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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Within the locker room following Sunday’s 28-25 win on the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh had one ultimate sport ball at hand out.
“The factor that was the important thing distinction within the sport — that made all of it occur — was 151 yards speeding by King Henry,” Harbaugh advised the gamers earlier than delivering the ball to operating again Derrick Henry and giving him a hug.
Whereas Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones was explaining to reporters in one other a part of AT&T Stadium that his staff could not afford Henry this offseason, the Ravens had been celebrating how Henry helped Baltimore to its first win of the season. From stiff-arming tacklers to motivating his offensive linemen, Henry produced considered one of his classic performances by operating for 151 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
In his first two video games with Baltimore, Henry discovered the top zone however not a spot within the offense. Backup operating again Justice Hill obtained 72 snaps whereas Henry performed 65. On Sunday, the Ravens made it clear — from their run-heavy formations to the variety of carries — that Henry was the centerpiece of the sport plan.
“You’ve got simply obtained to get him lanes [to] simply maintain up and simply let him do his factor,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson stated. “He confirmed off. He did what kings do — [he’s] Derrick Henry.”
Henry was Baltimore’s largest free-agent addition this 12 months. The Ravens did not have a lot wage cap house, however they signed Henry to a two-year, $16 million contract. He’ll complete $9 million this 12 months, which ranks seventh amongst operating backs in 2024.
The Ravens have lengthy admired Henry and noticed his bodily model as an ideal match for his or her hard-hitting mindset. Henry was the again Baltimore envisioned on Sunday, forcing 12 missed tackles — the second-most by any participant in a sport this season, in line with NFL Subsequent Gen Stats.
He additionally shoved Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson to the bottom with a nasty stiff-arm within the third quarter. That was Henry’s league-leading 56th stiff-arm on a rush since ESPN started monitoring the stat in 2017.
Confirmed: Derrick Henry is large, quick, and robust 😤
📺: #BALvsDAL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/9Qeazl0Tsz— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
“I maintain myself to a excessive customary,” Henry stated. “I positively wished to come back out right here and have the ability to have an effect to provide us an opportunity to win by the best way I performed. I really feel like the primary two weeks I sort of obtained going a bit gradual.”
In his first two video games, Henry was restricted to 130 yards on 31 carries. He wasn’t getting many operating lanes from a revamped offensive line that was receiving a lot of the criticism for the staff’s 0-2 begin.
Earlier than Sunday’s sport, Henry advised his offensive line: “Whenever you go, I’m going.” The offensive line responded by pushing the Cowboys off the ball, permitting Henry to run 18 occasions in between the tackles for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
After the sport, Henry made a degree to go with every beginning offensive lineman by title.
“I used to be letting them know, ‘I consider in [you all]. We have got to do that collectively,'” Henry stated. “It isn’t a person factor — we’re all tied in collectively. It is a lengthy season, so [there’s] going to be adversity. So long as we stick collectively and consider in each other, then we’ll be good.”
Henry is normally one of many first offensive gamers on the sphere for follow, going by way of drills off to the aspect.
On Friday, Henry hung out with the offensive linemen throughout their walkthrough.
“He challenges them in a approach that’s [like], ‘You are able to a lot extra. Let’s go be that,’ after which [he’ll] dig in there and work with them on it,” Harbaugh stated.
This marked Henry’s twelfth sport with over 150 yards speeding and a number of speeding touchdowns. Just one participant in NFL historical past has recorded extra: Jim Brown with 13.
Professional Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard referred to as it “a dream” to dam for Henry.
“He’s such a beast,” Ricard stated. “It fuels me to essentially be certain I hit my man and I transfer him so he can get a bit little bit of house to hit the opening full pace, as a result of when he has full steam forward, it is actually onerous to convey him down.”
For the primary two weeks of the season, the Ravens totaled extra yards of offense (835) than any staff within the league however confronted questions on their id. On Sunday, Baltimore’s offense lastly clicked as Jackson delivered large runs to the surface and Henry gashed the Dallas protection up the center.
“To get the operating sport going that we did with Derrick Henry … and to have Lamar take over the sport the best way he did, to me, that is our id,” Harbaugh stated. “That is our character.”
