Derrick Henry needed just one carry to make history Sunday night. Leading off the Baltimore Ravens’ first offensive possession of Week 4’s prime-time matchup with the Buffalo Bills, the star running back exploded for an 87-yard touchdown burst, the longest run in franchise history.
Henry essentially made a single, subtle cutback on the run, easily gliding past Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas before outracing safety Damar Hamlin — and a slew of other Buffalo defenders — on the way to the end zone. His touchdown not only underscores the running back’s unteachable physical gifts at nearly 250 pounds, but gave Baltimore an early advantage against Buffalo, putting the Ravens up 7-0.
Henry reached a peak speed of 21.29 miles per hour on the run, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, which is tied for the fourth-fastest speed by a ball-carrier this year. He’s now hit 20 miles per hour 27 different times during his NFL career, trailing only Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (73).
Sunday night’s big score came a week after Henry led the Ravens with 151 yards rushing against the Dallas Cowboys. He entered Week 5 among the NFL’s top-five leading rushers with 281 yards.
