Derrick Henry has already felt what it's like to break loose in a playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium, stiff-arming opponents on long, back-breaking gallops.
Only the last time he did it was against Baltimore as a member of the Titans team that handed the top-seeded Ravens an early playoff exit.
On Jan. 11, 2020, Henry rumbled for 195 yards and turned former Ravens safety Earl Thomas into his lead blocker. Earlier that week, Thomas had said that while the Patriots didn't want to tackle Henry, he did. After stiff-arming him twice, Henry stared him down just to prove his point.
On Saturday night, exactly five years after, Henry will be on the purple side at M&T Bank Stadium, looking to get the Ravens' playoff run started against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round.
"I'm just excited to be back in that atmosphere," Henry said. "It's been a while."
Henry turned 31 years old last Saturday, the same day his 130 second half rushing yards and two touchdowns finished the Browns off to help the Ravens win the AFC North.
In the postgame locker room, as the Ravens celebrated their division title and after Henry puffed on a victory cigar, the seemingly ageless Henry made a reference to his football mortality. He feels the clock ticking.
"We've got to be different this time," Henry said, with passion in his eyes. "I think you all know that and we all feel that. We all know what we're capable of. Let's go get it."
The Ravens had the league's top-ranked rushing attack last season, but it fell flat in the playoffs. Lamar Jackson had more rushing yards (154) in the two games than his three running backs had combined.
As was well-documented in the months after the Ravens' AFC Championship loss, they had just six carries by a running back versus the Chiefs, a team that had been susceptible to the run.
Baltimore led the league in rushing again this year, but it's a different kind of beast with Henry and his nearly 2,000 regular season rushing yards leading the way. It's the kind of attack that can be leaned on down the stretch.
Jackson was asked Tuesday about how he feels going into a cold-weather playoff game, this time with Henry on his side.
"I'd rather it not be cold, but you say we have Derrick Henry, so that's a bonus," Jackson quipped. "It's great. I don't believe anybody likes hitting in the cold – not even the defenders like hitting in the cold, I believe, especially with a 250-pound, all-muscle running back running downhill at you. I wouldn't want to do it, but it's great for us."
Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike can confirm. He didn't even want to imagine what it must be like going against Henry in the playoffs when your muscles ache and Henry's physical runs rattle your bones.
"It's getting cold now, so things are going to hurt a little bit more," Madubuike said. "Thank God I'm not on the other side of the team. He's going to do his thing, and [those] guys better be ready."
With Henry in the backfield and 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard blocking in front of him, the Ravens can play bully ball in the playoffs. Henry lit up talking about Ricard.
"He's a juggernaut, an unsung hero to go out there and mash people out the way for me every single game, especially in the cold, which is not easy," Henry said. "I'm happy that I'm finally his teammate."
But when the focus is on him, Henry doesn't play into the narratives.
Asked if he likes cold-weather games, he said, "I don't care." Asked if he wants to make tacklers uncomfortable, he said, "I'm just focused on doing my job."
Asked how his mentality changes in the playoffs, he said it doesn't and, "I still have a job to do." Asked if he thought he could be the Ravens' missing Super Bowl piece, he said, "I'm not going to get into all of that."
Henry understands why the Ravens wanted him. They envisioned playoff games like these, because they had seen them before. He also knows why he came to Baltimore.
That 2020 game between the Ravens and Titans was Henry's last taste of postseason victory. Tennessee lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship a week later and his playoff trips the two following seasons with the Titans were both one-and-dones, including a loss in a playoff rematch versus the Ravens in 2021.
This time around, alongside an MVP quarterback and surrounded by more weapons than ever, Henry isn't thinking about delivering stiff-arms. He's thinking about only one thing, and not much has to be said.
"I just wanted to come here to make an impact and be an adding piece to this offense, to this team, to help them get to where they want to go, and this week is a first step," Henry said. "We have to work hard this week and practice execution to go out there and do it on Saturday. … Securing the win is all I'm focused on."
