Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record was set 40 years ago, but Derrick Henry is threatening to break it.
Henry leads the NFL in rushing with 873 yards, averaging 124.7 yards per game. He's on pace to finish with 2,120 yards for the season, which would break Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards set in 1984 during a 16-game season.
"I don't really try to think about that too much," Henry said Wednesday. "I just try to focus on doing my job and being better and better every week. I don't really try to get into the statistics of things. I focus on the team goals."
Henry is averaging 5.84 yards per carry, which is more than Dickerson's average of 5.6 yards per carry during his record-setting season. Through seven games, Henry is averaging more yards per carry than Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis, and O.J. Simpson did during their career best seasons.
Henry is already one of eight players to surpass 2,000 yards in a season, doing it with the Tennessee Titans in 2020 when he rushed for 2,027 yards and a career-high 18 touchdowns. Four years later at age 30, Henry remains a dominant player setting the standard for today's running backs.
His combination of speed and power makes him a threat to break loose on any carry. He did it again during the Ravens' 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he exploded for an 81-yard run in the third quarter.
According to Next Gen Stats, Henry reached a top speed of 21.72 miles per hour on the run, the third-fastest of his career and fifth-fastest of any ball carrier this season.
But after the game, Henry was upset that he didn't score after Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum cut him off.
"I'm slow as hell. I got knocked out of bounds," Henry said. "I don't want to talk about it. It pissed me off to see that."
However, there is no denying Henry is having a special season, and it could end in record-setting fashion.
"[The] offensive line is doing a hell of a job; I mean a hell of a job," Henry said. "All the credit goes to them. Receivers are blocking; tight ends; Pat Ricard being the beast and the juggernaut and making my job easier.
"'Trav' (Travis Switzer), our run game coordinator, coming up with the runs and putting us in the position to have success; 'Monk' (Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken). It takes all of us – we are all tied in together to have success and thank God. I hope it keeps going."
