Getty Darrell Henderson runs past Budda Baker during the December 6, 2020 road win for the Los Angeles Rams.
Darrell Henderson will suit up and return to the Los Angeles Rams offense for Sunday’s showdown against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium, multiple reports confirmed on Friday, October 1.
Henderson had been nursing injured ribs he sustained from the September 19 road win over the Indianapolis Colts 27-24. He was ruled out of the offensive lineup for the Sunday, September 26 home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed that Henderson will give it a go.
Rams’ HC Sean McVay said RB Darrell Henderson Jr. will play Sunday against the Cardinals after missing last week’s game with a rib injury.
Later on Friday afternoon, ESPN Rams beat reporter Lindsey Thiry tweeted that she got to see “Hendo” perform during practice drills including catching passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford — helping seal Henderson’s status for the battle of NFC West unbeatens.
Just watched Rams RB Darrell Henderson participating in drills at practice, including catching passes from Matthew Stafford. Sean McVay says Henderson will play Sunday against the Cardinals.
Will ‘Hendo’ Start?
Sean McVay confirmed to reporters Henderson’s playing status, saying “I don’t anticipate him not being able to go. He’s been good this week. He’s going to play.”
What does this mean, though, for Sony Michel?
In last Sunday’s 10-point victory over the Bucs, Michel led all running backs with 67 yards on 20 carries. But he was equally a force as a pass blocker including sending Rock Cockrell flying here.
McVay didn’t announce that he’s fully committed to starting Henderson, nor did he reveal what the plan is for him in the running back rotation.
“No updates,” McVay said. “Whether we put him as a limited participant or not, I don’t know that. But he’s going to play.”
Cardinals Run Defense Breakdown
While Arizona has fired on all cylinders with Kyler Murray at the controls, the defense has fielded mixed results.
And the Cardinals have struggled the most in stopping the run three games into the season.
Arizona has surrendered 422 total rushing yards during its 3-0 start, placing the run defense at 28th overall. But in yards per carry, the Cardinals have surrendered an average of 5.4 yards per carry — tying them with the Chiefs at next-to-last in the NFL. Only the L.A. Chargers run defense has given up a higher average (5.8 yards per carry).
This AZ run defense surrendered 159 ground yards to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 31-19 win. In the 34-33 shootout win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Cardinals witnessed Dalvin Cook gain 131 yards on 22 carries, plus the Vikes totaling 177 running yards.
The Cards, however, did manage to bottle 2,000-yard rusher from 2020 Derrick Henry to 58 yards on 17 carries — in a game where the run defense limited the run-oriented Tennessee Titans to just 82 yards in the 38-13 rout to kickoff the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, the Rams haven’t had a need to rely on the ground game with Stafford and company carving up pass defenses. But the Ram rushing attack is averaging 4.3 yards a carry as a team.
How Have Past Running Approaches Worked for the Rams versus Arizona?
The Rams have done well with ball control and eating up the time of possession whenever they’ve turned to the running game in past wins over Arizona.
In last year’s 18-7 season finale victory, the Rams gained 110 yards on 30 total carries. Backup QB John Wolford was the team’s leading rusher at 56 yards on six carries.
Before the January game, the Rams collected 119 rushing yards on 31 total handoffs but scored three rushing touchdowns in the 38-28 road win on December 6. One of those ground-based scores was this Henderson scamper, which was the Rams’ longest TD from scrimmage:
Under McVay, the Rams have never rushed below 90 yards in all eight wins with him as the Rams’ head coach.