It feels inevitable that Derrick Henry is going to have a day on Sunday.
The stink of embarrassment is still fresh in the air after the Dallas Cowboys 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints last week in Week 2. Having homefield advantage did nothing to stop the Saints rushing attack as they completely manhandled Dallas’ run defense, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and totaling 190 rushing yards last Sunday.
Alvin Kamara in particular had a huge outing against the Cowboys last week. On his own he rushed for 115 total yards and three touchdowns on just 20 carries and also added 65 yards receiving and one TD through the air. The way he dominated the Cowboys on the ground is probably something Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry is looking to replicate in Week 3.
Henry is still one of the better running backs in the entire league right now. He may not be off to the best start of his career after joining the Baltimore Ravens this offseason via free agency, but make no mistake, he is dangerous as a runner and is probably looking forward to playing against Dallas’ suspect run defense.
As things stand right now, the Dallas Cowboys are 30th in overall rushing efficiency while also allowing the fourth most yards after contact in the entire league. And this is after facing two teams without the type of QB/RB duo the Baltimore Ravens possess in Lamar Jackson and Henry. These two create a tremendous challenge for the Cowboys.
At 6’2″, 247-pounds, Henry is a formidable opponent for any team in the league to try to contain. He’s strong, physical, and surprisingly nimble of for an RB his size and has proven throughout his career he’s difficult to take down when he has the ball in his hands. Mike Zimmer will need his players to be at their best to prevent him from running wild.
That means staying technically sound, making tackles, and maintaining gap integrity every single down from the beginning until the final seconds take off the clock. That may be easier said than done after seeing them doing the exact opposite last week against the New Orleans Saints rushing attack. But, it’s probably the only chance they have to secure a “W”.
Unfortunately, Henry isn’t the only monster who could give Dallas nightmares this week. QB Jackson presents an entirely different problem for them as both a runner and passer due to his unique dual-threat ability. He is as dangerous as they come in the league and when combined with Henry, they are sure to give the Cowboys fits in Week 3.
It’s going to be really interesting to see the game plan Mike Zimmer comes up with to try to combat these two from embarrassing his defense in back-to-back weeks. If these two run wild like the Saints did last week, Dallas probably doesn’t have much chance of winning. But, if they can be contained the Cowboys will more than likely walk away with another win.
