Exploring Derrick Henry's stats tonight vs Chargers: Ravens RB's rushing yards and season totals in the spotlight

The Steelers faced the Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season and Derrick Henry came into the game with something to prove. They had lost ground in the AFC North in Week 11 after losing to the Steelers when the running back had his second consecutive game below 70 rushing yards.

In the meantime, Saquon Barkley was eclipsing him on the field with the Eagles after picking up 400 yards in the last two weeks and suddenly his position as the king of running backs was under threat. On the team front, they knew that Pittsburgh had slipped up against the Browns earlier and they had the chance to match them in the win column with a victory here.

With so much riding on this game both for himself as a player and the Ravens as a team, this is how Derrick Henry fared.

Derrick Henry stats tonight vs Chargers

A summary of Derrick Henry's stats for the Ravens against the Chargers in Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season is given below.

• Carries: 24
• Yards: 140
• Average: 5.8
• TD: 0
• Long: 27

The Ravens and Derrick Henry started slow as the Chargers raced into a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and then followed that up with a field goal. For a moment, it looked like Jim Harbaugh would get the better of his brother.

But the Baltimore running back was just getting warmed up and then took the game by the scruff of the neck, along with his quarterback Lamar Jackson. Their dual threat on the ground proved impossible for the Chargers to stop.

By halftime, Derrick Henry had picked up 66 yards on nine carries, averaging over 7 yards per attempt. It allowed the Ravens to score touchdowns on consecutive drives and take a 14-13 lead into the break. More importantly, it announced the running back's return to peak form as he exceeded Week 11's yardage in just the first two quarters against the Chargers.

The Los Angeles defense was preoccupied with trying to stop the rusher, often allowing Lamar Jackson lanes to run free. Baltimore's first touchdown of the game came that way as a fake handoff to Derrick Henry drew the defense away for the quarterback to scamper into the endzone.

The Ravens running back kept up the production in the second half. More than the yardage that he kept gaining, it was also how he did so. There were instances when the Chargers sent multiple defenders to tackle him and he still ended up with crucial first downs.

By the end of the game, Baltimore picked up a much-needed 30-23 win to join Pittsburgh atop the AFC North with eight wins apiece. For Derrick Henry, it was a reminder of his capabilities as he finished with 140 yards on the ground.

Where does Derrick Henry rank in NFL's rushing yards leaders list?

Derrick Henry is engaged in a battle royale with Saquon Barkley as they both seek to be the rushing yards leader in 2024. The Ravens star came into this game with 1,185 yards on the ground. The Eagles' sensation was at 1,392.

After 140 yards in this game against the Chargers, Henry now has 1,365 yards, which still leaves him second behind Barkley after Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season. But this is a close fight that is expected to go right down to the wire.

One advantage that the Philadelphia back has is that he has already gone through their bye week whereas Baltimore has a break in December.

Therefore, the Eagles' player gets to feature in one more game until the end of the season compared to his Ravens counterpart. The latter is currently the clear leader in rushing touchdowns, though, with 13 to his name ahead of Jalen Hurts and David Montgomery, who have 11 each, followed by Barkley on 10.