Derrick Henry smiled and shushed reporters in the postgame locker room Sunday following the Ravens' 30-23 win over the Commanders. He doesn't want the Ravens' rushing "secrets" getting out.
The bad news for Henry is the film doesn't lie, and neither do the record books.
Henry rushed for 132 yards and two more touchdowns Sunday, doing more than his part to power a balanced Baltimore offense that looks like a juggernaut right now.
"I feel like everything was working; it was like, 'Pick your poison,'" Henry said.
Henry became the first player since Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to score a rushing touchdown in each of his first six games of a season. He's just the second player to have six rushing scores to begin a stint with an NFL franchise (Patriots running back Robert Edwards in 1998).
Henry has nine touchdowns this season, the most by a Raven through six games of a season in team history. The Ravens are just the second team in the Super Bowl era with at least 150 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in each of its first six games of a season, joining the 1971 Oakland Raiders.
Henry hasn't just been a good signing for the Ravens. He's been historically good.
"He's the king," defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. "He's 'King Henry' for a reason, and I'm glad he's on our side."
Henry's 3-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave the Ravens their first lead. His 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put Baltimore up two scores for the first time in the game.
When Henry came rolling through the line, thanks in part to a key block from right guard Daniel Faalele, Washington cornerback Mike Sainristil wanted no parts of him.
Henry's biggest contribution was, once again, being the finisher. With the Ravens leading by a touchdown with two minutes, 48 seconds left, the game wasn't over. That was until Henry ripped off a 27-yard run on a toss left.
It was a similar play to the one Henry ripped off for 51 yards in overtime in Cincinnati last week to set up Justin Tucker's game-winning field goal.
Henry said he prides himself on being a "finisher," which is exactly the role the Ravens envisioned for Henry when they signed him.
"I definitely just want to be able to close the game so we can win, and everybody is happy, and everybody is high-fiving in the locker room," Henry said. "You have to take pride in that – to be able to finish games and have the ball last."
The Ravens are riding a four-game winning streak. Other than the blowout win over the Bills, which Henry kicked off with an 87-yard touchdown run on the Raven's first play, they closed out the other three (in Dallas, in Cincinnati, and versus the Commanders) on the ground.
"In the fourth quarter, when it's time for us to run the ball and get a first down, that's how we need to finish games. That's what good teams do," center Tyler Linderbaum said.
"I think teams preach [finishing] all the time, but he's certainly a guy that absolutely does it, just with his size and speed. He's a fun player to play with, and then just having [Jackson] back there as well, it's challenging for defenses."
Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. said the Ravens offense did "exactly everything we thought they would do." Baltimore still put up 484 yards of offense and Henry still rolled over them.
"You've got to do what you've got to do," Fowler said of Henry. "He's an elusive and electric player. So, when you get him, you've got to hold on tight."
Henry doesn't want too much chatter about the Ravens' rushing attack. But the question is: can anyone stop it anyway?
