Lead
On Dec. 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry delivered a career night, rushing for 216 yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries as the Ravens beat the Green Bay Packers 41-24. Henry’s output pushed him into 10th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, a milestone reached in his 153rd career game. The performance answered recent criticism about his usage and continued a season-long climb past several Hall of Fame backs.
Key Takeaways
- Derrick Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries in the Ravens’ 41-24 win at Green Bay on Dec. 27, 2025.
- Henry moved into 10th place on the NFL all-time rushing list, reaching the mark in his 153rd career game — 20 games fewer than Tony Dorsett required.
- He needed 64 yards to enter the top 10 before kickoff and surpassed Tony Dorsett with a 5-yard run late in the first quarter.
- By the end of the first quarter Henry was credited with 12,743 career rushing yards; after the game his total rose by 216 yards.
- Henry’s three rushing TDs in the first half moved him past Adrian Peterson for sole possession of fourth on the all-time rushing-touchdowns list; his fourth score left him with 122 career rushing TDs.
- Henry began the season ranked No. 19 on the all-time rushing list and passed seven Hall of Famers during the 2025 campaign.
- Among active players, the next closest on the all-time rushing chart is Saquon Barkley, who ranks 44th with 8,288 yards.
Background
Derrick Henry entered the 2025 season well down the all-time rushing leaderboard at No. 19, but he has methodically climbed the ranks throughout the year. The run up the chart has seen him overtake several Hall of Fame backs, including Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, Jim Brown and Tony Dorsett. Those moves reflect both Henry’s sustained production and the accumulation of heavy workload seasons across his career.
Henry’s style — a combination of size, power and durable contact running — has produced large single-game totals and long-yardage campaigns across multiple seasons. Baltimore’s offense has sometimes been criticized for how it distributes carries, and Henry drew particular scrutiny after a Nov./Dec. game in which he had no carries in the final 12 minutes of a 28-24 loss to New England. That criticism put play-calling and usage squarely under the microscope ahead of the Packers game.
Main Event
From the opening drive in Green Bay, the Ravens leaned on Henry. He carried 11 times in the first quarter alone and finished the team’s first two drives with touchdown runs, establishing a physical tone that the Packers struggled to match. Henry’s 36 carries that night were the most he has had in any single game in his career.
Late in the first quarter Henry took a 5-yard run that pushed him past Tony Dorsett and into the top 10 on the league’s all-time rushing list. By that point he was credited with 12,743 career rushing yards; he added the rest of his 216-yard total as the game progressed. The day was also notable for scoring: Henry had three rushing touchdowns by halftime and added a fourth on a 25-yard run with 1:56 remaining.
Henry’s season-long acceleration up the charts has been remarkable: entering 2025 at No. 19, he passed seven Hall of Famers over the campaign, and his climb accelerated when Baltimore chose to feed him early and often in Green Bay. His workload in this game — a career-high 36 carries — underlined both his central role in Baltimore’s offense and the team’s willingness to commit to a run-first approach when a back shows momentum.
Analysis & Implications
Statistically, Henry’s surge this season reorders the modern context of rushing greatness. Moving into the top 10 in fewer games than several predecessors emphasizes efficiency and sustained high-volume production. Reaching 10th all time in the NFL’s rushing ledger places Henry among an elite group whose careers were defined by both longevity and high annual outputs.
From a team strategy perspective, Baltimore’s decision to prioritize Henry in Green Bay signals that when the Ravens choose to ride his momentum, the payoff can be decisive. The 36-carry workload raises questions about long-term wear but also underscores the trade-off coaches face between short-term win probability and long-term player preservation — Henry’s physical profile and previous seasons suggest he can handle heavy workloads, but cumulative carries remain a monitoring point.
League-wide, Henry’s ascent highlights a growing gap between the top-tier career rushers and the modern running-back landscape. The next active rusher on the list, Saquon Barkley, is ranked 44th with 8,288 yards, underlining how rare Henry’s combined production and longevity have become in today’s game.
Comparison & Data
| Player | Career Rushing Yards (cited) | All-time Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Derrick Henry | 12,959 (12,743 entering late first quarter + 216 that game) | 10th |
| Eric Dickerson | 13,259 | 9th |
| Saquon Barkley (active) | 8,288 | 44th |
The table uses figures cited during and after the Ravens-Packers game: Henry’s 216-yard night added to the 12,743 figure noted by the end of the first quarter, producing a postgame subtotal of 12,959. That places him inside the top 10 but still behind Eric Dickerson’s 13,259 yards; closing that gap will require multiple high-yardage performances.
Reactions & Quotes
“Henry continued his historic run, rushing for 216 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries,”
ESPN report (Jamison Hensley)
“His 36 carries were a career best,”
ESPN game coverage
“The workload and the results changed the narrative about how Baltimore is using Henry this season,”
ESPN postgame analysis
Unconfirmed
- Whether Henry will overtake Eric Dickerson (13,259 yards) before the end of the 2026 season is not guaranteed and depends on future usage and health.
- Any long-term change to Baltimore’s approach to Henry’s weekly workload in response to this performance has not been officially confirmed by team management.
Bottom Line
Derrick Henry’s 216-yard, four-touchdown night in Green Bay is both an emphatic single-game statement and a milestone in a season-long ascent up the NFL’s rushing ranks. Moving into the top 10 of the all-time rushing list cements his place among the game’s most productive backs and revises how his late-career value will be judged historically.
In practical terms, the Ravens now face a follow-up decision: whether to sustain the elevated carry totals that produced this result or to moderate usage to preserve Henry’s longevity. For the league and for Henry’s legacy, the key question is whether he can translate this late-career volume into continued top-tier annual totals and, ultimately, climb further up the list.