Derrick Henry has a chance to do something pretty incredible during the Ravens’ Week 12 matchup with the New York Jets.
Henry, who is currently 15th all-time in career rushing yards, has a chance to pass four Hall of Famers on the all-time list during Sunday’s game. Among those Hall of Famers is Jim Brown, who many consider to be the greatest running back in league history. Henry also has a chance to pass fellow gold jacket recipients Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk on the all-time list.
Earlier this season, Henry recently became only the 17th player of the 12,000-yard club, which is especially notable as every eligible member of that club is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also recently passed Hall of Famer Walter Payton for fifth all-time in career touchdown runs.
Barring an injury, it’s practically a given that Henry will pass Allen and James on Sunday as he is currently just 13 and 16 yards behind them, respectively. He’ll need at least 50 yards against the Jets to pass Faulk and 83 yards to move ahead of Brown and into 11th on the career rushing list.
NFL’s all-time career rushing list
|
1. Emmitt Smith** |
18,355 |
|
2. Walter Payton** |
16,726 |
|
3. Frank Gore |
16,000 |
|
4. Barry Sanders** |
15,269 |
|
5. Adrian Peterson |
14,918 |
|
6. Curtis Martin** |
14,101 |
|
7. LaDainian Tomlinson** |
13,684 |
|
8. Jerome Bettis** |
13,662 |
|
9. Eric Dickerson** |
13,259 |
|
10. Tony Dorsett** |
12,739 |
|
11. Jim Brown** |
12,312 |
|
12. Marshall Faulk** |
12,279 |
|
13. Edgerrin James** |
12,246 |
|
14. Marcus Allen** |
12,243 |
|
15. Derrick Henry |
12,230 |
|
16. Franco Harris** |
12,120 |
|
17. Thurman Thomas** |
12,074 |
|
18. Fred Taylor |
11,695 |
|
19. Steven Jackson |
11,438 |
|
20. John Riggins** |
11,352 |
** — Pro Football Hall of Fame members
Now 31, Henry is on the precipice of passing some heavy hitters on the career rushing list.
Allen and Faulk are two of just three players in NFL history with at least 12,000 career rushing and 5,000 career receiving yards. Allen, in addition to his versatility, is also one of the most prolific scorers in league history having retired as the NFL’s career leader with 123 touchdown runs. As a member of the Raiders, he ran for two scores against Washington in Super Bowl XVIII en route to winning game MVP honors.
Arguably the most versatile back in league history, Faulk became the second player in history to go over 1,000 yards in both rushing and receiving in 1999, the same season he helped lead the Rams to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win. He would win league MVP honors the following year.
While he was never on a Super Bowl-winning team, James nonetheless received a ring from former Colts owner Jim Irsay following the team’s win over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. The gesture was a symbol of James’ immense impact on the Colts despite his departure the prior offseason. James, who won two rushing titles during his first two seasons in the NFL, did help lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl berth in 2008.
Brown, who in 1964 led the Browns to their most recent NFL title, was the league’s career rushing leader at the time of his retirement despite playing only nine seasons. In those nine seasons, he won a whopping eight rushing titles in addition to being an eight-time All-Pro and three-time league MVP.
While he’s rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest running backs is history, Henry is making a case as the best running back of his generation. A five-time Pro Bowl player, Henry is just one of nine players to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Last year, his first with the Ravens, Henry led the NFL in rushing touchdowns for a third time while setting the single-season record for rushing yards gained by a player over the age of 30.