What Will One More Game on the NFL Schedule Mean to Derrick Henry?
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has led the National Football League is rushing yards and attempts in each of the last two seasons.
His 378 carries in 2020 ranked among the top 20 all-time.
The former University of Alabama standout and Heisman Trophy winner had another 101 postseason carries over the same time span, giving him 782 in 35 games.
That number alone would rank seventh in franchise history.
There were already questions about how long he could maintain that pace before NFL owners voted to add another game to the regular season in 2021. Instead of 16 games, all teams will now play 17 games, plus the playoffs were also recently expanded.
"The game is violent, and that position is as violent as it gets, and every single play there's 11 big, strong, physical men trying to tear you apart because you've got the football," former head coach Jim Mora Jr. said.
"That's eventually going to take its toll, but I don't know that limiting his workload is the right thing to do. Because when I watch Henry play he's a guy who gets stronger as the game goes on. If you don't let him get into that rhythm, then I'm not sure he's going to be as effective."
So far, the 27-year-old hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Quite the contrary.
In five NFL seasons, he's missed just two games. Of the 78 he's played in, Henry's had 20 or more carries 22 times, including a career-best 34 during the final week of the 2021 regular season when he joined the exclusive 2,000-yard rushing club.
"Derrick Henry's built differently," the Sports Illustrated analyst continued. "People bounce off of him.
"I don't see him avoiding a lot of hits. I see people absorbing a lot of contact trying to tackle Henry."
We offer the following proof:
