NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
TAMPA, Fla. — Lamar Jackson is only 27, has already been an NFL MVP twice and is making a case to win a third. Fairly or unfairly, he has reached a level of elite play that is judged first and foremost by championships.
And as amazing as Jackson was in Monday’s 41-31 win over the Bucs — five touchdowns, no interceptions, a gaudy 12.8 yards per pass attempt — what was even more impressive was what Derrick Henry has added to this Baltimore offense.
When the Ravens lost on their home field to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in January, their leading rusher besides Jackson was running back Gus Edwards, with 20 yards on three carries. When Baltimore lost to the Bills in the 2020 playoffs, the top back got 42 yards; in 2018 to the Chargers, it was Edwards with 23 yards; in 2019 to the Titans, it was Mark Ingram with 22 yards.
In that Tennessee game, Henry ran the ball 30 times for 195 yards, the kind of massive rushing performance that takes over playoff games. Jackson hasn’t had that on his side before. In his six NFL seasons, Baltimore has had just one 1,000-yard back — Ingram in 2019.
Now Jackson and the Ravens might have a 2,000-yard back.
Henry will turn 31 before the regular season ends, but he’s off to an incredible start with his new team. He leads the NFL with 873 rushing yards, putting him on pace for 2,120, which would break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record, albeit in 17 games. Henry is averaging 6.5 yards per carry, a full yard better than he averaged when he rushed for 2,027 yards in 2020. No back has ever had two 2,000-yard seasons, and it would be a fitting tribute to Henry if he did so.
The Ravens scored on six straight possessions in pulling away from the Bucs on Monday, and the biggest play was Henry breaking loose for an 81-yard run down the sideline. Naturally, he was disappointed he didn’t finish in the end zone.
“I’m slow as hell. I got knocked out of bounds,” Henry said after the game. “I don’t want to talk about it. … It…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/derrick-henry-missing-piece-lamar-jackson-red-hot-ravens
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-22 14:19:02
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
