EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It takes very few chairs to seat all the NFL running backs with Derrick Henry's mixture of size, speed, strength, and breathtaking possibility.
"He's one of one," Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson said this week.
Jackson would know better than most. In his first four NFL seasons, Jackson and Henry were teammates on the Tennessee Titans. Tomorrow, they will meet for the second time as opponents when the Giants and Baltimore Ravens clash in MetLife Stadium.
When the two played together, Jackson often thought how fortunate he was not to have to tackle Henry. But he won't be able to avoid him tomorrow.
"Being able to see some of his explosive runs, his stiff arms up close and personal, and to see the damage that he can do, his breakaway speed when he gets going – it was cool to play with him," Jackson said. "And now this will be my second time playing against him; it's cool to have that as well.
"His height (6-3), his weight (listed at 247), his speed – he's actually more agile than a lot of people give him credit for. Has great balance. Very smart and intuitive with the game. I think he's for sure one of one."
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Henry will be one of many excellent playmakers the Giants' defenders will face on a Baltimore offense that is perhaps the NFL's best. The Ravens lead the league in yards-per-game (422.5) and per play (6.8), rushing yards-per-carry (5.7), yards per pass attempt (8.7) and plummet all the way to second in first downs (22.9) and rushing yards (179.l) a game. And they are a lowly third with 29.5 points a game. When Baltimore scores 28 or more points, it is 8-0. The Ravens have scored 30 or more points five times. But when they score fewer than 28, they are 0-5.
The Giants will face this dynamic team without their two leading tacklers, safety Tyler Nubin (out for the season with an ankle injury) and linebacker Bobby Okereke (sidelined with a back injury).
"It's a big challenge," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. "It's going to take all 11 guys. The post safety is going to have to be involved with Derrick and with Lamar (Jackson), to make sure we're doing our job and at the same time we have to be able to get off blocks and get to the ball."
Jackson, the quarterback who in 2023 won his second NFL most valuable player award, is the catalyst for the prolific operation. He leads the NFL with a 116.3 passer rating, which is the highest by any quarterback in a season since Aaron Rodgers' 121.5 in 2020 (when Rodgers was the MVP). Jackson has thrown 29 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
"This guy's one of the best players, not just best quarterbacks, best players in the National Football League," Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "He's dynamic in every facet of the game. If he's running it, then he's not throwing it. If he's throwing, he's not running. He can do it all. He is really a fun player to watch, not when you're getting ready to play him. He's a dynamic, dynamic football player."
Jackson leads all NFL quarterbacks with 678 rushing yards. Henry has rushed for a league-high-tying 13 touchdowns and is second to Saquon Barkley with 1,407 yards. He averages 5.9 yards a carry. With career totals of 10,909 yards and 103 rushing touchdowns, Henry needs 91 rush yards to become only the ninth player in history with 11,000+ yards & 100+ rushing scores.
Bowen is also very familiar with Henry because he spent the previous six seasons on the Titans' coaching staff, a period when Henry rushed for 8,268 yards and 80 touchdowns.
"He's an outside linebacker playing running back," Bowen said. "He's 250-plus pounds. Runs hard. It's going to be tough if you let him get downhill. Tough to bring down one-on-one. You've got to get hats to the ball. It's going to take more than one guy. Probably the best stiff-arm guy ever. He uses it as a weapon. Just in my time there, seeing some of the things he was able to do with the stiff arm gives me nightmares this week. He's a special player and we've got to make sure we do a good job of hopefully keeping him bottled up. And the thing that's unique about him is if he has the crease and he's rolling, he takes it the distance. He makes your pay, and guys don't catch him and that's showing up this year as well."
Individually, Jackson and Henry are extraordinary players. Together, they're lethal. They have combined for 160.4 rushing yards a game, the second-highest total ever by a quarterback/running back duo. It would be first if Barkley hadn't joined the Eagles; Jalen Hurts (who also has 13 rushing touchdowns) and Barkley have combined for 166.7 yards-per-game on the ground this season.
The Giants have struggled to stop the run at times this season. They have allowed 141.7 rushing yards a game, the NFL's fourth-highest total, and 4.9 yards a carry (third highest). But despite missing its top three defensive linemen and Okereke due to injury, the Giants' rush defense had one of its best games last week, limiting New Orleans' Alvin Kamara to 44 yards and 2.6 yards an attempt.
"You want to take a lot of the positive that we have from that game and be able to implement that this week and harp on all the good things that we've done," Jackson said. "We want to keep that in the forefront to make sure we're doing that for this week."
Lamar Jackson has an uncanny knack for slipping away from pass rushers and either taking off with the ball or throwing to one of his many fast and elusive receivers. Wideouts Zay Flowers, Rashon Bateman and Nelson Agholor average a combined 15.5 yards on their 108 receptions, and tight end Mark Andrews has a team-high seven touchdown catches.
"He's a special player," Bowen said of the Baltimore quarterback. "Played against him a lot in my time in Tennessee. It's always a headache throughout the week and even more so on Sunday. Special player, MVP candidate every single year. Continues to get better and better and better each year. Playing at a really high level right now. The legs are always in play, and that's the one thing. He can run it. He can hurt you with his legs, obviously. He's throwing the ball really well right now. So, the X plays are showing up in the run game and the pass game for them. And then just the ability to create, whether he's taking off with it and gaining yards or he's buying time in the backfield and letting those playmakers they have out there uncover and he finds ways to get the ball down the field."
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