Derrick Henry Is Nearing Another Historic Milestone

According to NFL Savant, the Bengals have given up 123 rushing yards per game, good for 23rd in the league. In particular, the Bengals have struggled with runs to the left and right sides, giving up 6.2 and 6.7 yards per carry, respectively. Those two areas are right in Henry’s wheelhouse, as he has produced positive EPA per carry when running to the outside this season.

Unlike the Steelers icon that he is in position to surpass, Henry does some of his best work when he can get the ball on the outside and build up speed. From there, he can use his massive 6-foot-3 frame to bulldoze his way through defenders and pick up yardage. The Ravens can utilize some of Henry’s best traits while also avoiding rushing down the middle against the elite Dexter Lawrence.

Running away from Lawrence might be the correct game plan due to how effective the All-Pro has been at stuffing runs behind the line of scrimmage this season. His five tackles for loss put him in the 97th percentile for his position. Lawrence has also been double-teamed quite often when rushing the passer, and if the Ravens want to run in his direction, they may need to devote additional blockers to containing him in the run game as well.

But even if Henry gets stuffed and cannot surpass Bettis in this game, he is in a prime position to do so later this season. He currently leads the league in carries and has been a workhorse for the Ravens. LaDainian Tomlinson sits just 22 yards above Bettis on the all-time rushing list, meaning Henry could potentially kill two birds with one stone against Cincinnati.