Football

True Dough

(19,795 posts) Thu Oct 24, 2024, 08:28 AM 7 hrs ago

Will Derrick Henry break Eric Dickerson's 40-year old single-season rushing record?

He's currently on pace to do just that.

If he can keep it up, Henry will rack up 2,120 yards, surpassing Dickerson's 2,105 yards from the 1984 season. But, it's an uphill battle.

Henry's 873 yards rushing are the most in the first seven games of a season since DeMarco Murray had 913 in 2014. Murray finished with 1,845 yards rushing.

If Henry is able to break Dickerson's record, he would have earned it. In Henry's final 10 games, he will face eight run defenses that rank in the top half of the league, including the Cleveland Browns' 15th-ranked run defense Sunday.

But Henry has proved he can defy the numbers. His 873 yards are the second most by a player 30 or older through seven games in NFL history, trailing only Walter Payton's 875 yards in 1984.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41968288/ravens-derrick-henry-break-rushing-record-lamar-jackson-says

I stayed far away from Henry in our fantasy football league. He's 30 years old. By NFL running back standards, that usually when your career falls off a cliff. What do I know?

6 replies

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Will Derrick Henry break Eric Dickerson's 40-year old single-season rushing record? (Original Post) True Dough 7 hrs ago OP

But he'd get 2120 in 17 games, while Dickerson only played 16. TheRickles 7 hrs ago #1

That's a valid point True Dough 7 hrs ago #2

History repeats itself. bigmonk 6 hrs ago #3

There is that, but OJ Simpson played in a 14-game season brush 5 hrs ago #5

Thanks! AKwannabe 5 hrs ago #4

They can take those Yahoo draft grades True Dough 5 hrs ago #6

TheRickles

(2,345 posts)

1. But he'd get 2120 in 17 games, while Dickerson only played 16.

Reply to True Dough (Original post)

Thu Oct 24, 2024, 08:33 AM

7 hrs ago

Last edited Thu Oct 24, 2024, 12:08 PM - Edit history (1)

That's the problem with new rules and schedules - historical comparisons aren't valid any more.

True Dough

(19,795 posts)

2. That's a valid point

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #1)

Thu Oct 24, 2024, 08:36 AM

7 hrs ago

The NFL moved to a 17-game season in 2021 and still no RB has overtaken Dickerson's record.

If Henry does it, there ought to be an asterisk making that clear to those who are unaware of the disparity.

bigmonk

(85 posts)

3. History repeats itself.

Reply to True Dough (Reply #2)

Thu Oct 24, 2024, 09:33 AM

6 hrs ago

MLB removed the asterisk from Roger Maris after thirty years. It was embarrassing because no major sports wants the fans to think less of records set in expanded seasons. The NFL is going to 18 games and they want the fans to accept the new records as legit.
On the other side of the coin, it's harder to play more seasons. In the Jim Brown era, the NFL player 14 games and one playoff. 1963 players played 70 regular season games per five seasons; now it's 85 games for five seasons, an additional season every five years. So, the longer seasons are probably shortening players careers.