Raiders' Opponents Ranked: RBs, No. 2
In making back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2000-02, the Las Vegas Raiders will navigate the NFL's fourth-hardest rated schedule, according to Pro Football Focus.
That will include facing some of the NFL's best running backs.
At the start of last season, it would have been seen as blasphemy to put Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry anywhere but No. 1 on a list like this.
That's how good Henry had been in 2019 and 2020, earning both of his Pro Bowl appearances and an All-Pro selection.
His outstanding 2020 campaign will likely go down as one of the most dominant seasons by a running back in NFL history.
Henry had a league-high 378 carries for 2,027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
It was the first 2,000-yard season by a running back since Adrian Peterson did it in his MVP season for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012.
Henry wasn't able to win the MVP award, but he was awarded Offensive Player of the Year, affirming his status as the best running back in football.
At least, that was his status before last season.
Henry played in only eight games during the 2021 regular season as he went on injured reserve because of with fracture in his right foot.
Even before the injury, Henry was seeing a slight regression in his numbers.
While he was able to rack up 937 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in those eight games, his efficiency suffered.
Henry went from averaging 5.4 yards a carry in 2020 to onl 4.3 last year and wasn't able to break tackles at nearly the same rate as he had in previous seasons.
A healthy off-season could lead to a return to form, but at 28- years-old, Henry is approaching what is normally the expiration date for running backs.
With the workload that he's taken on the last three years, it's fair to question whether Henry will be able to sustain that production going forward.
Until it's proven he can't, though, Henry should still be treated as a priority for opposing defenses, lest they want to see him go off for a game-breaking run.
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