Ravens Hope To Contain Derrick Henry With Campbell, Williams Back in Lineup
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell and nose tackle Brandon Williams were sidelined with injuries for the Week 11 matchup against the Titans.
Baltimore was forced to play several young players against Tennessee's dynamic running back Derrick Henry,
The Ravens did an effective job containing Henry in the first half, holding him to 37 yards.
The final two quarters were a different story.
Henry finished with 133 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown run in overtime, that gave the Titans a spirited 30-24 victory.
Baltimore and Tennessee meet again in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs on Jan. 10 and this time, Campbell and Williams are looking to be the difference in the outcome.
“He’s a hard runner," Williams said about Henry. "Obviously, he’s a strong runner. He is his own blocker. He definitely has a lot of things in a great running back, and we’re prepared to try to get to him as much as we possibly can. I wasn’t there last game.
"Also, I don’t think Calais was there as well. There are two juggernauts there that are coming back that weren’t there the last time. We’re prepared and we’re ready to go out and have a great game on Sunday.”
Henry has been dominant in his past two games against the Ravens.
In last year's AFC divisional playoff game, Henry ran for 195 yards and threw a 3-yard touchdown in the Titans' 28-12 victory.
Early this season, Henry wore the Ravens down over the final two quarters.
Baltimore acquired Campbell this past offseason to help with a potential deeper run in the playoffs. Campbell fully understands his responsibility.
Henry led the NFL with 2,027 yards rushing this season.
"I think, just period, is being able to stop the run and being able to control the line of scrimmage," Campbell said. "When Coach [John] Harbaugh talked to me for the first time after they traded for me, he pretty much told me that we’re going to play a lot of teams that do a lot of this Zone stuff and just play downhill football. He knows from watching my tape and studying me, he knows I do that well. So, [he told me to] just come in here, be myself and play with everything I have.
"But these situations, stopping guys like Derrick Henry, I love this game of football, and it’s a great challenge. Derrick Henry is one of the best running backs to ever play this game, and he’s in the zone right now. So, yes – I take pride in the challenge of lining up and trying to shut him down.”
