Although the Los Angeles Rams suffered their first loss of the 2020 NFL season in Week 3, running back Darrell Henderson still managed to enjoy another stellar performance.
With rookie Cam Akers sidelined with a rib injury, Henderson took control of the backfield once again with a career day against the Buffalo Bills. He finished with 114 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries during the controversial 35-32 loss.
It was the second straight week Henderson was able to take full advantage of his increased workload. While some may see it as a sign of what is potentially to come, he remains focused on the task at hand.
Henderson credited his big day to the offensive line for allowing him to run against such a stout Bills’ defense, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“It started up front,” Henderson said. “Those other 10 guys do their jobs, so I had to do my job too. They do a good job providing me opportunities to showcase my skills, so big shoutout to them.”
Henderson admitted his stellar performance was a bit spoiled by the loss:
“I’m not really big on stats, so I was just going out there doing what I was supposed to be doing,” Henderson said. “After the game, I found out I had over 100, but I was still upset about the game. I wanted the win.”
Despite falling one play short of remaining undefeated, there were plenty of silver linings for Los Angeles to build on. The fact that Henderson was able to run all over a stingy Buffalo defense that was only giving up the third-fewest rushing yards per game (75.5) at the time is certainly one of them.
Not only did his performance helped spark a 25-point comeback by the Rams, but it also gave head coach Sean McVay something to ponder when it comes to allocating touches in the backfield. McVay had every intent on going with a running back by committee, however, Henderson’s play has given him good reason to stick to their recent blueprint.
Henderson now enters Week 4 as the team’s leading rusher with 201 yards on 5.7 yards per carry. It will be interesting to see if the favorable matte hues in the coming weeks help or hurt his cause. Regardless, his comments indicate that he is more concerned with making sure he does his part to help secure wins.
