Ravens running back Derrick Henry races past Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still during the second half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
While the Chargers struggled to run the ball, the Ravens found an easy solution with 6-foot-3, 247-pound Derrick Henry.
“King Henry” finished with 140 yards rushing on 24 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush against a Chargers defense that was without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin). Henry gained 84 after initial contact and frequently finished runs at the second and third levels. He also added four rushes of 10-plus yards.
“We knew it was going to take multiple guys to tackle him,” said linebacker Nick Niemann, who rotated with Troy Dye in Perryman’s place. “Can’t go high on him, and I just don’t think we tackled well enough.”
The Chargers had just four tackles for loss and one sack Sunday after wrecking havoc in the backfield in recent weeks. They had 16 sacks in the three games prior to Sunday’s loss.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack returned, but was “ashamed” to admit coaches kept him on a snap count because of a groin injury that sidelined him last week. He had a quarterback hit and two tackles, including one stop on Henry, on the Chargers’ opening defensive possession. While he watched Henry truck his teammates most of the night, Mack pushed back on the notion that it was “hard” to stop the dynamic running back.
“I don’t think it’s hard to play against that guy,” Mack said. “Hopefully we see this team again.”
When given the chance to walk-back an answer that would almost surely end up as bulletin board material, Mack doubled down. It was a challenge, he said, but it wasn’t hard.
“I love playing against the greats,” Mack said. “This was no different.”