then led the team down the field in the closing minute to set up Loop's attempt.

Loop's kick never had a chance as it immediately sailed to the right and missed by a wide margin. It was a rough way for his first year in the NFL to come to an end, but his star teammates had his back.

Jackson said after the game that Loop had to put it behind him and move on. Derrick Henry also had a powerful message for the rookie.

"I feel for Tyler," Henry said after the game. "I just told him to keep his spirits up, deal with it tonight and then tomorrow the sun rises again. I just told him the story after this is gonna be great for him because God put him in this position to use him as an example. Can't wait to see him overcome it on the other side. I just told him to trust God's plan, man. He wouldn't have him put in this position if he wasn't strong enough to handle it."

That's some great leadership there from Henry, who ran for 126 yards in the loss. The veteran running back has yet to play in a Super Bowl during his legendary career and he watched another chance to fight for that opportunity slip away Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Loop also spoke with reporters after the game and didn't shy away from answering the tough questions about what went wrong on that kick.

"It was a great situation, exactly what we wanted, and unfortunately, I just mishit the ball," Loop said. "We call it hitting it thin. It spins fast and goes off to the right.

"The second it made contact with my foot, I felt it lower. We talk about hitting on the fourth lace of the shoe. It felt a little lower down the foot and hit it thin."

The Ravens finished the season 8-9 and are left to wonder what could have been if Loop had made that kick. Instead, they'll watch the NFL playoffs from home.

The Steelers, meanwhile, will host the Texans next Monday night.


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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.