Henry Off and Running in Defense of Rushing Title
It wasn’t the elusive, explosive performance Derrick Henry turned in so many times en route to the league’s rushing title in 2019. Then again it was different in any number of ways, most of them positive.
In the Tennessee Titans’ 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos Monday night, Henry ran the ball 31 times for 116 yards. After the NFL’s opening weekend, he is second to Kansas City rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire (138 yards) and leads the league in carries.
His longest gain was 15 yards and he did not find the end zone, but it was by far his best Week 1 performance to date.
“It definitely was a grind. I was hoping I could pop one, but that wasn't the case. Sometimes that's how the game goes,” Henry said. “You've got to grind it out. They're a great defense, so we just had to grind and keep pushing forward. That's what we tried to do.”
A second-round selection by the Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft, Henry has been a historically slow starter in his career.
In his rookie season (2016), as backup to DeMarco Murray, Henry ran the ball five times for three yards in Week 1, and his best game that season came in Week 15 against Houston Texans when he ran the ball 15 times for 65 yards and a touchdown
In 2017, Henry ran for 25 yards in Week 1 and it took him until Week 6 to rush for 100 yards or more. In 2018, his first season as the full-time starter, he ran for 26 yards in Week 1 and did not rush for 100 yards or more until Week 13 when he exploded for 238 yards on 17 attempts in a 30-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Last season, Henry, the eventual rushing champion, had 84 yards on 19 attempts in the opener against the Cleveland Browns. His first 100-yard performance came in Week 4 and he subsequently ran for 100 yards or more in six other games (plus two in the postseason).
Monday was the earliest in a season Henry produced a 100-yard performance it made him and just the third defending rushing champion in the last decade to hit that mark in the first game of the next season. Only Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (104 yards in Week 1 2017) and former Titans running back Chris Johnson (142 yards in Week 1 of the 2010 season) have done the same.
Three defending rushing champions in that same span came relatively close to 100 yards. Five others had 60 yards or fewer in Week 1 of the following season.
“Derrick was getting the tough yardage inside,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “He was banging and they were making the tough tackles on him. I have to give a lot of credit to Denver and the way they bottled up everything inside and made it tough yards to gain.
“We should have been able to gain positive yards. Like I said, we weren’t getting those explosive runs that we’re used to seeing. We have to give a lot of credit to Denver. I’m sure we will look at the tape and see what we can do next time to create more explosive plays and bigger runs.”
Henry may not have exactly picked up right where he left off last season, but he still made his mark. Since the 2000 season, only LaDanian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers has won the rushing title in back-to-back seasons (2006, 2007).
For Henry to finish on top once again, he will need his share of tough yards, like virtually all of the ones he got against the Broncos.
“That defense is definitely solid,” Henry said. “They're stout, they're very good at what they do and we just had to trust in what we do. Keep pounding, and eventually, something will open up for us.
“Just keep trying to make plays and sticking with it. Like I said, they're a good defense so we just had to be physical and stick to our plan, just like they were sticking to theirs.”
