Will Derrick Henry break Eric Dickerson's 40-year old single-season rushing record?

[True Dough]

He's currently on pace to do just that.

If he can keep it up, Henry will rack up 2,120 yards, surpassing Dickerson's 2,105 yards from the 1984 season. But, it's an uphill battle.

Henry's 873 yards rushing are the most in the first seven games of a season since DeMarco Murray had 913 in 2014. Murray finished with 1,845 yards rushing.

If Henry is able to break Dickerson's record, he would have earned it. In Henry's final 10 games, he will face eight run defenses that rank in the top half of the league, including the Cleveland Browns' 15th-ranked run defense Sunday.

But Henry has proved he can defy the numbers. His 873 yards are the second most by a player 30 or older through seven games in NFL history, trailing only Walter Payton's 875 yards in 1984.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41968288/ravens-derrick-henry-break-rushing-record-lamar-jackson-says


I stayed far away from Henry in our fantasy football league. He's 30 years old. By NFL running back standards, that usually when your career falls off a cliff. What do I know?

[TheRickles]

1. But he'd get 2120 in 17 games, while Dickerson only played 16.

Last edited Thu Oct 24, 2024, 11:08 AM - Edit history (1)

That's the problem with new rules and schedules - historical comparisons aren't valid any more.

[True Dough]

2. That's a valid point

The NFL moved to a 17-game season in 2021 and still no RB has overtaken Dickerson's record.

If Henry does it, there ought to be an asterisk making that clear to those who are unaware of the disparity.

[bigmonk]

3. History repeats itself.

MLB removed the asterisk from Roger Maris after thirty years. It was embarrassing because no major sports wants the fans to think less of records set in expanded seasons. The NFL is going to 18 games and they want the fans to accept the new records as legit.
On the other side of the coin, it's harder to play more seasons. In the Jim Brown era, the NFL player 14 games and one playoff. 1963 players played 70 regular season games per five seasons; now it's 85 games for five seasons, an additional season every five years. So, the longer seasons are probably shortening players careers.

[brush]

5. There is that, but OJ Simpson played in a 14-game season

and was the first to have a 2000 yard season. Barry Sanders and Walter Payton did it also but in 16-game seasons.

So where does that leave us?

[AKwannabe]

4. Thanks!

I got Henry and got. D+ on my draft grade.
Sitting in second place….

[True Dough]

6. They can take those Yahoo draft grades

and stuff 'em!

[Best_man23]

7. I got a B+ on my draft and I'm sitting at 1-6 in my league

No doubt, I will be losing again this week.

[Morbius]

8. I think it unlikely.

The Ravens, as an organization, want to win a Super Bowl. Badly. They've accomplished everything else but getting to the big game. I don't think they will allow anything to shift them away from that goal. I bet Derrick Henry would rather have a ring than the record, because records fall. You get to keep the ring.

They are more likely to rest Henry late in games that are well in hand than allow him to risk an injury chasing a record.