Baltimore Ravens quarterback’s closest competition may be in his own backfield

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 21. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

In Week 8 of the NFL regular season, the AP MVP race has come into focus: There’s Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson – and everyone else.

Even by Jackson’s uniquely high standards, the All-Pro superstar has been so sensational during the Ravens’ five-game winning streak that he has opened a wide lead on the rest of the pack. Jackson’s performance is the biggest reason that Baltimore (5-2), co-leaders of the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leads the league in total offense, rushing offense and is tied for first in points with the Washington Commanders.

Of course, Jackson’s play isn’t the only reason the Ravens are thriving. To this point, Jackson’s closest competitor for the AP MVP award may be one of his colleagues in Baltimore’s offensive backfield.

After joining Baltimore in free agency, All-Pro running back Derrick Henry is leading the NFL in rushing again. The Ravens’ signing of Henry has proved to be the best move of the NFL offseason (Dallas Cowboys fans can attest to that), as Henry has complemented Jackson well, to say the least.

To be sure, with the franchise’s passionate fans having so much to root for, these are heady times for the Ravens, who are on the road Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (1-6). Ultimately, however, Jackson’s legacy will be defined by how he fares in the postseason. In that effort, he still has a lot of heavy lifting to do.

To Jackson’s credit, he sees the bigger picture.

“I’m chasing something right now,” Jackson told reporters Monday night after visiting Baltimore’s 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Each and every game is going to be the same thing for me. I’m going to be the same person. Every game, I’m trying to win.”

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 281 yards, threw 5 touchdowns and rushed for 52 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 21.

Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images

In the NFL’s season opener, the visiting Ravens lost to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. That defeat dropped the Ravens and Jackson to 1-5 when facing the Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Then in a stunner in Baltimore’s second game, it flopped against the Las Vegas Raiders on its home field.

Since then, however, the Ravens have been unstoppable: Among the victories during the streak are convincing wins over the Buffalo Bills who lead the AFC East and Washington Commanders, No. 1 in the NFC East. Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, Jackson had 281 passing yards, five touchdown passes and 52 rushing yards.

Although some may consider it to be hyperbolic to suggest that a two-time MVP has never played better, well, facts are facts.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh is fine with the assessment.

“He’s doing it at a high, high level,” Harbaugh said. “I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him. He’s a great leader, and he’s a great player.”

After spending his first eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Henry is observing greatness — as close as one can get to it — at the most important position.

“That’s the type of guy that could have a hell of a game and [doesn’t] even know his stats,” Henry said of Jackson. “All he knows [are] the guys he threw to and the guys who scored. The dude is just incredible. I said in an interview a few weeks ago, ‘He’s the GOAT [greatest of all time] for sure.’ ”

At his position, Henry is climbing the all-time ladder, too.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry runs for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 21.

Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images

The Ravens aggressively pursued Henry in the offseason, figuring he and Jackson – the greatest dual-threat quarterback in league history – could team up to form a historic offensive backfield. It appears the Ravens nailed it.

Henry, 30, led the NFL in rushing in consecutive seasons (2019, 2020). During his final season with the Titans, he produced almost 1,200 yards (1,167) while rushing for 12 touchdowns and leading the league with 280 carries.

Already this season, Henry has scored 10 touchdowns, including eight rushing. The 2020 AP Offensive Player of the Year has a personal-best 6.5-yard average on an NFL-leading 134 rushing attempts, and he has two rushes of at least 81 yards.

If Henry maintains his current pace of 124.7 yards per game, he will finish with 2,120 rushing yards and break the league’s single-season record of 2,105 yards set by Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson in 1984.

“The offensive line is doing a hell of a job,” Henry said. “All the credit goes to them.”

Jackson is rooting for his teammate.

“It’s there. I feel like [Henry] has a great chance of achieving that,” Jackson said. “He can do it. I believe he can do it.”

Last season, the Ravens’ defense was historically great. This season, it’s not as dominant statistically: Baltimore’s opponents are averaging 25.7 points, which is tied for 27th in the league, and its defense is last in passing yards.

Fortunately for the Ravens, the Jackson-Henry pairing has enabled Baltimore’s offense to pick up the slack.

“Once you put the team first and focus on execution and being determined [about] what we want to be as a team, then the individual stuff is just window dressing,” Henry said. “That will take care of itself.”

On social media, Ravens doubters, correctly, point out that the team has been here before.

Again, Baltimore is amassing yards and points in bunches en route to potentially earning the top overall seeding in the AFC playoffs. Twice during the Jackson era in Baltimore, the Ravens failed to reach the Super Bowl despite having home field advantage. Despite being favored in last season’s AFC Championship Game, the Ravens lost to the Chiefs 17-10 at M&T Bank Stadium.

For now, though, the Ravens are reveling in a winning streak, Jackson’s pursuit of his third AP MVP award and second in as many seasons, and Henry’s chasing of the NFL’s single-season rushing mark. The postseason isn’t the Ravens’ focus. But odds are it will be again soon.

And yet again, the question will be, will the Ravens finally win what’s most important with Jackson leading the way.