OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens knew that Derrick Henry’s punishing style of running the football was a perfect fit for their offense.
Henry leads the NFL with 704 yards rushing, well ahead of San Francisco’s Jordan Mason, who has 609 yards. Henry has also helped the Ravens close out games in the fourth quarter, a time when they have traditionally struggled.
“The difference Derrick Henry has made is pretty clear,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s a different kind of rushing attack with him because of the way he runs the ball. He’s just one of a kind.”
For the past three games, the Raves have given Henry the ball late in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory and he has delivered.
Here’s the breakdown:
Week 4 against Buffalo: Henry with a 38-yard run with 13:39 left in the fourth quarter.
Result: Ravens 35, Bills 10
Week 5 against Cincinnati: Henry with a 51-yard run in overtime to set up a winning field goal.
Result: Ravens 41, Bengals 38, OT
Week 6 against Washington: Henry with a 27-yard run with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter.
Result: Ravens 30, Commanders 23
Henry has five straight games with at least 90 yards and one touchdown from scrimmage, tying Ray Rice (Weeks 5-10, 2009) for the most consecutive games reaching these marks in franchise history.
Henry is also the first player since Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 with a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first six games.
Harbaugh said that Henry is already one of the NFL’s all-time best running backs.
“Somebody asked me in the [network TV] production meeting this week, ‘Who do you compare him to?’ I’m like, ‘Man, who do you compare him to?’” Harbaugh said. “I saw the Eric Dickerson article. OK, I think there is some similarity. I remember Eric Dickerson coming up, but after that, and even that, I don’t know, man. He’s one of one.”
