Ravens Running Game Misfire: Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry Deserved More…

The Baltimore Ravens have arguably the best one-two-punch tandem in the NFL in quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. We’ve seen plenty of great quarterback-running back combos in NFL history but very few, if any, have offered the type of running threat that these two do on a weekly basis for the Ravens.

Henry is one of the most dominant backs in NFL history, with no doubt. He checks in at 6-foot-2, 247 pounds and he’s a ball of pure muscle and athleticism. He’s the “hammer” as a runner, always delving out punishment rather than taking it. Henry is an aggressive and angry runner who seems to get better as the game goes on. At the same time, he has a blend of speed and athleticism that should be against the rules.

Fully trained and grown NFL defenders (not named Cooper DeJean) have struggled to tackle Henry for years. He’s a weapon to have in your backfield.

And then there’s Jackson, who is an enigma when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. For years, you were either a pocket passer or a runner as an NFL quarterback, and there was barely ever overlap in that.

Michael Vick was the most recent example of a quarterback who could punish defenses as a passer but also be an elite threat as a runner, but his career went off the rails for off-field reasons. Nobody since Vick has had that type of dual-threat ability until Jackson showed up on the scene in 2018. He won a Heisman Trophy at Louisville but still fell to the 32nd pick of the 2018 NFL Draft to Baltimore because there were concerns about his ability to win games as a quarterback and not just as an athletic marvel.

Jackson dispelled those rumors and more, to the tune of two league MVP awards…so far. More could be on the way for Jackson, but his blend of running ability and passing prowess got lost in the sauce in Week 13 when the Ravens fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-19.

Jackson passed for 237 yards and two touchdowns and he rushed eight times for 79 yards, but 39 of those rushing yards came on the last drive with 22 seconds left on the clock in what was essential “garbage time”. Without that run, he would have rushed seven times for 40 yards, which is just not enough for the Ravens to win those types of big-time games.

In fact, Jackson said even his mom knew that he left some opportunities out there as a runner against Philly. There were rushing lanes available, but according to his mom, he didn’t attack those.