Eric Dickerson set the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards back in 1984 and over the past 40 years, no one has been able to top that mark, but that's something that could change this year.
Heading into Week 8, Derrick Henry is on pace to break the record and although plenty of players have gotten off to a hot start through the first half of the season before fading, Lamar Jackson thinks that Henry might actually be able to break the record.
The Ravens quarterback says Henry has a "good chance" to top Dickerson's number.
"It's there. I feel like he has a great chance of achieving that," Jackson said Wednesday, via ESPN. "I think he can do it. I believe he can do it."
Through seven weeks, Henry has rushed for 873 yards, which leads the NFL by MORE THAN 200 yards (Jordan Mason ranks second in the league with 667 yards on the ground). As things currently stand, Henry is on pace for 2,120 yards, which would top Dickerson's mark by 15 yards, so Henry doesn't have a huge margin for error going forward.
Although Jackson thinks Henry can get the record, it's not something the running back is thinking about.
"I don't really try to think about that too much," Henry said of the rushing record. "Just focus on me doing my job and being better and better every week. I don't really try to get into the statistics of things. I focus on the team goals."
Henry has already topped 2,000 yards once in his career and when he did it in 2020, he only had 775 yards through seven games, which means he's ahead of his pace from four years ago. If Henry crosses the 2,000-yard mark again, he'll make NFL history even if he doesn't top Dickerson's record because he'll become the first player ever to record hit 2,000 yards twice. There have been eight seasons in NFL history where a player has rushed for at least 2,000 yards, but no one has ever done it multiple times.
Just because you're on a pace to hit 2,000 yards doesn't mean you will. Henry's 873 rushing yards is the highest through seven games since DeMarco Murray rushed for 913 with the Cowboys in 2014, but Murray didn't crack 2,000. As a matter of fact, by the time the season ended, Murray didn't even hit the 1,900 yard mark, finishing with just 1,845.
The most impressive part of Henry's season might be the fact that he's doing all of this at age 30. Henry's 873 yards are the second-most in NFL history through seven games for a player 30 or older, trailing only Walter Payton, who had 875 in 1984, the same year Dickerson set the record. Payton was actually ahead of Dickerson through seven games (875 to 780), but the Bears running back slowed down over the second half of the season, finishing well behind Dickerson with 1,684 yards.
The Ravens will be hoping that Henry doesn't slow down and if his career is any indication, he likely won't. Henry and the Ravens offense have gotten off to a historical start this season and if you want to see all the numbers behind that start, we've got you covered here.
