OWINGS MILLS — Ravens running back Derrick Henry didn’t have much room to run in the regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Entering the game, Henry had run for 672 yards with eight touchdowns in six games, including the playoffs, against Kansas City as a Tennessee Titan. On Thursday night, in his first game with the Ravens, the Chiefs stacked the box with extra defenders to keep Henry from getting a full head of steam and into the second level where he is even more difficult to tackle.
Henry finished with 46 yards on 13 carries (3 1/2 yards per carry) and a 5-yard touchdown in the first quarter. He picked up a fourth-and-1 for the Ravens with under six minutes remaining in the game, which led to a 32-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.
Dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson led the team with 122 yards rushing on 16 carries as he avoided the Chiefs’ pressure and found seams in their defensive line. Despite the 27-20 loss to Kansas City and his limited use, Henry is optimistic about the Ravens’ offense moving forward.
“I think collectively, as a group, we know that as long as we’re resilient no matter what happens, we can still be in the game,” he said. “We’ve got playmakers all around the field. We’ve just got to stay locked in, have a belief in one another, and let the rest take care of itself.”
Henry is a four-time Pro Bowler, an NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and a two-time rushing champion. He is expected to boost the Ravens’ rushing attack, ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season.
While he only carried the ball 13 times and was targeted twice in the passing game against the Chiefs, expect Henry to get more opportunities against the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills. He is still getting acquainted with Jackson and a new offensive line and there is plenty of room for improvement.
“Any time you play, whether it’s a win or a loss, you look at the things that you need to get better at and the things that we did well [to] improve on, and I think just having a growth mindset … It’s the first game,” Henry said. “We’ve still got a lot of football left to play and just [have to] stay with it [and] hold each other accountable and keep wanting to come in, get better and make each other better.”
