Football: Derrick Henry has a monster game as the Ravens smash the Bills to improve to 2-2
The one thing the Baltimore Ravens football team never had for Lamar Jackson was a great running back to help him out. Mark Ingram had a good run near the end of his career. Between injuries, J.K. Dobbins was effective. But the Ravens, in this era, have not had a back like Derrick Henry. We could only imagine what the rushing lanes would look like with defenses focused on Jackson.
Now we know, and it is clear that Henry still has plenty left to offer at age 30. Henry started off the night with an 87-yard touchdown and had a huge night as the Ravens put an 0-2 start behind them with their second straight win, a dominant 35-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Henry rushed for 199 yards on 24 carries. Last week against the Cowboys Henry had 151 yards on 25 carries.
Henry looks like he is well within his prime, even at age 30. When Henry was available this past offseason, he reportedly wanted to sign with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys claim they decided they could not afford one of the best backs of this era. The Ravens are pretty happy it unfolded that way. Henry adds an element to the offense that the Ravens have not experienced before.
If the Ravens make it back to the playoffs, Henry can carry some of the load that Jackson is used to having on his shoulder.
That can not be a bad thing. On the Ravens’ first play of the game, Henry made some history. Henry got between some good blocks and broke into the secondary. Henry is 247 pounds but also one of the fastest players in the National Football League (NFL), and even though he is 30 years old with the heaviest workload in the league over the past few years, nobody was going to catch him.
Henry went 87 yards for the touchdown, and that is the longest run in Ravens history. With that, Henry became the only player in NFL history to have the longest run for two different franchises. Henry’s 99-yard run for the Tennessee Titans is tied for the longest in NFL history. Henry scored again on a 5-yard pass from Jackson early in the second quarter and the Ravens led 14-3.
The Bills were fantastic for three weeks to start the season, but suddenly, in Week 4, they were unable to keep up with the Ravens. A couple of punts did not help. The Bills punted on fourth-and-2 from midfield in the first quarter, and fourth-and-1 from their own 39 in the second quarter when they trailed by 11 points. It made no sense for Bills head coach Sean McDermott to punt in either spot, and it clearly hurt his team’s chances of staying in the game.
The Ravens scored touchdowns after each of those punts.
McDermott has not been that conservative on fourth down this season, but like his team as a whole, he seemed overwhelmed by the Ravens on Sunday night. The Bills started the second half with some momentum. Josh Allen had a ridiculous downfield pass to Khalil Shakir while he was going out of bounds, and that gained 52 yards and set up a touchdown. The Bills got the ball back right away, but Allen’s arm was hit by Kyle Van Noy on a throw.
It was a fumble that the Ravens recovered, and soon after Jackson scored on a 9-yard touchdown run to put the Ravens back ahead by 18 points. Even when Henry made a mistake it turned out well. After Henry had a 38-yard run to set up the Ravens inside the 5-yard line, he fumbled on his way into the end zone. But fullback Patrick Ricard recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown and Baltimore led 35-10.
One of the reasons the Ravens started 0-2 was that in Week 2, they stopped feeding Henry in the fourth quarter and that allowed the Las Vegas Raiders to come back and beat them. Since then, Henry has destroyed the Cowboys and then the Bills. It did not take the Ravens too long to figure out that Henry can handle as many carries as anyone is willing to give him, and they will be a better offense as a result.
The Ravens had a great team last season but nobody like Henry.
In an American Football Conference (AFC) championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, they forgot almost completely about the running game and that was a big reason they lost. That will not happen again if the Ravens find themselves in a similar situation. Henry is a future Hall of Famer, and the Ravens are a much different team with him in their backfield.
On September 21st 2024, in the 400th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team of University of Nebraska (NU) hold a lead at halftime. No. 22 Nebraska leads No. 24 Illinois 17-10 at the half. NU has led at halftime of every game this season. The Husker offense took some time to get going, punting after a single first down on the opening drive.
The next offensive possession saw a more than eight-minute drive end with a short field goal. The field goal was an answer to University of Illinois (UI) Fighting Illini racing downfield for an easy touchdown on their opening drive. The next possession was not so successful, as Blackshirt John Bullock ripped the ball free. The Big Red scored a touchdown four plays later.
After Illinois tied the game 10-10 with their own field goal, Nebraska looked to be answering with another scoring drive.
Dylan Raiola threw a beautiful ball to the end zone but the Illini defender ripped the ball from Isaiah Neyor, giving the freshman QB a second tough-luck interception in as many games. The Illini did nothing with the extra possession, coming up short on a fourth down in Nebraska territory. With 3:22 to go in the half, NU burned 3:06 and got a highlight-reel touchdown catch from Neyor to take the lead into halftime.
Nebraska has outgained Illinois in total yards 235-160. Neither team has run the ball particularly well, though NU does have 79 yards to UI’s 37. Raiola is 16-for-23 for 156 yards and two touchdowns, with that one interception. Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer is 9-for-12 for 123 yards and a touchdown. Illinois will have the ball to begin the second half.
On September 17th 2020, after a successful trip to Brazil, the Eagles return to Philadelphia for their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football”. The Eagles offense got off to a rocky start in their first game game, where they turned the ball over deep in their own end twice, but the defense only allowed two field goals, which set the stage for the Eagles to right the ship. Running back Saquon Barkley was the star of the show, tying an Eagles record with three touchdowns in his debut with Philadelphia.
Kirk Cousins’ debut in Atlanta wasn’t quite as well received.
The veteran signal caller threw two interceptions in his first game with the Falcons — an 18-10 loss to the Steelers. The Falcons’ defense came to play in Week 1, however, keeping the Steelers out of the end zone and allowing just 270 yards of offense. On September 16th 2024, The Texans dominated the Bears in the first half, but they lead only 16-10 at halftime “Sunday Night Football”.
Houston has 206 yards to 91 for Chicago and has punted only once. Tommy Townsend’s only punt cost the Texans, though, going 37 yards to the Houston 49. The Bears used the field position for a touchdown. Khalil Herbert ran it in from 2 yards out with 32 seconds left in the second quarter to complete the eight-play drive. It was 2 of the Bears’ 18 rushing yards on 11 carries. Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the Bears, has played significantly better than he did in his debut, going 12-of-15 for 91 yards.
Williams has taken two sacks. DJ Moore has three carries for 35 yards. With one second left in the half, Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn responded with a 59-yard field goal. Fairbairn also had field goals of 56 and 47 yards in the first half. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud completed 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown, a 28-yard pass to Nico Collins.
Collins has five catches for 86 yards, including two of the highlight-reel variety.
Stefon Diggs has two receptions for 26 yards. Joe Mixon, who had a big day in the season opener, has only 19 yards on six carries. On September 15th 2024, college football week 3 does not look very appetizing on the surface, but you never know when there is going to be a seismic upset. No. 4 Alabama blowing out Wisconsin after Badgers QB Tyler Van Dyke suffered an injury on the opening drive.
No. 6 Missouri continued that with a nervy come-from-behind home win over No. 24 Boston College. No. 16 LSU also needed to rally on the road against South Carolina after falling behind 17-0 early. The Tigers did just that, earning a crucial SEC win as the Gamecocks’ game-tying kick sailed wide as time expired. Perhaps the most notable result of the day was yet another disastrous Florida State loss.
On September 13th 2024, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have arguably drawn an equal amount of attention as playoff hopefuls in recent years, and yet their AFC East rivalry has been something of a lopsided affair. Dating to 2017, in fact, the Bills have won 13 of their last 15 matchups with Miami, including playoffs. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, is just 1-6 against his division foes.
Both sides enter their next matchup, an anticipated “Thursday Night Football” showdown that kicks off Week 2 of the 2024 campaign, with a 1-0 record.
Plenty of questions exist under the surface, however, with Buffalo barely fending off the upstart Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, and the Dolphins coming off a dramatic week that included a much-publicized pregame clash with law enforcement. In January 2024, NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in Detroit, but his final pass was picked off by Derrick Barnes with just over a minute left in the game and the Buccaneers lost 31-23. Mayfield joined the Buccaneers on a one-year deal as a free agent last year and his first season was a big rebound from a couple of down years spent with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns during the regular season and then threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield has definitely earned a new contract and he likes the idea of having another year in the offense. Mayfield loves the Buccaneers, he has said that all year and it is authentic.
It would mean a lot to Mayfield, to bring back a lot of key pieces, to get this back together, to get into Year Two in the system. Mayfield feels like the Buccaneers could make huge strides, he would love that. Obviously, the Buccaneers will see how it is going to play out but Mayfield can not say enough about this team and the opportunity it gave him.
Bowles said it is too early to talk about Mayfield’s next contract, but it probably will not be long before that is a main topic of conversation in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield is on his fourth team in less than two years and with a first-time play-caller, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Even though Mayfield and the Buccaneers have expressed interest in a long-term extension, he will become a free agent. Not many gave the Buccaneers a chance to have a winning record this season, much less capture a third straight National Football Conference (NFC) South title, upset the defending NFC champion Eagles and go down to the wire with the Detroit Lions.
The Buccaneers was a score and just over 13 minutes away from playing to go to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers started 3-1, cratered by losing six of seven games, spiked by winning six out of the next seven, and found itself in another rollercoaster affair against the Lions. But the Buccaneers defense could not contain Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns.
The uncertainty with Mayfield is just as paramount. Bowles said Mayfield has earned the right to be the Buccaneers’ quarterback moving forward. Mayfield hated how the season ended. In December 2023, another big game for Joe Flacco was another big night for the Cleveland Browns. Flacco threw for 309 yards with three touchdowns and a single interception in a 37-20 win over the New York Jets.
The win was the fourth straight for the Browns, who improved 4-1 with Flacco at quarterback.
The Browns improved to 11-5 to secure their spot in the postseason. The Browns enter a matchup against the Jets on Thursday December 28th 2023 at Cleveland Browns Stadium on a three-game winning streak. The Browns put up just two more points per game than the Jets allow, and New York scores 5.3 fewer points per game than Cleveland gives up. The Browns collect 335.9 yards per game, 41.1 more yards than the 294.8 the Jets give up per matchup, and New York racks up only 3.2 more yards per game than Cleveland gives up.
The Browns rush for 119.1 yards per game, just 7.1 fewer yards than the 126.2 the Jets allow per outing, and New York averages 90.3 yards per game on the ground, 9.9 fewer yards than Cleveland allows. The Browns have turned the ball over 32 times this season, 10 more turnovers than the Jets have forced, and New York has turned the ball over 30 times, five more than Cleveland’s takeaways. The Browns’ average points scored and conceded in home games are both lower than their overall averages of 23 and 20.7, respectively.
At home, the Browns accumulate 317.8 yards per game and concede 197.9. that is less than the Browns gain and allow overall. Cleveland’s average passing yards gained and conceded at home are both lower than its overall averages of 216.8 and 160.1, respectively. Cleveland accumulate 107.1 rushing yards per game at home, and concede 87.4 at home. In home games, the Browns convert 28.2% of third downs and allow 23.2% to be converted by their opponent, that is less than they convert and allow overall.
The Browns is headed back to the postseason for the first time since 2002.
Cleveland can rejoice. Its Browns are headed to the playoffs for only the second time in 21 seasons. The Browns delivered a 37-20 win over the Jets to clinch a postseason berth in front of their home crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Flacco passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns, while David Njoku had six receptions for 134 yards on a night where Cleveland did not have star wide receiver Amari Cooper due to a heel injury and lost Elijah Moore due to a concussion.
Kareem Hunt’s 7-yard touchdown rush and Ronnie Hickman’s 30-yard interception return for a touchdown also aided the Browns as they never looked back from a dominating first half, in which they simply imposed their will on the Jets. That 34 points during the first half, combined with the Jets’ struggles on offense, were enough to ride out to the Browns‘ victory as each team managed a field goal in the fourth quarter.