Lamar Jackson returning for the Baltimore Ravens' crucial Week 8 showdown against the Buffalo Bills will give the Ravens a boost across the board. After a strong Week 6 game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Ravens' offense has been stuck in the mud over the past two weeks.
Regardless, Derrick Henry is poised to benefit the most from Jackson's return.
There's no denying that King Henry has struggled in the past two weeks. In 34 attempts, Henry has just 103 yards, zero touchdowns, and has recorded a costly fumble. He hasn't been able to generate consistent yardage and hasn't had many big plays. While it's fair to wonder if this is simply a bad stretch or something more sinister, the context hasn't been ideal for Henry either. Baltimore's run blocking has been poor, and he didn't have the benefit of playing off Jackson's gravity.
With No. 8 back in the fold, Henry has a clear opportunity to right the ship.
Lamar Jackson's return opens the door for Derrick Henry to have a big game
Lamar simply makes life easier for everyone. Of course, this is most visibly seen in the picture-perfect passes he makes to his wide receivers. Still, guys like Zay Flowers have sustained success without Jackson, while Henry has struggled. And make no mistake: Jackson's presence helps Henry a ton.
Firstly, Lamar moves the chains at an elite rate and sets up more red-zone opportunities. In turn, Henry is more likely to score touchdowns. The more opportunities that Henry has in a favorable position, the more likely he is to find the end zone.
Moreover, teams are extremely fearful of Jackson both as a passer and a runner. Teams game plan to stop him, and the attention that defenses devote to him allows Henry to be more effective.
Without Lamar, though, Henry became the focal point of the Ravens' offense. When defenses are gearing up solely to stop Henry, that makes him less effective. Likewise, the absence of Jackson's elite passing made the Ravens' offense more Henry-reliant.
In the first four games of the season in which Lamar played, Henry averaged 93.4 yards (374 total) and 1.8 touchdowns (seven total). Conversely, in the three games with Jackson sidelined, Henry averaged just 68.3 yards and scored one total touchdown.
While he hasn't shown it in the past two weeks, Henry is still a high-end running back who is a handful to stop, and that's exactly what he looked like before Jackson's injury. The point being: Jackson's return should be a game-changer for Henry.
Buffalo's defense as a whole has struggled this season, as they rank 30th for points allowed per game and 31st in yards allowed per game.
All signs point to this game being a shootout. Both offenses are that good, and both defenses have flaws. And of course, containing Lamar and Josh Allen is a tough task.
While both offenses can generate big plays in the air, they are power-running teams at their core. As such, for the Ravens to keep up with the Bills, Henry needs to come along for the ride. Thankfully, Jackson's return can help him do exactly that.
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