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Derrick Henry, Ravens ran over Bills from start to finish

Derrick Henry, Ravens ran over Bills from start to finish

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The Ravens set out to bury Buffalo's defense on the ground, and they did so from literal start to (almost) finish.

A week after racking up 274 rushing yards in Dallas, Baltimore racked up 271 more rushing yards at home against the Bills, in front of a “Darkness” crowd in menacing black. The only problem was that the Ravens ended the night just one yard shy of Henry's 200-yard score.

“The reality is he doesn’t need a lot of room to run,” rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten said. “If you give him a bit of leeway, he will take advantage of it. He's '22' for a reason. He is 'King Henry' for a reason. He shows it week in week out and we just have to give in and give him a chance. He will do the rest.

After the game, Henry was asked if he was comfortable with the Ravens' rushing attack yet.

“If today doesn’t show that I’m used to it and comfortable, then I don’t know what else to say,” he said. “It was fun.”

The 87-yard run was a “crunch” concept, said center Tyler Linderbaum. It is designed to be effective against aggressively penetrating defensive fronts (like the Bills') by allowing a defensive lineman into the backfield but then cutting him off with a tight end or fullback while the offensive linemen move to the next level.

As Rosengarten said, it's a play that's either blown up in the backfield for a loss or aimed at a big gain. Needless to say, it hit.

“It's usually a great play when it's blocked right and everyone blocked it beautifully,” said fullback Patrick Ricard, who had the first crucial “pin” block against defensive tackle Ed Oliver. “I wish we could have done it again, but we’ll get the touchdown.”

The Ravens had plenty of other slick offenses against the Bills, keeping them on their toes despite the constant onslaught of heavy formations. Baltimore had 54 offensive snaps. They only had 17 with three receivers. They had 15 with just one wideout.

Baltimore's offensive attack was relentlessly physical. The Ravens beat the Bills with a carousel of Henry, Justice Hill and Lamar Jackson, who combined to average 8.0 yards per carry, including 5.18 yards per carry before contact, according to TruMedia.

“Tonight they had our numbers, they kept challenging us and dominating us and dominating at the line of scrimmage,” Bills linebacker Baylon Spector said.

Henry also had runs of 38 and 25 yards. Jackson had a 19-yard capper and a 9-yard touchdown that calmed nerves after the Bills cut the Ravens' early lead to 11 points. Hill led the Ravens' aerial attack with six catches for 78 yards, including a 19-yard score.

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