If there were a documentary about the Baltimore Ravens’ 35-10 beatdown of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, it’d be titled “Untouched.”
Untouched is how Derrick Henry started the night, blasting 87 yards on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage for the longest rush in club history. Lamar Jackson said after the win that he thought it could have been a big play based on the Bills’ pre-snap alignment.
“Yes, just watching film and reading the front, we kind of knew what the defense would do,” Jackson said, via the team’s official transcript. “Like I said, the offensive line [was] giving him a lane, and the receivers and tight ends [were] blocking down field and then Derrick just doing what he [does]. Like I said last week, if he gets in the secondary, he’s pretty much gone. It’s hard to catch him, because he’s fast. He’s not just a powerful back. He’s also fast, and he showed it on that first possession for the offense.”
“I kind of saw it, too,” added Henry of the TD. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to see it and burst over the open — hit it — and get north and south.'”
Hit it, he did. The 247-pound back blazed through the open hole, getting to a max speed of 21.29 mph, per Next Gen Stats, running away from Bills defensive backs.
The first-play score was a statement of how the game would go. Henry galloped for 199 rushing yards and the score on 24 carries while adding three catches for 10 yards and another TD — his first receiving score since 2019.
Sunday marked Henry’s seventh career game with 190-plus rush yards, tied for the third-most since 1950 (behind only Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peters, tied with 8).
“If today doesn’t show [you] that I’m used to it [and] I’m comfortable, then I don’t know what else to say,” Henry said of his fit in the Ravens offense. “It’s been fun. We didn’t start the way we wanted to, but like I told those guys, this is why I came here, because of the culture. Our back is against the wall [at] 0-2, [but] we just kept believing; we kept fighting, and now we’re back where we want to be, and let’s just keep building on this one in all three phases.”
In Week 1, Henry generated 46 yards and a score on 13 carries against Kansas City. He’s been climbing since. In Week 2, he went for 84 yards and a TD. Last week against Dallas, he blasted off for 151 and two TDs.
Henry’s presence in the backfield makes life miserable for defenders. Per Next Gen Stats, all 199 of Henry’s rush yards came with seven or fewer defenders in the box (three rushes for 0 yards against a stacked box).
That fact underscores the versatility of Baltimore’s offense. If defenses bring added tacklers into the box, Jackson can go elsewhere. If they play light, the Ravens can ram it down their throat with a 250-pound sledgehammer.
“Man, Derrick Henry, he opens up the play-action game,” Jackson said. “Guys running to the ball are trying to stop him from getting started in the backfield, and our offensive line just did a great job of giving Derrick lanes. Our receivers did a great job as well, blocking down the field and letting Derrick do his thing. Shoutout to the tight ends, as well.”
The Ravens rolled up 427 total yards on Sunday night, smoking a previously 3-0 Bills club. With a versatile offense and a defense finding a groove, even at 2-2, John Harbaugh’s club is among the most dangerous in the AFC.
