We're already on to Week 2 of the 2026 NFL regular season. Much of the attention is rightfully going to the quarterbacks; New Orleans Saints passer Tyler Shough leads the league in passing yards after the first week of action, while his Baltimore Ravens counterpart Lamar Jackson remains one of the most dynamic signal-callers in the game. But there might be no single player better positioned to change this game's outcome than Derrick Henry. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound running back is a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Henry already ranks tenth in career rushing yards (13,162), and he's 98 yards away from surpassing Eric Dickerson (13,259) to climb into the ninth spot. He also has the third-most rushing touchdowns (125) behind LaDainian
Tomlinson (145) and Emmitt Smith (164). It's notable that Henry has climbed this high in just 154 games. The only rushers with more yards in fewer games than him are Dickerson (146 games) and Barry Sanders (15,269 yards in 153 games). He's coming off a 144-yard, three-touchdown performance in Baltimore's season opener.
The Saints have faced Henry before, when he was still with the Tennessee Titans. They limited him to just 63 rushing yards that day, also giving up 56 yards on two receptions, and he wasn't allowed to reach the end zone. Sunday might be a different story. New Orleans was gashed by Detroit lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 1 to the tune of 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Gibbs is a different type of player but Henry presents a similar challenge. He could become a huge problem if he can get past the Saints defensive line and reach the second level. Veterans like Nathan Shepherd and Davon Godchaux need to pull their weight after getting pushed around too easily in Week 1, and Chase Young must do a better job setting the edge.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Derrick Henry could be the biggest X Factor in Saints vs. Ravens
