The Baltimore Ravens have an embarrassment of riches within their rushing attack. Led by one of the NFL’s top dogs, Derrick Henry, he’s backed several other threats on the ground. Whether it’s quarterback Lamar Jackson or backup running backs Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore’s running game endlessly gashes defenses for big-time yards.
In 2024, Hill proved his worth as the Ravens’ number two back, creating one of the NFL’s most feared rushing duos with Henry. While Henry is a physical runner between the tackles, Hill’s speed and playmaking ability in the open field adds another layer to Baltimore’s already strong ground game.
While the duo seems like a shoo-in for a top running back duo in the NFL, Bleacher Report thinks otherwise. Moe Moton, a writer for Bleacher Report, ranked the top 10 duos at the position, along with three honorable mentions. Henry and Hill were shockingly not ranked within those 13 listed.
The duos listed ahead included the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, who both have rookies contributing a heavy load to their run games, the Buffalo Bills, who fall short of the Ravens when it comes to both the starter and backup and a couple of teams whose backs are coming off injury-riddled years. Baltimore not only has its top backs fully healthy, but both have proven themselves in the league for multiple years now.
Are Derrick Henry and Justice Hill somehow underrated?
The Ravens ran for 3,189 yards on the ground in 2024, over 100 yards more than the second-place Philadelphia Eagles. Of the 3,189 rushing yards, the combination of Henry and Hill accounted for 2,149 of that.
Henry’s prowess speaks for itself. He ran for 1,921 yards last year, and his pure talent alone should be enough to rank the Ravens running back duo inside the top 10. He scampered for 100-plus yards in nine of the 17 regular season games and added 16 touchdowns. He’s in the conversation with reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley for best back in the league.
As for Hill, there wasn’t much production on the ground. He rushed for 228 yards and one touchdown, but on 47 attempts, the numbers come out to an above-average 4.9 yards per carry. However, his real talent showed as a pass catcher out of the backfield. He caught 42 of his 51 for 383 yards, added another touchdown, and moved the chains 17 times.
This production is an element of the game many teams don't have the benefit of. It makes the Ravens running back duo two-dimensional. The pairing between Henry and Hill is a match made in heaven, and there’s no way for defenses to effectively gameplan for the variety of ways Baltimore can use the two backs.
Overall, leaving Henry and Hill outside the top 13 running back duos is an insane take. The two were dominant and consistent with the ball in their hands and played better than most duos in the league last year. In 2025, Henry and Hill should lead Baltimore to another league-leading rushing season and prove this article wrong.
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