Ravens X-factor vs. Bills in 2025 NFL Playoffs, and it's not Lamar Jackson
01/16/2025 08:00 AM
When the Baltimore Ravens take the field against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, all eyes will be on the matchup between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
On paper, it makes sense, right? While the MVP voting is officially over, as the award is for the regular season only, its final winner will almost be playing in this very game, even if the final results of the contest won’t necessarily match the AP’s vote total.
And yet, what if the most important player in this game isn’t a quarterback at all but instead a potential difference-maker who could set the true tone in a freezing-cold Orchard Park showdown? That’s right, we’re talking about “King Henry” himself: Derrick Henry.
There’s no two ways about it: while both quarterbacks will almost certainly make amazing plays with their arms, rip off impressive runs with their legs, and pull off the sort of rabbit-out-of-a-hat magic tricks that would make Criss Angel blush, if Henry gets this going on the ground against the NFL’s 12th ranked rushing defense, it will be a straight up X-factor in Baltimore’s pursuit of Super Bowl glory.
Derrick Henry’s production directly leads to playoff success
Over the course of his nine-year NFL career, Henry has appeared in eight playoff games, seven for the Titans and one – so far – with the Ravens.
Over that tenure, Henry’s performance has been directly proportionate to his team’s overall success, with his team winning every single game where he rushed for at least 100 yards – technically 150 yards – and his team losing every single game where he failed to reach triple digits.
Now granted, is that really a one-to-one correlation? No, probably not, as typically, teams don’t continue to commit to the run when they are losing, with coordinators often pivoting to a passing attack in the pursuit of picking up chunk yards down the field through the air. Still, in wins over his playoff career so far, Henry never had less than 23 rushing yards, whereas in losses, he only hit the 20 mark once, with the other three losses all falling below the mark.
Either way, when it comes to the playoffs, Henry has been an overachiever on the ground, with the former 2,000-yard back averaging 5.04 yards per carry in the playoffs versus a 4.9 yards per carry average over his 136 regular season career. Though the sample size may be rather small, in Baltimore, Henry has already proven why he’s a top-tier rushing talent in Charm City, picking up 186 yards on 26 carries for a 7.15-yard average in his first postseason game with the team. So if the Ravens can give him 23 or more carries and get him over the 100-yard mark – technically the 150-yard mark – again in Buffalo, the team’s chances of winning are borderline guaranteed, right?
The Ravens believe in Derrick Henry’s rushing abilities
While the stats prove that Henry is undefeated in the playoffs in games where he rushes for over 100 yards, when it comes to the good old-fashioned eye test, the “King” brings a major advantage to the Ravens as well, as catching a football is noticeably harder in freezing cold weather, even when wearing the best gloves the modern-day NFL has to offer. Rushing the ball, by contract, remains largely the same; if anything, the prospects of defenders staying locked in actually go down as the temperature drops, as it’s harder to keep their on-the-fly lateral agility locked in under freezing conditions.
Need proof? Look no further than Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who let it be known during his weekly media session that he believes Henry could be a difference maker in the game because of the challenge his hard-nosed, physical style presents in a cold weather game.
“Yes, having [Derrick Henry] is huge. He’s upset us in our stadium, and he also just put on a great performance with us, so I know it’s no fun taking those hits, because he usually brings the hits to you – the defender – so it’s great having him on the team,” Humphrey told reporters. “Something that I’ve really been impressed with, with him – being with him in college – but seeing him … He’s always a pretty locked-in guy, but seeing the urgency he takes, the approach, the locked-in-ness that I’ve seen in him over these past couple of weeks [at the] end of the season, it seems like he’s locked in on a different level. I think that’s really helping keep the poise, keep the team … I’ve really been impressed with just how he operates. He’s a pro. He’s been that all year, but it seems like as we got closer to the postseason, closing up some of those games and this past game, it seems like his poise, his locked-in-ness went to another level.”
So what exactly makes Henry so such a cheat code in general and especially in a cold weather game? Well, the answer to that question is simple, really: Henry might just be the most physically imposing player in the NFL, with a unique blend of size and power that makes it almost impossible for any one player to bring him down with ease.
“[Derrick Henry] is moving a lot faster than he looks. That’s probably what really messes up the corners when he hits the edge, messes up the linebackers, and then his arms are … He is a specimen of a build. You kind of think you can tackle him, and sometimes it works, but if he stiff-arms you, it’s just different,” Humphrey noted.
“He’s definitely one-of-one, but I think the visual and what’s actually happening doesn’t really match up. It’s like, ‘Oh, I have a perfect angle.’ Then, he gets around you. ‘Oh, I can tackle him right here.’ Then, not to get on my guy Minkah [Fitzpatrick], Minkah was right there, was looking all good, and then, just out of nowhere, just a stiff arm to the face, and it’s a strong stiff arm. It’s more of a punch. It probably should … It might should be illegal, because it’s [more like] a punch, but if he’s on my team, it’s good. If it’s against me, I want it to be illegal. He’s just different, so I know the Bills will have their hands … It will be tough.”
Considering Humphrey has to mix it up with Henry weekly at practice, it’s safe to say he’s the expert on the subject. Good luck, Bills defenders; you’re going to need it.
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