BALTIMORE (AP) — Derrick Henry is chugging along, and the Baltimore Ravens are on track after a rough start thanks to a tried-and-tested recipe for running the ball early and often.

Henry’s 87-yard touchdown Sunday night was just the beginning of a 35-10 routine of the Buffalo Bills the Ravens gave that a second victory in a row and brought them back to .500. Henry, fellow running back Justice Hill and quarterback Lamar Jackson combined to rush for 271 yards — a ground game that restored Baltimore’s identity at the perfect time to turn their season around.

“That’s kind of always been what we’ve been about,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Running the ball and playing good defense. … The run game is extremely important to us.”

Who better to lead that offense than Henry, the 247-pounder signed away from Tennessee in free agency to give Jackson a reliable runner. While Baltimore’s first two games produced a few touchdowns and mixed results, the past two have shown what good things can happen when Henry has the ball in his hands.

The 30-year-old followed up his 151-yard, two-touchdown run performance in Dallas with 199 yards on the ground against Buffalo. He also caught the fourth TD pass of his NFL career and first since 2019, and appears to be a seamless fit into Baltimore’s offense.

“Everyone is blocking,” said Henry, who has 49 carries over the last two weeks. “Everyone is just selfless to achieve success, and I want to do the same for those guys.”

Henry ran roughshod over the Bills even as the broken offensive line missed starting left guard Andrew Vorhees. Right tackle Patrick Mekari slid over to take his spot, rookie Roger Rosengarten made his first professional start and Henry and the Ravens didn’t miss a beat.

“He doesn’t need much to run: if you give him a little space, he will take advantage of it,” Rosengarten said. “He is not ‘King Henry’ for nothing and he shows that week in, week out. We just have to give him a chance and he will do the rest.”

What works

Unlike the previous two games, there was no real concern about taking a late lead away. Still, a three-and-out and a Buffalo touchdown to open the second half and cut the score to 21-10 had players on the sideline concerned.

“Everyone was like, ‘Okay, we don’t have to do this again,’ so I think everyone was in on it,” said safety Kyle Hamilton, who recovered Josh Allen’s fumble after Kyle Van Noy forced him. “The offense did its thing and I think the defense settled down. A mistake happened, but I think we did a good job of resetting and then doing what we had to do to get it done.”

From that point on, the Ravens expanded their lead by 14 points and continued to cruise.

What needs help

After a turnover-free game against the Cowboys, Jackson lost a fumble and Henry lost the ball on the goal line before Patrick Ricard fell on it for a touchdown. Jackson then kicked himself for the mistake.

“I was upset about that because in the NFL, a lot of games are momentum games,” he said. “We scored three times, and then that fumble happened. It slows us down, but our defense played lights out.”

Stock up

Fresh off signing a two-year contract worth $6 million Expanding, Hill was Baltimore’s leading receiver with six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, along with a handful of carries. He’s proving to be the perfect backfield addition for Henry and a nice safety valve for Jackson, who said Hill “makes himself look good,” not the other way around.

“Justice Hill has been very integral,” Harbaugh said. “I’m just really happy that we re-signed him before he broke out in the last two games. That was nice.”

Stock down

Mark Andrews has been one of Jackson’s favorite options over the past six seasons, a stretch that included being the All-Pro choice at tight end in 2021. He had a drop in the open field on Sunday night after Isaiah Likely had a 26-yard grab made, and Andrews could lose his hold on the top spot on his own team.

Injuries

In addition to Vorhees, nose tackle Michael Pierce missed the Bills game due to a shoulder injury. Cornerback Jalyn Armor-Davis (hamstring) went on injured reserve and will be out for at least the next three games.

Key number

21 — Number of primetime wins for the Ravens in 24 games since Harbaugh took over in 2008.

Next steps

Harbaugh and his players wanted to quickly turn the page on their next game, Sunday against AFC North rival Cincinnati, after the Bengals earned their first win of the season. The Ravens opened as 2 1/2-point road favorites BetMGM Sportsbook.

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