Very rarely in sports do you see two masters of their craft playing alongside each other. NBA fans of a certain age can recall 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 straight titles and remain the last major professional sports team to accomplish that feat.
The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to accomplish that now, but one team that might be standing 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 ever has 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,” CBS Sports lead NFL sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson recently said of Henry during an interview with CBS Sports. “Lamar talks so much about how Derrick Henry has helped him, but Lamar has also helped Derrick Henry. I think it’s a back and forth with 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 on full display during their first playoff game together. Against the Steelers in the AFC wild-card round, Jackson ran the read option to near perfection while putting Pittsburgh’s defense on its 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 ran for 81 yards on 15 carries. The duo helped the Ravens cruise to a 28-14 win that included an astonishing 299 yards on the ground.
After years of carrying the Ravens offense, Jackson now shares that workload with Henry, who experienced several career milestones this season that included scoring his 100th career rushing touchdown and eclipsing 11,000 career rushing yards. Henry’s 1,921 rushing yards this season was the most in NFL history by a player that did not win a rushing title.
Hall of Fame play, however, is not the only thing that the 31-year-old Henry has brought to the Ravens this season.
“I asked him (about his impact on the Ravens),” Woflson said. “He’s so 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 as though he’s brought that. A guy who’s been in a lot of different situations. … What he has brought is that professionalism. How he handles himself, how he’s been able to take care of his body, all of that has to seep into what these younger players are watching from inside that locker room.”
Actual leadership is a valuable thing to have in an NFL locker room. That Ravens have that in veterans like 33-year-old linebacker and Kyle Van Noy and Henry, whose relentless pursuit of excellence has undoubtedly left an impact on his teammates and even his head coach.
“(John) Harbaugh seems to always kind of turn to him for something,” Wolfson said. “A nugget of inspiration, because he’s been around.”
Henry’s presence has surely been a driving force in Baltimore’s five-game winning streak that they will carry into Sunday night’s marquee showdown against the Bills in the AFC divisional round. Games like this one are exactly what the Ravens signed Henry to play in, as Baltimore will undoubtedly try to win this game in the trenches.
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The Ravens aren’t just facing the Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, who like Jackson has also enjoyed a season that has garnered MVP consideration. Baltimore will also be facing frigid temperatures and possible snowfall. Not ideal conditions for throwing the ball.
In the past, Jackson would have likely felt added pressure to make things happen, which often resulted in uncharacteristic mistakes that often resulted in season-ending losses. With Henry, the Ravens are hoping that things will be different this time around.
“I think Derrick Henry has to have a good game,” Wolfson said while looking ahead to Sunday night. “He’s the hardest guy to bring down and tackle. You don’t want to put all of the pressure on Lamar Jackson to go out there and try and do it all himself. And you don’t want to make them one-dimensional.
“There has 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 it leads to those explosive plays downfield.”
As great as they were, Kobe and Shaq had help in the form of role players such as Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Fisher, among others. Wolfson pointed that out that that is also is the case for Jackson and Henry; she specifically alluded to wideout Rashod Bateman and running back Justice Hill, who each scored touchdowns in Baltimore’s wild-card win over Pittsburgh.
Baltimore’s role players offense have to step up again on Sunday night, especially if the team’s Pro Bowl wideout, Zay Flowers, remains sidelined with his knee injury. But the Ravens’ success will ultimately depend on Henry, the diesel that drives Baltimore’s Super Bowl hopes.
“There’s other guys that could step up,” Wolfson said, “but certainly, Derrick Henry has to be Derrick Henry. He has to be successful on the ground, especially in this weather.”
