Ravens Stars Take Home Midseason Awards

The Baltimore Ravens' star duo is doing some heavy lifting this season.

Oct 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) hands off to running back Derrick Henry (22) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens are far from a perfect team, but when Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are playing at their best.

This offseason, the Ravens signed Henry, the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, to pair with Jackson, who won MVP in both 2019 and 2023. The results have been even better than expected, as both are playing some of the best football of their careers. Jackson has completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 2,669 yards, 24 touchdowns and two interceptions (plus 538 yards and two touchdowns rushing), while Henry has rushed for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry (plus 96 yards and two touchdowns receiving).

Simply put, they've been the best offensive duo in football this year, and they could have some more hardware in their future.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer surveyed 20 league executives for their midseason award picks, and most had Jackson winning MVP and Henry winning Offensive Player of the Year yet again.

Jackson earned 12 votes for MVP, with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen receiving three votes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes receiving two, and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson receiving one each.

"This would be Jackson’s second consecutive MVP, and third overall (he won in 2019 and ’23), and that’s well deserved," Breer wrote. "It’s really hard to quantify what his value has become to the Ravens. As a passer, going into Week 10, he was third in the NFL in yards passing (2,379), second in yards per attempt (9.3), second in touchdown passes (20), 10th in completion percentage (68.2%) and first in passer rating (120.7). He’s worked his tail off, and the result is not just an uptick in those numbers, but also better chemistry with young weapons such as Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely.

"And he’s still effective enough as a runner to allow the Ravens to run an offense that differs more from the average NFL scheme than any other. At 538 yards and 5.9 yards per carry, a third 1,000-yard season could be in the offing. Simply put, there are few teams constructed more around a single player. He, in turn, has made that setup sing—and proved to be more than worth the trouble to install."

Meanwhile, Henry earned 10 votes for Offensive Player of the Year, though Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley came in second with four. Jackson, Goff and Jefferson each earned two votes as well.

"After the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, it looked fair to question the wisdom of signing Henry—as a ninth-year tailback, with a punishing style and a ton of mileage on the odometer," Breer wrote. "But after 10 games, he’s rushed for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns, plus two more receiving scores. The genius of his addition wasn’t just the fit. It was how that fit, and Henry’s Bigfoot presence could supercharge the long-held physical, punishing identity that the Ravens have developed.

"One Bengals coach, in the lead-up to Thursday’s game, told me it looked on tape like Henry had put the established Ravens ethos 'on steroids.' The results make that a fair assessment."

Jackson and Henry are the foundation of the Ravens' success this season, and if they're going to win that ever-elusive Super Bowl, then they'll need those two to continue playing at an extremely high level.

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