When Derrick Henry took the field for the Baltimore Ravens against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, he had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Yes, Baltimore has been one of the very best rushing offenses in the entire NFL this season, with a one-two punch of Henry and Lamar Jackson accounting for crazy production on the ground for Charm City's finest. But recall, if you will, that the night before, Saquon Barkley had one of the single greatest rushing games of all time, picking up 255 yards on the way to an Eagles win over the Rams.
Would Henry use that fact as motivation, as he would be running on the very same field? Or would it hold him back, with each short gain keeping him further and further away from Barkley's rushing total?
Well, as it turns out, Henry had a pretty good game himself, picking up an efficient 140 rushing yards on 24 carries, but after the game, he decided to reflect on Barkley's game, too, politely asking the Eagles rusher to, well, you'll see, while complementing the resurgence of running backs at the NFL level.
“First of all, Saquon [Barkley], ‘Slow your a** down,' d**n.” (laughter) “He's a h*ll of a player, [and the Eagles are] a h*ll of a team. They've been doing a great job as a team. How many games have they won, like nine straight I think – something like that?” Henry told reporters. “But as far as running backs, we just want to go out there and do our job – do our job effectively [and] show that the position matters, and hopefully, we've been doing that well enough to add value for the future of this position and the guys that are coming up and getting paid. It's a great time for us to be able to have success, and hopefully, it bounces off to the other guys that are coming up and getting the opportunity to get paid.”
Is the age of the running back officially back? Will teams start drafting them in the first round again after the success of Barkley, Henry, and Jahmyr Gibbs, who came off the board 12th overall in 2023? Or is this more of a case-by-case basis-type situation? Either way, Henry expects big things in Week 13, as it might just go down as the best rushing game of the 2024 NFL season.
Derrick Henry is ready for the challenge of the Eagles' rushing defense
Turning his attention to Week 13, Henry discussed the challenge of playing the Eagles and their premier rushing defense, which ranks seventh in the NFL in yards allowed on the ground through 12 weeks. Acknowledging that the Ravens are on a short week against a strong opponent, Henry noted that Baltimore has to lock in for the game in order to match strength with one of the best teams in the NFC.
“We got a great win against a great team and got a short week; [we've] got to play Sunday,” Henry told reporters. “So, [we'll] enjoy this for a little bit and then get ready for [the Eagles]. They're a great team, as well, [and] I feel like every week, we've got a tough opponent, so we've got to make sure we're locked in and execute and get our bodies back under us and be ready for Sunday.”
Averaging 6.0 rushing yards per game for the Ravens so far this season, Henry and Company will be tasked with playing an Eagles defense that has only allowed 4.3 yards per carry so far this season. Which side will win out? Well, fans will have to tune in on Sunday to find out.
