Derrick Henry Passes Allen for Third in Rushing TDs

Derrick Henry scored three times in Baltimore’s 41-23 win at Indianapolis on September 13, passing Marcus Allen for third in career rushing touchdowns. The 32-year-old finished with 24 carries for 144 yards and pushed his career total to 125 rushing scores.

That is the return on a 2024 free-agent deal that still looks light for a back this high on the list. He now sits 20 rushing touchdowns behind LaDainian Tomlinson and 39 behind Emmitt Smith.

A 32-Yard Run Into Third Place

Henry walked into Lucas Oil Stadium with 122 rushing touchdowns, one short of Allen’s 123. A 4-yard run in the first quarter tied the Hall of Famer. A 32-yard burst later in the half put him alone in third. A 3-yard plunge with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter made it 125 and made the final 38-16 before Indianapolis added a late score.

THE SCORING TRAIL ON SUNDAY

1. September 13, first quarter: Henry’s 4-yard run answers Lamar Jackson’s 5-yard score and makes it 14-6 after Jonathan Taylor’s opening 1-yard touchdown.
2. September 13, first half: A 32-yard touchdown run, his 124th career rushing score, stretches the lead to 28-6.
3. September 13, 12:46 remaining: A 3-yard run, his 125th, effectively ends it at 38-16.

It was his eighth career game with three or more rushing touchdowns and his 56th with 100 yards on the ground. It was also his 33rd game with at least two rushing scores, the most by any player since 2016. He added one catch for 19 yards and did not fumble.

The league account posted the 32-yard run as the play that moved him into third, before the short fourth-quarter score padded the total.

This was @KingHenry_2's 124th career rushing touchdown.

That's third-most in NFL history. 👏 @FedEx pic.twitter.com/WhyGnqhUJz

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

Jackson went 17 of 25 for 324 yards and threw a 54-yard touchdown to Zay Flowers, who had five catches for 150 yards before a hamstring injury ended his afternoon. Baltimore outgained Indianapolis 506 yards to 251 in Jesse Minter’s first game as head coach. Taylor ran 19 times for 98 yards and two scores. Daniel Jones, in his first start since a torn Achilles last December, completed 19 of 31 for 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Baltimore Bought This Workload in March 2024

On March 12, 2024, the Ravens agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with Henry after eight seasons in Tennessee, a deal with $9 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $20 million. He was 30. The Titans had just finished 6-11. Running backs that age usually take a discount and a committee. Baltimore handed him the job.

The fit was obvious even then. Lamar Jackson had led the Ravens in rushing for three straight seasons, and the club had not had a 1,000-yard back since 2014. Henry had already beaten them in the 2019 playoffs with 195 rushing yards as a Titan. The signing asked whether a body with that many carries still had two starter seasons in it.

It had more than two. In 2024 he ran 325 times for 1,921 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, plus two receiving scores. In 2025 he ran 307 times for 1,595 yards and 16 more rushing touchdowns. Baltimore then signed him to a two-year, $30 million extension in May 2025, with $25 million guaranteed, rather than let him walk again.

HENRY IN A RAVENS UNIFORM

• 2024 season: 325 carries, 1,921 yards, 16 rushing touchdowns in 17 games.
• 2025 season: 307 carries, 1,595 yards, 16 rushing touchdowns in 17 games.
• 2026 opener: 24 carries, 144 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns at Indianapolis.
• Baltimore total: 656 carries, 3,660 yards, 35 rushing touchdowns in 35 games.

Tennessee got 90 rushing touchdowns from him across eight seasons. Baltimore has 35 in 35 games. The yards-per-carry number in purple is 5.6. The old warning that he would wear down has not shown up in the box scores, and he still finishes runs as if the pile owes him something.

125 and the Names Still Ahead

NFL.com now lists Henry with 13,162 career rushing yards on 2,686 carries, a 4.9-yard average, and 125 rushing touchdowns in 154 games. He has 190 catches for 1,820 yards and five receiving scores, which is why his 130 total touchdowns sit ninth all time, one behind Cris Carter’s 131 after he passed Marvin Harrison on Sunday.

The rushing list above him is a short one. Smith retired with 164. Tomlinson stopped at 145. Allen held third for a generation at 123. Henry is the only active rusher inside the top 10. The next active name, Josh Allen, has 81, and he is a quarterback.

NFL RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS, ALL TIME

Peterson is the nearest retired name, five scores back at 120. Payton, Brown, and Riggins are in the rearview. Henry needed one afternoon in Indianapolis to open a two-score gap on Allen and to make the conversation about who is in front of him, not who is behind.

Seventeen Meetings, Twelve Touchdowns

The Colts have been the easiest chapter in this climb. StatMuse’s game log now shows 12 rushing scores in 17 Colts games, on 311 carries for 1,576 yards. Sunday was his first of those meetings as a Raven. The other 16 came in Tennessee, and the math did not change with the uniform.

THE COLTS GAMES THAT KEEP SHOWING UP

• November 29, 2020: 27 carries, 178 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns at Indianapolis as a Titan.
• December 3, 2023: 21 carries, 102 yards, 2 rushing touchdowns against Indianapolis in his last season in Tennessee.
• September 13, 2026: 24 carries, 144 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns in his first look at them with Baltimore.

That is three multi-score days against one franchise and a 5.1-yard average for the series. Indianapolis still starts Taylor, who had 71 career rushing touchdowns coming into this season, and still could not keep Henry out of the end zone. The Colts have been a booth he walks into and leaves with scores, and Week 1 was the same play in a different color.

Can Henry Catch LaDainian Tomlinson?

The gap to Tomlinson is 20 rushing touchdowns. The gap to Smith is 39. Henry has scored 16 rushing touchdowns in each of the past two full seasons. Repeat that over the next two years and he would land around 154, past Tomlinson and still short of Smith. He already has three in 2026, so a 16-score season would require 13 more in the remaining 16 games.

The calendar is the actual opponent. He turned 32 on January 4. The extension runs through the 2027 season. Sixteen-touchdown years at this age are rare even for him, and the Ravens will not empty the tank every week if they are in a playoff race. A 10-score season still moves him to 132 and keeps Tomlinson in view. A repeat of 16 makes second place a 2027 problem.

I love Marcus Allen. I got to get to know him through the Heisman commercials. He’s a great dude. And for my name to be mentioned up with his, it’s an honor. I’m very grateful.

Derrick Henry, Ravens running back, after the win in Indianapolis

Allen lasted 16 seasons and finished with 123 rushing touchdowns plus 21 receiving scores. Henry has five receiving touchdowns and a much heavier rushing share. The comparison he cares about is the Heisman one. The comparison the list cares about is Tomlinson, and 20 scores is a year and a bit at his recent rate, not a career epilogue.

Minter’s Debut Still Ran Through No. 22

Minter took over a roster that already knew what Henry does in Week 1. Last season he opened with 169 yards and two scores at Buffalo. This time the new staff, with 30-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle calling plays for the first time, gave him 24 carries on the road and let the 32-yard run finish a first-half knockout. Baltimore scored 31 points before the break, the fifth time in franchise history it has put up at least 31 in a first half, then handed Henry the ball to close it.

You don’t want to take it for granted with those type of performances because they’re really special. But it’s a tribute to how he operates and how he works every day.

Jesse Minter, Ravens head coach, after his debut

The Ravens host New Orleans next Sunday. Flowers’ hamstring and a wrist injury to rookie Ja’Kobi Lane thinned the wideout group before halftime, which is usually a cue to keep handing the ball to No. 22. Henry has 16 regular-season games left to add to 125. Tomlinson is still 20 away. Smith is 39. The $16 million bet from March 2024 already bought third place on the rushing list. The rest of this season is about whether second place is a plan or just a rumor the Colts keep feeding.