In a pass-heavy league, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has made running the football cool again in the NFL.
Three yards and a cloud of dust.
That was the offensive philosophy football was built on over the years. It’s not pretty. However, in recent decades, football has become a more increasingly passing-centric league. From Air Coryell to the West Coast offense to the up-tempo spread, it’s all about moving the sticks aerially today.
Still, we occasionally come across a running back who makes us long for the days of Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson. Physical runners who want to wear down the opposition with brute force, one well-executed carry at a time. We’re talking about Derrick Henry, the man who is making running the football fun again.
Henry is in his fourth season out of Alabama. The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner needed a few years to find his NFL footing, but had his first 1,000-yard season last year and led the league in rushing this year with 1,540 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
It feels like we’re watching Earl Campbell and Eddie George go to work for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. Every time Henry takes the handoff from Ryan Tannehill, there’s anticipation. Will he run over somebody or sprint pass a guy on his way to pay dirt?
Sure, it’s a total team effort. The Titans have played outstanding defense and are getting great complementary offense with a system playing off Henry. Still, Henry is the driving force.
The sixth-seeded Titans upset the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Wild Card Weekend. Though Tennessee won a low-scoring 20-13 affair, Henry had 34 carries for 182 yards and a touchdown. If that wasn’t enough, Henry’s Titans beat the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, 28-12. He had 30 carries for 195 yards, along with a touchdown pass.
Beating the favored Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon won’t be easy, but it feels very possible. Henry is the largest reason why.
Should Tennessee beat the Chiefs for a second time this season, the Titans will have defeated all four AFC Division champions in succession.
If Tennessee is to keep this sweet playoff momentum going, the Titans will need another incredible effort out of Henry. In 17 games this season, Henry has rushed for over 100 yards eight times. Even more impressive, Henry has run for over 100 yards in seven of his last eight games played, with his lowest mark being at 86 in Week 15 vs. Houston.
While he has become a superstar this year, Sunday could incredibly be the last game Henry plays in a Titans uniform. The former second-round pick will be hitting his unrestricted free agency. Henry is poised to cash in. Will the Titans be willing to pay?
Henry isn’t only an incredible player in the midst of his prime, it’s that he’s given this previously uninteresting team an identity.
Who knows how long this incredible run by Henry is going to last. Will Sunday be the road’s end? Impossible to know.
All we know is it has been great to see a running back take over an NFL game in 2020.