Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson may win his third MVP award after his spectacular 2024 season. However, he still isn’t the key to the Ravens getting back to the AFC Championship Game with a victory on Jan. 19.
At least that’s what former Ravens star and Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed suggested when he called running back Derrick Henry “a queen on the chess board.”
Derrick Henry Key to Ravens Beating Buffalo Bills?
“You can’t lose that chess piece, and now that you’ve got it, you’ve got to utilize it,” Reed told ESPN’s Christine Williamson. “You’ve got to utilize that piece to its highest potential.”
Based on how Henry played the last time the Ravens faced the Bills, it’s hard to disagree with Reed’s assessment. Henry rushed for a season-high 199 yards with one touchdown in Week 4 versus Buffalo. Behind Henry’s outing, the Ravens routed the Bills 35-10.
While that was Henry’s best performance of 2024, he experienced a tremendous season overall, rushing for 1,921 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns. He averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per rush.
A big reason why was that opposing defenses had to be concerned with stopping both Henry and Jackson in Baltimore’s backfield. Jackson became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks this season.
In the AFC Wild Card Round, the Pittsburgh Steelers prioritized stopping Henry on the run-option. That enabled Jackson to convert easy first downs early in the contest.
After the Steelers adjusted some of their defenders to Jackson, running lanes opened for Henry. The 31-year-old running back gashed the Steelers for a 44-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“In the midst of those carries, one or two of them are going to break because you don’t want to stop a train all day,” added Reed. “I love that we have those two in the backfield in searching to get a Super Bowl. I wouldn’t want to have any other two in the backfield.”
"It's a queen on the chess board. … You got to utilize that piece to its highest potential."
Ed Reed on Derrick Henry being a key component for the Ravens ♟️ @itsthebaldgirl pic.twitter.com/GTW2zbf0gc
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 16, 2025
Henry rushed for 186 yards in the 28-14 playoff victory versus the Steelers. That was his second-highest rushing total of the season behind only his performance versus the Bills.
Ravens Looking To Avoid 2024 Playoff Mistake
Baltimore didn’t have Henry on its roster last year. But the Ravens still had the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack during the 2023 regular season. Jackson led the team in rushing with 821 yards, but running back Gus Edwards wasn’t far behind with 810 yards. Edwards also scored 13 touchdowns in 2023.
But in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens only had 16 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Jackson threw 37 passes.
Jackson has improved as a passer during his NFL career. In 2024, Jackson finished first in PFN’s QB+ metric, with a 99.8 grade during the regular season. Jackson posted that grade with a career-high 41 passing touchdowns and a career-low four interceptions.
Still, the Ravens don’t want to repeat their offensive mistake from last year’s AFC Championship Game and get away from what they do best, running the ball.
Baltimore was both first in rushing yards and yards per carry in 2024. The Ravens were also sixth in rushing touchdowns. They gained 298 yards on the ground in the AFC Wild Card Round.
The Ravens will visit the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.