Dawgs By Nature
Derrick Henry has been punishing NFL defenses ever since he entered the league in 2016.
Through his eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans and now in his second year with the Baltimore Ravens, Henry has six 1,000-yard rushing seasons to his name, including a 2,000-yard season in 2020, and 108 rushing touchdowns.
The sight of the 6-foot-2 and 252-pound Henry bursting through the line is enough to put the fear in any defensive player unlucky enough to be in his way.
Except, oddly enough, when it comes to the Cleveland Browns, who have consistently been Henry’s kryptonite whenever they have met.
In seven career games against the Browns, Henry has rushed for just a total of 395 yards (56.4 yards per game) and four touchdowns. His lone 100-yard day against Cleveland came in the 2024 season finale when he rushed for 138 yards against a Browns defense that was ready to hit the off-season.
Other than that, it has been the Browns with the upper hand, as the defense has limited Henry to:
Even in games where the defense has not been so dominant, the Browns have been able to keep Henry in check, as he has only exceeded 80 rushing yards in a game twice. That is rather impressive when you consider that Henry has averaged more than 100 rushing yards a game four times in the past six seasons, and just missed out on a fifth time when he averaged 96.1 yards per game in 2022.
So why have the Browns been able to have success against Henry over the years?
One way may be not to be intimidated, as Grant Delpit said it is “not hard” to bring down Henry when asked about it on Thursday. That is clearly an oversimplification, but it is also likely a good state of mind for the defense to take into the game.
A better plan to contain Henry starts with the play of the defense’s front seven, according to defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz:
“We need to be physical on our defensive line and linebacker level because (Baltimore) has an extremely strong running back who can go north/south. Look at what happened to Buffalo (last week) with giving up those north/south lanes, and if you give that guy a head of steam, it is tough on your defense.
“If we are doing a good job of playing physical up front, getting some penetration, and not allowing him to get his foot in the ground, doesn’t have change course that will go a long way toward stopping the running game. Everyone has to be able to tackle and get to the ball. It is going to take a team effort.”
Everyone is expecting it to be a long afternoon for the Browns on Sunday against the Ravens....
