Lamar Jackson compares Derrick Henry to Lightning McQueen vs. Steelers

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry ran roughshod on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the team’s 28-14 wild-card round victory on Saturday night, and it reminded his quarterback of a famous race car driver — sort of.

“It looks like a movie clip,” Lamar Jackson said when asked what it feels like being on the field with Henry. “The movie ‘Cars’ … you know when Lightning McQueen is just flying and flashing past, and it’s like [whooshing sound]. That’s how Derrick looks when he was running past all those guys. … I’d rather be watching it than be on the other side of the ball, I know that.”

Henry ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 7.2 yards per carry, including a 44-yard touchdown and an emphatic stiff-arm on Steelers star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. This was Henry’s eighth career playoff game, the first seven coming with the Tennessee Titans.

In the regular season, Henry, a five-time Pro Bowler, rushed for 1,921 yards and an NFL-high 16 touchdowns on a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. He also tallied 19 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Henry has rushed for 100-plus yards in 10 combined games this season (regular season and postseason) and has rushed for 130-plus yards in each of Baltimore’s last four games.

“He is just a work horse,” Jackson added of Henry. “That guy is just that guy. … I can’t find the words to say, man. I believe everyone sees it. I can just hand the ball off, [and he gets] 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, and I’m just chilling. Now, when they’re attacking him, I go, and it’s like I’m fresh. It’s just making my job a lot easier. We just piggyback off each other.”

Jackson threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the wild-card round, while posting a 132.0 passer rating and completing 76.2% of his passes (16 of 21). He also rushed for 81 yards on 5.4 yards per carry.

Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP, is coming off arguably the best regular season of his career. As a passer, he totaled 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, four interceptions and an NFL-best 119.6 passer rating, while completing 66.7% of his passes. He also rushed for 915 yards and four touchdowns on a league-best 6.6 yards per carry.

In case one lives in a cave and is unfamiliar with Jackson’s reference, Lighting McQueen took The Piston Cup racing scene by storm with his blazing speed in his rookie season in the animated movie “Cars.” McQueen then took his game to the next level with the mentorship of The Hudson Hornet.