The Atlanta Falcons are about to find out just how sturdy the NFL’s top run defense really is.
Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens come to Atlanta carrying one of the league’s most punishing ground games, and Henry has been the engine behind it. Through four games, he has piled up 374 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 89 carries, while averaging 4.2 yards per attempt.
He has also added 44 receiving yards on seven catches. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, Henry went for 73 yards and found the end zone.
Atlanta has seen him before, and that’s not exactly comforting. In two regular-season games against the Falcons, Henry has run for 201 yards on 49 carries. He has not scored a touchdown in those matchups.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called it exactly what it is: a serious test.
“This is a great challenge,” Ulbrich said. “We’ve had some success, not saying it’s been perfect by any means, but we’ve had some success versus the run so far this season.”
The numbers back that up. Atlanta leads the NFL in rushing defense at 48.3 yards allowed per game, a clear gap over the rest of the field.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit second at 72.8 yards per game, and Ulbrich pointed out that the Falcons are closer to the No. 7 Cincinnati Bengals than Tampa Bay is to them.
“You want to be the best, you want to play the best,” Ulbrich said. “From that perspective, it’s going to be an amazing challenge.”
What makes Henry so difficult is the full package. Ulbrich talked about the bruising style first, but he didn’t stop there.
“Derrick Henry is one of the best, maybe ever, in that way,” Ulbrich said. “Just the physicality, the toughness, and then the speed that you’re not ready for as he runs by you.”
Atlanta linebacker Kendal Daniels will be part of the effort to slow Henry down, though he made it clear the front can set the tone for everyone behind it.
“Our D line gets after it, and you never want to slow your defensive line down,” Daniels said. “So that really helps us be able to play off them and just let them go make plays, and we play off of them.”
Ulbrich also said the Falcons have to be sharp in the basics if they want to keep Henry from taking over the game.
“Population of ball is critical. Stiff-arm defense is critical.
A really defined tackling plan is critical,” Ulbrich said. "Getting to the thigh boards, wrapping, rolling, taking the extra step, putting my body on, and not leaving my feet.”
Daniels knows this is not a normal assignment, even for a defense that has handled the run well. He said the closest comparison he can think of comes from college.
“I went to school with Ollie Gordon. So that’s the closest I’ve got to Derrick Henry,” Daniels said.
“I feel like we’ve gotten closer. I feel like when I first got here, it was kind of everybody figuring out their role, and then I feel like everybody’s figuring out their role.
Everybody’s excited for each other.”
That growth matters because the Falcons’ front seven is still sorting itself out. The only returning starters there are Brandon Dorlus and Divine Deablo, so the group has had to build chemistry on the fly. Against Baltimore, that cohesion could be the difference between staying on schedule and getting worn down.
Atlanta’s path is straightforward: keep Henry from getting comfortable, win the line of scrimmage, stay disciplined in run fits, and make sure multiple defenders are getting to the ball. If the Falcons can do that early, they’ll give themselves a real shot at keeping Baltimore from imposing its style.
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