Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas received some heat for not trying to chase down Nick Chubb on his 88-yard touchdown run, but Thomas had a reason, and John Harbaugh was fine with the explanation.

Harbaugh said Thomas told him that he felt a little tightness in the hamstring and didn't want to risk an injury. Harbaugh also said after watching the tape that there was no chance Thomas was going to catch him, so he was okay with him pulling up.

“If that’s what he said about his hamstrings — he was a good bit behind Chubb in that situation, as I watched the tape — he wasn’t going to catch him,” the Ravens coach said via Jonas Schaffer of the Baltimore Sun. “Yeah, we want everybody to finish, but if he felt some tightness in his hamstrings right there, I’m glad he’s out of the game healthy, in all honesty.”

Harbaugh also said that he knows how hard Thomas was working during the game and his career, and he is someone who he trusts will make the right decisions.

“I want everybody running to the ball as much as they can, but . . . I certainly don’t want a hamstring pull from my starting safety right there, so I take him at his word. You know why I say that: Because I watched the game and saw how hard he played. The guy was all over the field. He made a bunch of hits. I respect that.”

If Thomas had felt like there was a chance to chase down Chubb, there is no doubt he would have gone all out to get the job done.