Derrick Henry showing he’s the missing piece for Lamar Jackson, red-hot Ravens

Greg Auman

NFL Reporter

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 pissed me off to see that. I’m pissed off by that.”

Henry had an 87-yard touchdown three weeks ago against the Bills, which is to say he’s had two 80-yard runs in his 30s. The entire NFL had two such runs in the previous 12 seasons combined. They were both by Adrian Peterson, who had one in 2015 and another in 2018. He played seven full seasons in his 30s — and has as many 80-yard runs as Henry does in eight games in his 30s.

The best moment Monday night might have come later, when Henry broke out for a 39-yard run in the fourth quarter. At a time when fans are wondering about pulling starters, Jackson was 30 yards downfield and blocking defenders for Henry. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked about Jackson’s blocking after the game, and had a story to illustrate his praise.

“We do something called the Brown Shirt,” Harbaugh explained. “And the Brown Shirt, we say every time we give it out after a win, ‘It’s our most prestigious award.’ And the Brown Shirt Award is a nod to the Navy SEALs, because when you get through BUDS [basic underwater demolition/SEAL training], and you become a SEAL, you get a brown shirt. That’s my understanding.

[Ravens director of learning and development] Steve Clagget is a former Navy SEAL on our staff, and he took me through the history of that for a little bit, and we’ve been doing the Brown Shirt for about 13-to-14 years — a long time. And it goes to the guy that does the dirty work; it goes to the guy that does the hard stuff. So, based on that block right there, I think Lamar might get his first Brown Shirt this week.”

The Ravens have won five games in a row, and they’ve become the most dominant offense in the NFL — first in total offense, tied for first in scoring, first in rushing, first in yards per pass play, first in the red zone, second on third downs. They’re in the top five in fewest sacks and interceptions. With Jackson leading the way, he’ll have a strong case for another MVP if they’re anything close to sustaining this, but his success will be measured in how many playoff games Baltimore wins.

The Chiefs are undefeated, so it could be that an AFC title game rematch could be at Arrowhead this time, instead of in Baltimore as it was a year ago. Except for perhaps Sam Darnold in Minnesota, the Ravens adding Henry looks like one of the smartest signings of this past offseason, a move that could be a difference-maker in Baltimore and Jackson’s legacy moving forward.

The Ravens still must face the Steelers twice and take care of business there just to win their division, and they’ll play on Christmas at Houston in another game that could set up AFC seeding and where playoff showdowns will take place. In the cold of January, in Baltimore or Kansas City or even Buffalo, a workhorse back like Henry carries even more weight.

Monday’s win gave Jackson a 23-1 career record against NFC teams, an insanely dominant stat that points to how difficult it is for teams that don’t see him often to prepare for trying to stop him. It makes you wonder if he could add to that record in a Super Bowl.

Henry hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, and like Jackson, has never been to a Super Bowl, so he’ll be hungry to build on his Hall of Fame résumé, which is only really missing a strong postseason presence. This Ravens team has a chance to be the most prolific rushing team in the Super Bowl era. They’re averaging 210 yards per game, on pace to break the record of 206 set by Jackson and Baltimore in 2019.

The idea that Jackson doesn’t have to lead that effort, that Henry is out there running in front of him, that’s what could take the Ravens from perennial contenders to champions this season.

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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