Derrick Henry sends clear message about Bengals’ Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen

The Cincinnati Bengals face a figurative and literal big test as they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, led by Derrick Henry. 

This AFC North bout is a critical one if they want to keep up with the division-leading Cleveland Browns. Speaking of phrases we never thought we’d write heading into Week 7.

If the Bengals want to keep pace with their in-state rival, they must defeat another divisional foe. Whether they can or not could depend on whether they can slow down Derrick Henry, who has the fourth-most rushing yards this season.  

Yet, despite the numbers being on his side, the Ravens running back offered nothing but respect for the Bengals’ interior defensive line in general, and Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen in particular. 

Henry sees a different Bengals defense

Earlier this week, Henry discussed Cincinnati’s defense and what he expects to see from the Bengals’ revamped unit. 

“They’re definitely playing better, getting to the ball, flying around. Disruptive front. Linebackers that play well together. And they added some secondary players, but they also have some who have been there. They’ve always been solid. Yeah, so they're playing better defense, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

Facing the 2026 Bengals defense has been a different animal for opposing offenses this season. However, there is little doubt that Henry is licking his chops at the opportunity to go against Cincinnati’s run defense. 

This season, the Bengals are getting gashed in the run game, allowing 5.0 yards per attempt, ranking 31st in the NFL. Al Golden’s rushing defense is surrendering 123.0 rush yards per game, which is the ninth-most through the first six weeks of the season. 

The saving grace for the Bengals is that teams have rushed only 122 times against them, the third-fewest in the league heading into Week 7. 

That number will inevitably rise after Sunday. Exponentially so if Lamar Jackson does not play. But this is Jackson we’re talking about, so those attempts will rise even if he does play. 

Henry knows Lawrence and Allen aren’t ordinary DTs

Henry passed around compliments when fielding a question about the Bengals’ defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen. “They’re stout, disruptive, run stoppers, big, physical. He’s (Lawrence) doing a great job. He's been a great addition for them. So has John. My ex, old Bama boy. So yeah, they’ve been playing very well. It’s a challenge.”

Henry couldn't help but smile when he mentioned his former Alabama teammate, Jonathan Allen. He lit up as he reminisced about his college days. 

The Crimson Tide teammates were part of the 2015 National Championship team when Alabama defeated Clemson 45-40. The Tennessee Titans selected Henry in the second round of the draft after that game. Allen had to wait another year before hearing his name called with the 17th overall pick by the Washington Football Team. 

It sounds like Henry and the Ravens' new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, know what to expect from the interior of Cincinnati’s defensive line, so they will likely attack the contours of the Bengals’ defense, where the results have hurt Golden’s run defense. 

Defensive tackles duo earning their stripes

Even though their reputations preceded them, Lawrence and Allen have earned their respect and stripes since arriving in Cincinnati. Henry is just the latest to acknowledge it. 

Lawrence has the second-highest run-stopping grade according to Pro Football Network. Pro Football Focus places him as the fifth-best defensive tackle this season. And that is despite being one of the most double-teamed defensive tackles in the NFL. 

PFN gives Jonathan Allen the best pass-rush grade among defensive tackles per their DT impact metric, with Lawrence ranked 10th in that particular category.   

Together, Lawrence and Allen have been a force in the middle of the Bengals’ defensive line. 

We should expect the Bengals’ dynamic duo to do what they do on the interior of the line against Derrick Henry. Hopefully, Lawrence and Allen will have a little help from their friends when Baltimore inevitably runs off-tackle throughout the game. 

Nevertheless, Baltimore and Henry will test the interior of Cincinnati’s line. Hopefully, when they do, Lawrence and Allen will be there to prove Henry correct in his assessment of how well they are playing this season. 

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