Running backs aren’t supposed to do this at 31 years old.
Derrick Henry, who’s supposed to be well past his prime, started his NFL season Sunday like he’s finished so many others.
The 10th-year NFL veteran scored the first touchdown of Baltimore’s season to give the Ravens a 10-7 lead over the Buffalo Bills. He did so on a 30-yard run that Bills defenders were helpless to defend.
Baltimore’s offensive line opened up a gaping hole on first-and-10 from the Buffalo 30, giving Henry a chance to build up a full head of steam. From there, Bills defenders didn’t stand a chance. He wasn’t touched until the 21-yard line, where he promptly disposed of safety Cole Bishop with a patented stiff-arm that left Bishop tumbling on the turf.
From there, he wasn’t touched again and crossed the goal line for the 30-yard score.
Here’s another look at that stiff-arm from a different angle.
The touchdown was the 107th of Henry’s career on the ground. That moved him out of a tie with the great Jim Brown for sole possession of sixth-place on the all-time rushing touchdown list.
He’s not likely to pass all-time leader Emmitt Smith (164) or LaDainian Tomlinson (145) for second place. But at the rate he’s running, the rest of the list is up for grabs. Marcus Allen (123), Adrian Peterson (120) and Walter Payton (110) are the only other players higher than Henry on the list.
And Henry wasn’t done punishing Bills defenders Sunday night. His second big gain of the night didn’t reach the end zone. But it was equally if not more impressive as he barreled through the Bills defense for 51 yards to the Buffalo 13-yard line.
That gain set up a Lamar Jackson rushing touchdown that extended Baltimore’s lead to 17-7 as the Ravens put the full powers of their run game on display.
By halftime, Henry had reached 123 rushing yards on just nine carries. He added another 13 yards on a catch.
And he continued to demonstrate his prowess as the most age-defying running back of his era.