George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network
Henry Claims High Ground in Rushing Race
Derrick Henry is back on top.
The Tennessee Titans running back is the NFL’s leading rusher through the first nine weeks of the 2022 season. Henry moved past Cleveland’s Nick Chubb and the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley into the top spot with 115 yards on 17 carries in Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Chubb’s and Barkley’s teams were off this weekend.
It was the fifth straight 100-yard game for Henry, which matched the longest streak of his career (Weeks 2-6 of 2021), and his 30th all-time. The last time he finished with so few carries and still topped 100 yards was Dec. 6, 2018, when he rolled up 238 yards on 17 attempts against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Additionally, he set the franchise record for rushing touchdowns with his second of the night, a 1-yard run with 5:24 to play in the second quarter that was his 74th all-time. Henry entered the contest one behind Earl Campbell and matched the record with a 4-yard run early in the second quarter a week after he became the Titans/Oilers leader in overall touchdowns.
The latest record-breaker gave the Titans (5-3) a 14-9 lead, and they stayed in front until Patrick Mahomes’ 14-yard touchdown run and subsequent 2-point conversion with 2:56 to play tied it and forced overtime.
Henry's lead on Chubb is 29 yards. Barkley is 91 behind him.
A look at the NFL’s leading rushers this season (through Sunday):
| Player, Team | Games | Att. | Yds. | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Derrick Henry, Tennessee | 8 | 183 | 870 | 9 |
Nick Chubb, Cleveland | 8 | 149 | 841 | 10 |
Saquon Barkley, N.Y. Giants | 8 | 163 | 779 | 5 |
Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas | 8 | 138 | 743 | 6 |
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville | 9 | 120 | 680 | 4 |
Henry was the NFL’s rushing champion in 2019 and 2020 and was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 when he set a franchise record with 2,027 rushing yards, the fifth-highest total in league history.
He was comfortably in front once again in 2021 when he rushed for 937 yards in the first eight weeks. He did not play again in the regular season, though, because of a foot injury. Still, it was another three weeks before Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor – the eventual rushing champ – surpassed him.
If Henry manages to be the one on top at the end of the regular season, he will be the first since Barry Sanders (1994, 96 and 97) to win three rushing titles in four seasons.
Early this season, he was outside the top 10. Henry failed to top 85 yards in the first three weeks and managed just 25 on 13 carries in a Week 2 loss at Buffalo.
Since then, however, he has piled up the yards. No one, in fact, has more than Henry over the past six weeks even though the Titans have played just five games during that time.
And that has allowed him to climb the leaderboard. Finally, there is no one ahead of him.
