Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is one of just eight players in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, going off for 2,027 back in 2020 to win Offensive Player of the Year.
Could he do it again this season, though? It’s not impossible.
Henry currently sits at 1,783 rushing yards on the season, meaning he’ll need 217 yards to reach 2,000 for the second time in his career and first as a Raven. That sounds like a nearly impossible task, especially since there have only been two players to rush for 200 yards in a game this season (Saquon Barkley for 255 in Week 12 and Jonathan Taylor for 218 in Week 16). For Henry, specifically, though, it’s in the realm of possibility.
Back in 2020, Henry, then a member of the Tennessee Titans, needed 223 rushing yards to reach the 2,000-yard plateau heading into the regular season finale against the Houston Texans. He then went off for 250 yards and two touchdowns in arguably the best game of his career to help Tennessee win the AFC South title.
Now there are a few differences from that scenario to this one. First, Henry now has an extra game to work with compared to his 2020 self, so he’s actually averaging few yards per game than he did then. Second, he’ll be 31 for this game when he was 26 for that one (his birthday is Jan. 4 and that game took place on Jan. 3, 2021).
That said, the similarities between the two scenarios are hard not to notice, with him needing a monster performance to reach 2,000 yards and his team needing a win to take the division.
Henry’s first season in Baltimore has already been a smashing success, and there’s not much that could change that. If he can reach 2,000-yards for a second time, becoming the first player in NFL history do so, then it would only strengthen his Hall of Fame resume.
Like the rest of the team, though, Henry’s main focus is winning that ever-elusive Super Bowl, and he’ll be a big part of that push.