When Derrick Henry moved to Dallas this offseason, he thought he might end up playing close to his new home.
The Cowboys needed a running back. He was a willing free agent. The Cowboys didn't even call.
Dressed in all-purple from head to nearly toe and with a bunch of family members in the stands, Henry made the Cowboys pay Sunday in AT&T Stadium, rolling for two touchdowns and his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
"I hold myself to a high standard. I definitely wanted to come out here and be able to have an impact to give us a chance to win by the way I played," Henry said before smirking. "Being in Dallas – this is where the offseason is [for me and] where I spend most of my time in the offseason. It felt a little good today for sure."
Henry rolled up 151 of the Ravens' whopping 274 rushing yards in Dallas. Lamar Jackson also ran for 87 and Justice Hill had 33 as the Ravens' top three runners all averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry against a porous Cowboys defense.
Asked after the game by Cowboys reporters about not going after Henry, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said, "We couldn't afford Derrick Henry."
Henry punched his first touchdown in from just one yard out, churning his legs behind the Ravens' jumbo formation to give the Ravens a 14-3 lead in the first quarter.
His second was even more impressive, as he ran through a tackle attempt at his legs by safety Donavan Wilson, then accelerated to the sideline to beat two more Dallas defenders to the pylon.
"I expect that from him," Jackson said. "You've just got to get him lanes [to] just hold up and just let him do his thing."
The Ravens jumped out to an early lead in Dallas, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives. After the offense cooled a bit, Henry got it going on the Ravens' final drive of the first half with back-to-back 12- and 13-yard runs. Then Baltimore hit Dallas with back-to-back running back screens, with Justice Hill taking his for 13 yards and Henry weaving through Dallas' defense for 23.
The Ravens led by 15 at halftime, and the run attack didn't stop in the second half. On the first drive of the third quarter, Henry pounded Dallas on a 29-yard rumble. Then, after Jackson gashed them with his legs, Henry rumbled in for his second touchdown of the day.
Fullback Patrick Ricard thought he might've broken his nose on that play when his facemask crashed in. The fullback wore a bandage over the bridge of his nose after the game. Asked what it's like blocking for Henry, Ricard said, "It's a dream."
"He's such a beast," Ricard said. "It fuels me to really make sure I hit my guy and move him so he can get a little space to hit the hole full speed. When he's full steam ahead, it's really hard to bring him down."
After their identity was questioned all week, Sunday's game in Dallas was a statement for Baltimore that it can run on anybody, even with this new offensive line. Jackson, Henry and Harbaugh all gave the props, including right guard Daniel Faalele their props.
Henry spent extra time this week after practice going over run fits with his offensive linemen. It paid off.
"We got rolling, but like Lamar said, we feel like we could have done more, and there's still more out there for us and still so much more in store," Henry said. "We've just got to stay locked in, keep working, [and] keep making each other [better] each and every day."
