{"id":19081,"date":"2025-01-14T03:59:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T03:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19081"},"modified":"2025-01-14T03:59:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T03:59:42","slug":"derrick-henry-helps-bolster-belief-for-lamar-jackson-that-this-year-is-going-to-be-different-in-playoffs-for-ravens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19081","title":{"rendered":"Derrick Henry helps bolster belief for Lamar Jackson that this year is going to be different in playoffs for Ravens"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers scored on a 98-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to cut their deficit in the AFC wild-card round to 21-7, the Ravens damn near called \u201cgame.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ravens ran a zone read with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. As Jackson read the Steelers\u2019 front, he handed the ball to Henry who delicately wove his way through multiple defenders before exploding through the secondary for a 44-yard touchdown like an elephant on the loose.<\/p>\n

\"Derrick<\/p>\n

Not a single Steeler wanted any part of the 250-pound wrecking ball hitting full speed in the open field.<\/p>\n

Jackson, who sprinted downfield behind his running back as he scored, likened Henry\u2019s run and performance to a Pixar film from 2006 that Jackson said he watched as a kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ever watched the movie \u2018Cars\u2019?\u201d\u00a0Jackson asked reporters after the game. \u201cYou know when Lightning McQueen is just flying, flashing past and it\u2019s just like, \u2018choo phew\u2019? That\u2019s how Derrick looked when he was running past those guys \u2014 it looks like a movie, bro. I\u2019m not gonna lie to you. I\u2019d rather be watching it than being on the other side of the ball \u2014 I know that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lamar<\/p>\n

The Ravens\u2019 running game, which has been one of the best in league history this season, smashed the Steelers all Saturday night in\u00a0Baltimore\u2019s 28-14 victory over their AFC North rivals. Of the Ravens\u2019 first 32 plays of the game, 24 of them were rushing attempts, including a 13-play, 85-yard drive in the second quarter when the Ravens did not put the ball in the air a single time. They finished the evening with 50 total rushing attempts, with Henry and Jackson combining for 41 of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say I anticipated that 24 out of 32 was the plan, you know,\u201d Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said with a laugh. \u201cThere were a lot of people happy about that, though. When you can do that, you want to do that and that\u2019s pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baltimore\u2019s success on the ground is something it can lean on as the Ravens try to establish themselves and win a Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season. Henry may be the equalizer who can stabilize Baltimore\u2019s offense and be the trump card needed when things get tight. According to TruMedia, Henry ran the ball on 100% of the first downs he played in this game and averaged a whopping 8.2 yards per carry\u00a0on just first down<\/em>. Eighteen of his 26 carries came on first down and he collected 148 yards and two touchdowns on those plays. He finished with 186 yards, the most he\u2019s run for in the postseason since his Tennessee Titans shocked Jackson and the Ravens in the 2019 season\u2019s divisional round.<\/p>\n

\"Lamar<\/p>\n

The Ravens\u2019 best brand of offense this season has been running it like a service academy (Army is where Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken\u2019s cousin, Jeff, is the head coach). Rushing comes first and they\u2019ll try to hit big chunks in the passing game. Jackson completed 16 of his 21 passing attempts for 8.3 yards per passing attempt and was sharp throughout the night. His play has been stellar all season, but the addition of Henry in the backfield next to him has raised the floor on this offense where it had no problem trampling a defense that has some stars in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat guy is just that guy. I don\u2019t know. I can\u2019t find the words to say, man,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI believe everyone sees it. I can just hand the ball off, [he gets] 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, and I\u2019m just chilling. Now, when they\u2019re attacking him, I go, and it\u2019s like I\u2019m fresh. It\u2019s just making my job a lot easier. We just piggyback off each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a fair description for a duo that ran for 267 yards with ease against the Steelers.<\/p>\n

Even with the success against a bitter rival in the playoffs, Jackson didn\u2019t seem to get too ahead of himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means we need to do that each and every time,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cGreat preparation, locked in, a \u2018win or go home\u2019 mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

His demeanor and sternness with his answer gave a glimpse into the cold truth of Jackson\u2019s reign as the best quarterback in Ravens history \u2014 they haven\u2019t done this each and every time. The last playoff game Jackson played in, the Ravens flailed and couldn\u2019t sustain drives as they repeated mistakes against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship.<\/p>\n

This year feels different. Henry is here, they\u2019re in Year 2 of Monken overseeing the offense and Jackson seems to have a greater control over positive outcomes within the offense.<\/p>\n

Things will get tighter as they get ready for a divisional round game that very well may be a rematch against the Buffalo Bills, a\u00a0team the Ravens walloped in Week 4\u00a0and Henry rushed for a season-high 199 yards. You can assume they\u2019ll have to keep leaning on Henry to make a potential three-time MVP quarterback feel like he is a child again.<\/p>\n

When asked which character from \u201cCars\u201d Jackson would be, he gave an answer that\u2019s going to encapsulate this Ravens season \u2014 and their win against the Steelers.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019I\u2019m no car. I\u2019m just chilling,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI\u2019m just watching the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Henry is the floor raiser, Jackson can blast through the ceiling. Together, it\u2019s a duo that can get the Ravens to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, one service academy drive at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers scored on a 98-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to cut their deficit in the AFC wild-card round to 21-7, the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nDerrick Henry helps bolster belief for Lamar Jackson that this year is going to be different in playoffs for Ravens - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19081\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Derrick Henry helps bolster belief for Lamar Jackson that this year is going to be different in playoffs for Ravens - 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