Offensive Players of Week: RBs rule again on explosive Sunday

For the third time in six weeks, running backs swept the AFC and NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as the Ravens’ Derrick Henry and Sean Tucker of the Buccaneers secured the respective awards, the NFL announced Wednesday afternoon.

Running backs also swept the awards in Week 1 (Saquon Barkley and Joe Mixon) and Week 2 (James Cook and Alvin Kamara).

Henry and Tucker actually play each other this week, when Baltimore (4-2) visits Tampa Bay (4-2) on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).

Tucker, a non-drafted free agent in his second year out of Syracuse, broke out in a 52-27 win at New Orleans. He tallied an NFL-leading 192 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns and averaged 9.7 yards per carry (136 yards on 14 attempts), including a late 5-yard scoring run that pushed the Bucs past the 50-point mark. Tucker also helped his club become the fifth team in NFL annals with 300 passing yards and 275 rushing yards, joining Miami (Week 3, 2023), San Francisco (Week 5, 2012), Dallas (Week 1, 1978) and Green Bay (Week 9, 1962).

Revealing some impressive depth in the Tampa Bay backfield, Tucker and rookie Bucky Irving combined for 217 yards on 28 carries against the Saints, with starter Rachaad White (foot) inactive. Tucker is the only the second Buccaneers running back in 10 seasons to win the weekly honor, joining Leonard Fournette in 2021. He’s also just the second running back from Syracuse, following Super Bowl champion Joe Morris in 1986, to earn the award.

Henry finished with 24 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns in Baltimore’s 30-23 win over Washington. He became the first player since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to rush for a touchdown in each of his team’s first six games of a season. And with his 20th career century-mark game paired with multiple TDs, he moved up another list with three Hall of Famers, joining Tomlinson (25), Jim Brown (25) and all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith (21). An offseason free-agent acquisition, Henry leads the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns and 704 rushing yards, 95 more than the next-closest player, San Francisco’s Jordan Mason (609). The award is Henry’s second in three weeks (he also won after a Week 4 win over Buffalo).