How Derrick Henry turned back the clock at 30 years old

Big numbers pop off the page beside Derrick Henry's name on the NFL stats leaderboard. Through Week 5, he owned the most rushing yards (572), scrimmage yards (621), and scrimmage touchdowns (seven). He also had the longest run, an 87-yard sprint on the Ravens' first snap in a rout of the Bills.

Henry is 30 years old, which borders on geriatric for a modern running back. Despite taking lumps for nine years at the least forgiving skill position, he defies the aging curve. The former Titans legend who moved on in free agency is enjoying a renaissance with Baltimore, an unstoppable rushing team.

This wasn't certain to happen. Baltimore gambled by paying Henry $16 million over two years. The bruising rusher's inefficiency in 2023 - Henry gained just 68.6 yards per game despite leading the league in carries for a fourth time - signaled he'd be washed soon.

Instead, Henry scored in five straight games and ran amok in wins over the Cowboys (151 yards) and Bills (199) that helped the 3-2 Ravens avoid a nightmarish start. He surpassed 10,000 career yards, housed his 100th career TD (96th on the ground), and set up the knockout blow of the Bengals in last weekend's cinematic, 41-38 overtime triumph.

Aging gracefully is difficult. Henry has turned back the clock as some older running backs battle injuries (28-year-old Christian McCaffrey has yet to play) and others drop off the map (29-year-old Ezekiel Elliott has 98 rushing yards for Dallas). Veteran pass-catchers like Travis Kelce, Cooper Kupp, Amari Cooper, and Tyreek Hill have looked creaky, been banged up, or deteriorated in a weak offense.

Within his cohort, Henry's a major outlier.

His five-game heater holds up historically, too. It's been more than a decade since any skill player in his 30s was this productive to start a season.

Henry's worn and torn, but his mileage hasn't hindered him. He's the active leader in carries with 2,125 and is on pace to record his fourth 300-carry season, tied for second most by a running back who debuted this century, per Stathead. He trucks tacklers, possessing a massive lead among active rushers in yards gained after contact (5,455, or 54% of his career output).

He went from the one-man battering ram who sparked the Titans to playoff upsets, including over Baltimore in 2019, to a vital cog in the Ravens' powerhouse offense. They've averaged 211.2 rushing yards - 32.8 more per game than the second-place Commanders - and rank second in scoring behind Washington, their Week 6 opponent.

Certain touchdown drives highlighted Henry's synergy with Lamar Jackson, the rushing leader among quarterbacks.

In Week 3, Henry stiff-armed and sidestepped some Cowboys to pick up 29 and 26 yards on either end of Jackson's 16-yard designed keeper. Following a Bills turnover in Week 4, Henry's 25-yard outside run and Justice Hill's slippery 17-yard screen catch positioned Jackson to find the end zone from 9 yards out.

Henry ran 87 yards untouched to demoralize Buffalo, and he showcased his wheels and elusiveness in overtime at Cincinnati, ruthlessly juking cornerback DJ Turner as he set up the winning field goal.

Henry's peak speed of 21.46 mph on that 51-yard getaway was the fourth fastest recorded across the league so far this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

A healthy mix of yards amassed before contact (328) and after contact (244) lifted Henry to the top of the NFL in both categories through Week 5, per Pro Football Reference. He achieved this even though most of his carries (55 of 95) gained no more than 3 yards.

Crucially, Henry slugs homers, breaking free for the chunk rushes that keep the running game relevant in a pass-first league.

His seven rushes for 25 or more yards led to five Ravens TDs and the kick that finished off the Bengals. His 52.9% breakaway percentage - a significant career high - denotes that most of Henry's yardage has come from explosive, 15-plus-yard gains, per PFF. He still motors at his advanced age.

Baltimore surrounds him with help. Henry earned an elite 90.1 PFF grade last season despite his statistical slippage and the lifelessness of Tennessee's 29th-ranked pass attack, which pressured him to do it all. In Baltimore, Jackson completes epic backyard throws and the Ravens boast PFF's No. 5 run-blocking grade, optimizing Henry's situation.

It's early, but Henry's seamless integration has improved Baltimore's playoff outlook. Around the AFC, the 1-4 Bengals are reeling, the 3-2 Bills are erratic, and the 4-1 Texans are green. The undefeated Chiefs seem a little more vulnerable to dethronement than when they edged the Ravens in a defensive slugfest to reach last year's Super Bowl.

By expected points added per play, these Ravens rank second in rush offense, fifth in pass offense, and third in rush defense, according to Ben Baldwin's database. Their 25th-ranked pass defense is frail, but overall, they're close to complete, with no other team ranking in the top five in three categories.

More milestones are imminent for Henry. He's a few prolific weeks away from becoming Baltimore's first 1,000-yard running back since 2019 - a rare achievement with Jackson in the backfield.

On a grander scale, he needs four more rushing TDs to bag 100 for his career. Henry would be the eighth member of the hallowed 10,000-yard club to punch in that many scores.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.