Ravens' Derrick Henry issues bold statement on run game ahead of Lions clash

Adam Schultz

•
Ravens' Derrick Henry issues bold statement on run game ahead of Lions clash image

The Baltimore Ravens and Derrick Henry want to make one thing clear - the lack of a run game won't happen again, as it did against the Cleveland Browns, when the Detroit Lions come to town.

Henry was held to just 23 yards on 11 carries as Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz made it his priority to stop the run by any means necessary, and it worked, even though Lamar Jackson still threw for four touchdowns in the win. 

Now, with the Lions on the horizon, the Ravens will ideally look to bounce back and get their run game rolling, and when asked what he is hoping to see differently from the rushing attack this week, Henry made quite a statement.

“Be better,” Henry said. “That never happened again, continue to get better, myself first, be better with the football and be more efficient, be more explosive and us just getting better each and every day and letting it translate each and every week.”

MORE: Commanders reveal 1 thing that makes them 'hard to stop'

Ravens' offensive identity clear vs. Lions

If we know the Ravens, after last week, they are going to want to establish the run against Detroit, and after the Lions gave up 134 rushing yards to the Chicago Bears last week, Baltimore will fancy its chances.

One thing we can nearly guarantee is that Henry will have more than 23 rushing yards, because that low of a total almost never happens, let alone twice in two weeks, so the Lions defense will need to be on guard for a heavy dose of King Henry at M&T Bank Stadium.

But they can't be all in on the run, because as we saw against the Browns, Lamar can slice a defense through the air, so Detroit will be playing an interesting game against Baltimore - who do they stop?

The Browns took one element away, but the other flourished. 

We get the sense that even if the Lions sell out to stop the run, there won't be anything stopping Henry from getting rolling.

MORE NFL NEWS:

Adam Schultz

Adam Schultz is a freelance writer at The Sporting News. An Australian journalist with years of experience covering the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Adam has interviewed several high-profile athletes in Australia for various sites and brings a unique view on the NFL.