Derrick Henry’s first meeting with the Titans in a Ravens uniform brings him face to face with a familiar problem: Jeffery Simmons.
Henry is in his third season with Baltimore, and this will finally be his first shot at Tennessee, the team where he spent the first eight years of his career. The Titans overall look like a workable opponent, but this is not the kind of game Henry gets to cruise through. Simmons is waiting in the middle of that defense, and he remains one of the league’s best all-around defensive tackles, dangerous both as an interior pass rusher and as a run defender.
That makes this matchup feel like a collision of strengths. Henry is built to punish defenses once he gets rolling, but Simmons is one of the few linemen who can make life difficult for him by shrinking space inside.
The Ravens are also dealing with another layer here, with Vega Ioane presumably at center and Andrew Vorhees at guard. That only adds to the challenge in front of Baltimore’s run game.
Still, Henry is Henry. You don’t really stop him so much as try to survive him, and there’s always a chance he breaks the game open anyway. Even with Simmons across from him, the Ravens have reason to like their chances of getting the better of their former star’s old team.
Simmons made it clear this week that he believes Tennessee can handle the job.
"Nothing changes with Derrick. He's a big back.
Hit his ass. We went vs Skattebo last week, he tried to run people over.
Derrick puts his pads on like any other RB. Much respect to Derrick, but we can't overcomplicate the game, just play football," Simmons said.
That confidence makes sense on one level. Simmons is elite against the run, and players at that level should believe they can win their matchup. But Henry is a different kind of load than Cam Skattebo, and Simmons knows exactly what kind of force he’s dealing with after sharing a locker room with him.
The Titans’ run defense also hasn’t been airtight. They’ve allowed the ninth-most rushing yards this season, which leaves a lane for Henry to put together the kind of day he seems to threaten every week. He’s as steady as they come, and when he gets downhill, he can overwhelm a defense in a hurry.
Henry is treating the game with the same even keel. He’s not making a spectacle of facing his former team, though he did acknowledge that it will be crazy to play Tennessee again after spending so much time there. There’s also the bitter edge of the Titans not wanting him back in 2024, which hangs over the meeting whether he says it outright or not.
Even with all that, this still feels like the kind of game where Henry can impose his will. The Ravens’ offensive line injuries do give Tennessee a path to make things uncomfortable, and Simmons could absolutely keep this from turning into a runaway performance for Henry.
But Baltimore has other ways to win. The Ravens can create explosives in the passing game and get pressure on Cam Ward, which gives them a strong chance to come away with a W even if the ground battle turns into a grind.
In Other News...
Ravens Got An Encouraging First Look At Lamar Jacksons Blind Side
The Ravens left Brazil with more than a win over the Cowboys. They also got their first extended look at Carson Vinson protecting Lamar Jacksons blind side in a starting role at left tackle, a spot that has been under plenty of scrutiny as Baltimore sorts through its options up front. Vinson showed enough to make the outing noteworthy, handling the assignment with a mix of encouraging moments and the kind of growing pains that come with a first NFL start.
Baltimore also saw other linemen and front-seven pieces make their case. Zion Young showed up in the run game and as a pass-rush presence, flashing the kind of quickness and physicality that suggest there is more to come. Calais Campbell, meanwhile, kept doing what he has done for years, turning in another effective performance in his 19th NFL season and reinforcing the idea that the Ravens still have dependable veteran production in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons New Approach Could Calm Ravens Fans Biggest Fear
Lamar Jacksons message after the Ravens Week 3 win over Dallas landed because it went beyond the usual victory lap. He made a point of praising his teammates and acknowledging the issues Baltimore has had closing out games, a reminder that the new coaching staff under Jesse Minter is trying to reshape more than just the playbook. For a team that has lived with late-game anxiety, the tone from its quarterback mattered almost as much as the result.
Jackson revisited the subject in a later press conference, stressing why the message was important to him and to the room. For Ravens fans, the bigger question is whether the shift in leadership can finally translate into cleaner finishes when the margin gets tight in the fourth quarter. The words were encouraging, but Baltimore still has to prove the habit has changed. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens 2-1 Start Is Hiding Pressure They Cant Ignore
A 2-1 start usually buys a little breathing room, but in Baltimore it has done something closer to expose the edges of a team that still looks unfinished. The Ravens are sitting right alongside the rest of the AFC North in the standings, yet the early-season review has been harsher than the record, with September drawing a C+ grade after uneven offense and a defense that has had trouble holding up its end.
The schedule is about to tell a lot more of the story. Tennessee and Atlanta are next, followed by a stretch that includes Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Jacksonville, and those games should quickly show whether Baltimore can turn a modest opening into real momentum or keep living with the same questions that have already followed them through the first month. [Read more 🡒]