OTL: That’s Why Derrick Henry Came to Baltimore!

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-25 in a game that was more nerve wracking than it probably had to be. Derrick Henry had 151 yards on 25 carries, also grabbing a screen pass for 23 yards. The biggest takeaway from the game was that the King has spoken with his play on the field.

Fox Sports’ Tom Brady selected Henry as the “LFG Player of the Week” and interviewed him after the game. While the offensive line had been a major concern for the Ravens coming into this contest with the Cowboys, Henry praised the line for their effort. While the line is realistically still an issue, the Ravens won a game where Lamar Jackson only threw the ball 15 times. Henry and the line will certainly take the win, and they’ve earned a sigh of relief at the very least.

Henry wasn’t the only running back to have a strong day. Justice Hill, who just signed a contract extension with Baltimore, was also productive. He had five carries for 33 yards and two receptions for 21 yards. You can watch the highlight in the video here.

Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun gave the offensive line some credit in his weekly Report Card article:

This group has been much maligned for the first two games, and deservedly so. Coach John Harbaugh hinted that there might be some changes Sunday, but he stayed with the same lineup. The Ravens were aggressive at the point of attack and pretty much did whatever they wanted to against Dallas’ defense. Tackles Patrick Mekari and Ronnie Stanley did a good job of hooking the Cowboys and allowing Henry and Jackson to get outside, and guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele and center Tyler Linderbaum pushed Dallas around inside on combination blocks. The pass blocking was good because the Ravens controlled the tempo with the rushing attack. The Ravens had 456 yards of total offense.

Grade: B+

The Cowboys had the worst run defense in the NFL. The Ravens simply did what the game plan called for them to do. You can’t argue with success, but the offensive line didn’t just find a miracle cure. I agree in particular about the play of the tackles, especially Ronnie Stanley. He was a dominant force. The box score shows that the Ravens ran all over the Cowboys but watching the game you could see way more success on the left than running to the right. Keep an eye on it, but yes it was much better overall.

Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns took a loss to the New York Giants. Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature wrote this of a game that had many pivotal moments that will leave Browns fans guessing.

The Browns now fall to 1-2 on the season, with a boatload of people to blame this week. Imagine how different the game could’ve been if the roughing the passer call didn’t happen on Newsome? Or if Watson didn’t fumble at the end of the first half? Or if the quarterback-running back exchange didn’t fumble? Or if Cooper didn’t get hurt before the final play? The defense pitched a second-half shutout, which is what I expected the game to be — taken over by the defense. The Giants deserve credit for their first half efficiency, but that is something they rarely sustain to that degree.

The Browns allowed Deshaun Watson to be sacked eight times. Myles Garrett, the Browns best player and a perennial Defensive Player of The Year award nominee, was injured in the game. His availability will be a huge issue for the Browns.

Myles Garrett struggling. Being driven out. Said he will undergo MRI on feet tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/fMoXHE5845

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 22, 2024

The Steelers sit on top of the division at 3-0. The question is, are they contenders or have they just not played anyone yet? The Chargers chances for a win in Pittsburgh was eliminated when Justin Herbert left the game early. The one thing that you can’t deny is that the Steelers’ defense has been dominant. We’ll see where they go from here.

Steelers defense points allowed this season:

Week 1: 10
Week 2: 6
Week 3: 10

Averaging 8.6ppg pic.twitter.com/DSfNFFtP2m

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

It was another whacky Sunday. This tweet by Jonas Shaffer perfectly sums up the Ravens’ near disastrous fourth quarter.

The Ravens with the chance to have a normal game: pic.twitter.com/L6E8KYedOi

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 22, 2024

The Ravens missed a field goal that would have put the game away. They allowed the Cowboys to pick up an onside kick and 28-6 turned into 28-25. Phew.

Let’s see what this week holds for us Baltimore. Happy Victory Monday, finally.

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