‘He’s a beast’ — Chiefs DE George Karlaftis knows Ravens RB Derrick Henry leaves no room for error
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t messing around when it comes to Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense will face a massive challenge going against the Baltimore Ravens’ offense on Sunday.
Not only do they feature a former MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson, but they’ve got a talented group of pass-catchers and a future Hall of Fame running back in Derrick Henry. When the Chiefs faced the Ravens in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, they held Henry to 13 carries for 45 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and one touchdown. That ended up being Henry’s worst game of the season en route to a year where he averaged his highest yards per carry (5.9) in a single season.
Kansas City knows that slowing down Henry has to be a major priority heading into this game.
“Yeah, he’s a beast,” Chiefs DE George Karlaftis told reporters on Wednesday. “When you play a guy against that, you can’t make any mistakes, you know. If one guy’s out of your gap, he’s gone. So, it’s all about being detailed, you know, in the run game, being detailed and executing your assignment, trusting the scheme, the coaching, your responsibility, and executing, you know. . . He can make all the plays. He can make everything happen, you know, big runs. We want to avoid that, obviously. And just executing our scheme and playing to the best of our abilities.”
Given that rush lane integrity was a big topic of discussion following the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, I suspect that won’t be an issue when it comes to the combination of Henry and Jackson in Week 4.
Ravens RB Derrick Henry Quick Facts
- Former second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft (Titans)
- Age: 31
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Weight: 252 pounds
- Career Carries: 2,396
- Career Rushing Yards: 11,665
- Career Yards Per Attempt: 4.9
- Career Touchdowns: 109
Can the Chiefs capitalize on Derrick Henry’s unprecedented fumble streak?
Ravens RB Derrick Henry has an unfortunate streak going on, and it’s one that the Chiefs hope to capitalize on. After fumbling in three consecutive games to start the 2025 NFL season, Henry is in the midst of the worst stretch of his career when it comes to fumbles. Henry has never before had three consecutive weeks with a fumble in his 10-year career in the NFL.
While the Chiefs have taken note of Henry’s quote-unquote fumbleitis, they’re not doing anything special in their preparation to try to exploit the issue.
“That’s always an emphasis,” Karlaftis said. “I mean, we’ve played him enough to where we know that. We have so much respect for him. We’re not just expecting every time you’re going to punch the ball out, it’s going to be a fumble, just because of what’s happened recently. But you know, that’s kind of for every defensive player, I’d say across the league, there’s been an emphasis on punching the ball, and we’re going to try to do that no matter who’s the back.”
While Karlaftis is taking the high road here, the Chiefs would be wise to hone in on Henry after the latest fumble. He was dejected in the locker room after the Week 3 loss to the Lions, telling reporters that he was “at a loss for words.” If his confidence is even the slightest bit dented heading into Week 4, Kansas City’s defense needs to chip away.
Kansas City Chiefs News
Chiefs HC Andy Reid hints no change is imminent at right tackle despite Jawaan Taylor’s continued penalty struggles
The Kansas City Chiefs don’t seem to be interested in making a change at the right tackle position.
