The Baltimore Ravens have a “finishing move” to put teams away, but Derrick Henry wants to keep it quiet. He’s applied the coup de grače the last two weeks on what’s become a signature play for the NFL’s best rushing attack.
Henry was asked about the play, a “toss left” after he helped the Ravens beat the Washington Commanders 30-23 in Week 6. The two-time rushing champion simply answered, “Shhhh!!,” according to Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
Henry’s reticence to go into detail about the Ravens’ go-to move is understandable. It’s salted away two-straight games, both wins, over the Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals.
Ravens Finisher Is Tough to Stop
As Mink pointed out, “Toss left to Derrick Henry has been the Ravens’ finishing move the past two weeks.”
Those gains, 51 yards in overtime in Cincinnati, and 27 yards to break the will of the Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium, show why this play is the Ravens’ closer. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has crafted a design that fools defenses and gets Henry out into space.
Notice how Henry runs away from the strength of the formation. The two-tight end side featuring Mark Andrews (89) and Isaiah Likely (80).
Another wrinkle involves slot receiver Nelson Agholor (15) executing a crack-back block on the play-side defensive end. This block lets left tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) get to the second level and absorb the nearest linebacker.
Agholor and Stanley collapse the edge, leaving 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard to look for work ahead of Henry. This is top-level stuff from Monken. The play is also the staple every successful running game needs.
Think the outside zone-stretch for the San Francisco 49ers and every member of the Shanahan coaching tree. There’s also the counter trey from the glory days of Joe Gibbs and ‘The Hogs’ in Washington. Or the lead draw that made Emmitt Smith a star for the Dallas Cowboys in the nineties.
Now the Ravens have their own tone-setter and game-sealer. Both things are made possible by Henry, who is helping dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson take an already potent Baltimore ground attack to the next level.
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry Helping Each Other
Henry’s arrival has Jackson playing his best football, but the Ravens’ QB1 has also made his backfield mate better. Defenses aware of Jackson’s skills as a runner aren’t giving Henry their full focus, and that’s all 22 needs to make them pay.
The clutch run to beat the Commanders was a great example of how the Jackson and Henry dynamic is putting defenses in a bind each week. As Pro Football Network’s Theo Ash highlighted, “the threat of Lamar Jackson affects the second level of the Washington defense.”
Jackson’s mobility has always made the Ravens a threat running the ball, but he’s never had a back as talented as Henry for support. The difference is obvious, with the Ravens topping the league charts with 1,232 yards and averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
Henry and Jacksons’s combination is also helping the Ravens put together another all-time streak of consecutive 100-yard games on the deck, per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.
A running game this varied and prolific can power the Ravens through the rest of the season. Behind the signature play Henry doesn’t want people to talk about.
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