Even by Derrick Henry’s standards, this season is shaping up as special.
Henry is setting a fast pace in a literal sense, too. According to NextGen Stats, he reached 21.8 mph on the 76-yard run — the highest speed of any ballcarrier this season.
“Still too slow,” Henry assessed, before explaining the origin of his speed. “I’m from Florida. Florida boys, it’s in the water. If you’re from Florida, you’ve got to have speed.”
A fantasy football darling, Henry is only the third player to have at least 750 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns through the first six games of a season, putting him in the company of Jim Brown (1958) and Dickerson (1983).
Henry will take center stage again Sunday afternoon in one of the weekend’s marquee games against the Kansas City Chiefs, who enter Week 7 ranked 27th in rushing yards allowed per game.
Don’t look for some of the early Super Bowl favorites in the Sunday lineup: Week 7 features a smaller slate, and the Bills, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers all have byes. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers are off, too.
All times Eastern.
Washington (2-4) at Packers (5-1), 1 p.m., Fox
Bengals (4-2) at Ravens (5-1), 1 p.m., CBS
Panthers (3-3) at Giants (1-5), 1 p.m., Fox
Jets (1-4) at Patriots (2-4), 1 p.m., CBS
Chiefs (3-3) at Titans (4-2), 1 p.m., CBS
Falcons (2-3) at Dolphins (1-5), 1 p.m. Fox
Lions (0-6) at Rams (5-1), 4:05 p.m., Fox
Eagles (2-4) at Raiders (4-2), 4:05 p.m., Fox
Texans (1-5) at Cardinals (6-0), 4:25 p.m., CBS
Bears (3-3) at Buccaneers (5-1), 4:25 p.m., CBS
Colts (2-4) at 49ers (2-3), 8:20 p.m., NBC
1 p.m. games
Bengals at Ravens: The concerns about Joe Burrow’s knee have receded a bit this season, but the Cincinnati quarterback is still taking too many chances by inviting big hits rather than dodging them. After the Bengals’ overtime loss to the Packers this month, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that he told Burrow he is “too damn talented” to absorb needless contact. In that game, Burrow suffered a throat contusion that left him resting his voice for the second consecutive week of practices ahead of what figures to be a noisy trip to M&T Bank stadium. Still, Burrow and the Bengals are 4-2, helped mightily by Joe Mixon’s running and Burrow’s chemistry with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, his former LSU teammate. The Ravens are one of three teams (along with the Cowboys and Packers) that have won every game since losing the season opener. Baltimore doesn’t exactly have a secret sauce; it’s winning with quarterback Lamar Jackson playing like, well, Lamar Jackson the 2019 NFL MVP. In the latest bit of lore about No. 8, his 35th NFL victory came in his 43rd career start, and no quarterback has that many wins before turning 25 (his birthday is in January).
Chiefs at Titans: What’s wrong with the Chiefs, who are on the bubble in the early AFC playoff picture? At 3-3, they haven’t looked like the team that went to the past three AFC championship games. Patrick Mahomes has thrown more interceptions this season (eight) than he did all of last year (six), and he is already nearing his career high of 12. In a microcosm of its season, Kansas City trailed Washington 13-10 at halftime before putting the Football Team away with a 21-0 second-half burst. The Titans benefited last week from the Bills’ decision to go for the win rather than a tying field goal on fourth down at the 2-yard line as time was running low, but Tennessee’s victory — the 24th time a game has been decided in the final minute or overtime this season — was a big one over one of the AFC’s best.
Late afternoon games
Eagles at Raiders: The end of Jon Gruden’s reign as coach seemed to light a fire under the Raiders, who thumped the Broncos last week in Denver. Quarterback Derek Carr averaged 18.9 yards per completion and was generous, finding six players for receptions of more than 20 yards against one of the NFL’s top defenses. Last week, at least, Las Vegas looked like a team that just might be successful under interim coach Rich Bisaccia. On the other side of the ball, defensive end Maxx Crosby has five sacks and is the highest-graded edge rusher in the NFL (per Pro Football Focus). Now enter the Eagles, who haven’t played since an Oct. 14 loss to Tampa Bay and have been inconsistent under first-year coach Nick Sirianni.
Bears at Buccaneers: Tom Brady (44 years old) vs. Justin Fields (22) is the largest age gap between starting quarterbacks, eclipsing Brady vs. Mac Jones three weeks ago and Brady vs. Justin Herbert in 2020. In a one-point loss to Chicago last season, Brady suffered one of the most embarrassing moments of his athletic career (other than the time his pants seat split wide open during “The Match”), forgetting what down it was and gesturing his uncertainty for the world to see. Now there’s concern over the status of Brady’s thumb as well as that of the Bucs’ secondary, in which almost everyone seems to be hurt. That may not matter against the Bears, with Fields experiencing a case of rookie-itis last week, missing an open Allen Robinson II deep for a touchdown and absorbing big hits from the Green Bay defense.
Lions at Rams: Jared Goff says “of course you have the chip on your shoulder” when it comes to facing his former team, but he arrives in Inglewood, Calif., with an 0-6 squad. On the other side of the field will stand Matthew Stafford, whose Lions did him the favor of sending him to a legit contender. Still, feelings are raw, and Coach Sean McVay admitted last week he wished there had been “better, clearer communications.” Not that Goff has much ammo for revenge. He is struggling, and the Lions looked lifeless in a loss last week to the Bengals. Even Coach Dan Campbell admitted, “I feel like [Goff] needs to step up more than he has.” It’s a sad situation, but don’t expect Stafford and the Rams to show any mercy, especially if they’re ahead at halftime. They’re 39-0 under McVay with a halftime lead, and Cooper Kupp is thriving, compiling 46 receptions for 653 yards and seven touchdowns.
Sunday night
Colts at 49ers: Just in time for a “Sunday Night Football” appearance, Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz has been playing well. He seems to have stopped taking too many sacks, making too many mistakes and falling short when it matters. Grading on the curve, Wentz played well in the Colts’ blowout of the Houston Texans last week, passing for 223 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. In a loss to the Ravens the week before, he passed for 402 yards and two touchdowns. In a scheduling oddity, the 49ers have not played since Oct. 10 while the Colts have played twice in that span and must travel nearly 2,000 miles to play a well-rested team. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is nursing a calf injury that left Coach Kyle Shanahan “pretty optimistic” that he would play with rookie Trey Lance out with a knee injury.
