When Derrick Henry left the Tennessee Titans as a free agent in March to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans likely didn’t mourn his departure.
During his tenure with the Titans, the former Alabama All-American dominated the Texans like few other running backs have tormented a single franchise.
Henry is tied for the NFL record with six 200-yard rushing games, a mark shared with O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson. Of the 163 200-yard rushing performances in NFL history, 10 players have achieved the feat against the same team twice.
Henry is among them, with two such games against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, Henry stands alone in running for 200 yards against the same team more than twice.
He has accomplished this remarkable feat four times against the Texans.
With Henry no longer in the AFC South, Houston can face the Titans twice annually without worrying about his relentless ground game.
But that relief is short-lived, as the Texans are set to face Henry and the Ravens this season.
Houston and Baltimore will meet for the 13th time in franchise history on Wednesday as part of the NFL’s Christmas doubleheader.
The matchup gives Henry another chance to add to his 1,431 rushing yards against the Texans.
Henry enters Wednesday’s game with 1,636 rushing yards in 2024, the second-highest total in the league.
“I think Derrick has found that fountain of youth,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s playing fast.
He’s playing physical. He is tough as ever. Looks like the old Derrick Henry. And he’s low, and he’s playing very powerful.
He has some really long runs, long runs for touchdowns, so he has it all — the speed, physicality.
Like, he brings it all, and the O-line is doing a really good job of giving him some nice lanes to run through, so it’s going to be a difficult matchup for us when it comes to just stopping the run game, probably the best run unit we’ve seen all year.”
The Ravens lead the AFC with 2,718 rushing yards and top the NFL with an average of 5.7 yards per carry in 2024.
On Saturday, Henry rushed for 162 yards in a 34-17 victory over Pittsburgh, pulling Baltimore into a tie with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North.
Both teams have secured playoff spots, but the division winner will open the postseason at home, while the other will begin on the road.
The Texans, meanwhile, have clinched the AFC South title and their spot in the postseason.
Houston and Baltimore will square off at 3:30 p.m. CST on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The game follows the Steelers’ noon matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
