Very rarely in sports do you see two masters of their craft playing side by side. NBA fans of a certain age may remember this happening when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal joined forces with the Lakers at the turn of the century. With the league’s two best players playing together, the Lakers won three consecutive titles and remain the last major professional sports team to accomplish that feat.
The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to get it done now, but one team that could stand in their way is the Baltimore Ravens, who have their own seemingly unstoppable duo in quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. In their first season together, both Jackson and Henry enjoyed incredible individual success. Henry ran for more yards than any player after turning 30. Jackson, a two-time league MVP, had his best season to date with Henry by his side.
“He’s allowed Lamar to be Lamar,” Tracy Wolfson, CBS Sports’ senior NFL reporter, recently said of Henry during an interview with CBS Sports. “Lamar talks a lot about how Derrick Henry has helped him, but Lamar has also helped Derrick Henry. I think it’s a back and forth between the two. The pressure that Derrick Henry has been able to take off of Lamar Jackson has allowed him to be himself. ”
That point was fully demonstrated during their first playoff game together. Against the Steelers in the AFC wild card round, Jackson used the read option to near perfection as he put the Pittsburgh defense on his heels. Henry rumbled for 186 yards (the most yards ever gained against a Steelers defense in the postseason) and two touchdowns. Jackson threw two touchdowns and also rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries. The duo helped the Ravens to a 28-14 victory that included a staggering 299 yards rushing.
After years of running the Ravens’ offense, Jackson now shares that workload with Henry, who experienced several career milestones this season that included scoring his 100th career touchdown and eclipsing 11,000 career rushing yards. Henry’s 1,921 rushing yards this season were the most in NFL history for a player who did not win a rushing title.
Hall of Fame play, however, isn’t the only thing Henry, 31, has brought to the Ravens this season.
“I asked him (about his impact on the Ravens),” Woflson said. “He’s very humble. He’s not going to come out and say anything. But one of the things he did talk about was his veteran presence, and he feels like he’s brought that. A guy who’s been in a lot of different situations… .. “What he’s brought to the table is that professionalism. How he handles himself, how he’s been able to take care of his body, all of that has to filter into what these younger players are seeing from inside the locker room.”
Real leadership is a valuable thing in an NFL locker room. May the Ravens have that in veterans like 33-year-old linebacker Kyle Van Noy and Henry, whose relentless pursuit of excellence has certainly left an impact on his teammates and even his head coach.
“(John) Harbaugh always seems to turn to him for something,” Wolfson said. “A nugget of inspiration, because it has existed.”
Henry’s presence has surely been a driving force in Baltimore’s five-game winning streak that will continue into Sunday night’s marquee matchup against the Bills in the AFC divisional round. Games like this are exactly what the Ravens signed Henry for, as Baltimore will no doubt try to win this game in the trenches.
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The Ravens don’t just face the Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, who like Jackson has also enjoyed a season that has earned him MVP consideration. Baltimore will also face frigid temperatures and possible snowfall. Not ideal conditions for throwing the ball.
In the past, Jackson likely would have felt extra pressure to make things happen, which often resulted in unusual mistakes that often resulted in late-season losses. With Henry, the Ravens hope things are different this time.
“I think Derrick Henry has to have a good game,” Wolfson said as he looked ahead to Sunday night. “He’s the hardest guy to take down and tackle. You don’t want to put all the pressure on Lamar Jackson to go out and try to do everything himself. And you don’t want to make them one-dimensional.
“There’s got to be a balance. He doesn’t have to go out and have 199 yards like he did last time (against the Bills in Week 4)… What Lamar has done so well this year is they’ve been able to run the ball and then that leads to those explosive plays downfield.
As good as they were, Kobe and Shaq had help from role players like Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Fisher, among others. Wolfson noted that’s also the case for Jackson and Henry; He specifically alluded to wide receiver Rashod Bateman and running back Justice Hill, who each scored touchdowns in Baltimore’s victory over Pittsburgh in the wild-card game.
Baltimore’s role-player offense has to step up again Sunday night, especially if the team’s Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers remains sidelined with his knee injury. But the Ravens’ success will ultimately depend on Henry, the diesel powering Baltimore’s Super Bowl hopes.
“There are other guys that could step up,” Wolfson said, “but certainly, Derrick Henry has to be Derrick Henry. He has to be successful on the field, especially in this weather.”
