Pundits Believe Derrick Henry 'Deserves Serious Consideration' for MVP
Derrick Henry is defying the notion that running backs decline after turning 30. Might he also buck the conventional thinking that the NFL MVP has to be a quarterback?
"Good Morning Football's" Kyle Brandt contends that the 30-year-old Henry is the front-runner for MVP.
"He leads the league in yards. He leads the league in rushing touchdowns. He's 5.9 yards a carry. The stats are just absolutely garish," Brandt said. "I think he is the guy. And I would love to see a running back, let alone one at his age, do this, to be the most amazing story.
"It has been so good and so badass. He's not even doing it with all these crazy, angry runs. He's coasting in the open field. He's going through touchdowns untouched."
Brandt isn't alone in his thinking. ESPN's Mike Greenberg said last week that Henry is the MVP front-runner.
"While Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and deservedly so, and proving himself to be one of the great players that we've ever seen, it is my opinion that the Baltimore Ravens, who lead the NFL in offense right now, are going to continue to do that all year long and that the reason is Derrick Henry," Greenberg said. "It is my opinion right now that Derrick Henry deserves serious consideration for MVP of the league."
The last non-quarterback to win the MVP award was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. Only two other running backs have won the award in the 2000s – LaDainian Tomlinson (2005) and Eric Dickerson (2000).
Is Jackson Having an Even Better Season Than His MVP Years?
While there's no denying Henry's impact, it's far more likely that a quarterback will win MVP. As noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, Jackson is arguably the leading candidate after six weeks.
A number of pundits think Jackson is having a better season than he did last year when he won his second MVP award.
"The play of Lamar Jackson is better than it's ever been, better than any of his MVP years," NFL Network's Brian Baldinger said.
Analyzing film of the Ravens' 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders Sunday, Baldinger referred to Jackson as "the maestro" for the masterful way he conducted the offense.
"He might miss a throw. He never misses a read," Baldinger said. "It's unbelievable how he just goes through these progressions. … From the pocket, just one great throw after another. The throws, they can't be any more perfect."
Former NFL coach Bill Belichick has taken notice of Jackson's improvement as a passer.
"I think Lamar's done a really good job this year, best I've seen him in terms of looking downfield when he buys time in the pocket," Belichick said on "The Pat McAfee Show."... It's not just pull it down and run. It's pull it down and look downfield. He's made a lot of downfield throws as he's scrambled around."
ESPN's Mina Kimes said one reason why she believes Jackson is even better this season is because of how outstanding he has been against the blitz.
"Against the blitz he's been somewhat inconsistent in the past. But in [Sunday's] game he went 10-for-11 for 162 yards when blitzed," Kimes said. "He was calm, he was decisive, he was accurate."
Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly also observed that Jackson has taken his game to another level this season and noted that the 27-year-old quarterback is just "starting to get into the prime of his career."
Is Ravens' Run Game the Best of All Time?
Led by the incredible 1-2 punch of Henry and Jackson, the Ravens might end up having the best running attack ever.
"The Ravens are equipped with the best run game of all time," ESPN's Paul Hembekides said. "The more tape I see of the Ravens, the more I look at the numbers, the more confidence I have in that take. Right now they're plus-878 rush yards this season. It's the highest differential through six games of any team in NFL history."
The Ravens are on pace for 3,491 rushing yards, which would break the record for most rushing yards in a season (3,296), set by the 2019 Ravens.
The rushing attack figures to only be even more potent when Keaton Mitchell returns later in the season.
"When they get him back with that element of speed that he has, makes them a totally different offense," ESPN’s Bart Scott said.
Zay Flowers Proves He's a 'Legitimate No. 1 Receiver'
Ravens fans have long clamored for "a true No. 1 wide receiver." They have it with Zay Flowers, The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker said.
"Flowers makes magic with a football in his hands, springs open on every route in the playbook," Walker wrote.
In the win over the Commanders, Flowers had a career-high 132 yards receiving and caught all nine of his targets. The 2023 first-round pick did all of it in the first half.
"Zay Flowers is a legitimate No. 1 No. 1 receiver; the beauty is he doesn't have to be all the time," Walker wrote. "Coming on the heels of his seven-catch, 111-yard showcase against the Bengals, it was splashy evidence that he really is the playmaker the Ravens sought for their franchise quarterback."
