What It Will Take for Henry to Get to 2,000 Yards
Just a few weeks ago, the question loomed large. Would Derrick Henry be able to edge out Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook for the league’s rushing title?
The Tennessee Titans running back stayed ahead and created distance with 215 yards in Sunday’s 31-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, setting records and reaching new milestones as he marched up and down the field.
Henry now leads Cook by nearly 300 yards with three games remaining in the regular season. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in four of the last five games, and barring a few monster performances from Cook, Henry will be the league’s rushing king for a second straight season. Only 12 running backs in league history have won the rushing title in consecutive seasons.
Now, there are bigger ambitions for Henry to chase. While he is on pace to finish the season with 1,886 rushing yards, he has a chance to eclipse the elusive 2,000-yard mark -- something only seven running backs in league history have done. It has not been accomplished since 2012.
“Obviously, the team comes first,” running backs coach Tony Dews said. “However, obviously you are talking about potentially doing something that very few have ever done. I am sure that it’s exciting for Derrick and the teammates and all of those guys that are pulling for him to reach some personal goals as well. I have never been in this situation, so my thought is you do what is best for the team. If it happens along the way, that’s an awesome thing for him.”
Henry is averaging 117.8 rushing yards per game and has scored 14 touchdowns. Only eight players in NFL history have averaged more yards per game and scored at least 14 touchdowns in a season. Four of them rushed for 2,000 yards in a single season (Terrell Davis, Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Chris Johnson).
It will not be easy, and another 200-yard showing is more than likely required. In fact, Henry is a little behind the pace of the previous 2,000-yard rushers. Six of the seven had at least 1,600 yards after Week 14.
A breakdown of the seven running backs reached 2,000 yards:
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings, 2012: A seven-time Pro Bowler, a three-time rushing champion and well on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Peterson had exactly 1,600 yards through 14 weeks of the 2012 season. To reach 2,097 yards that season, Peterson ran for 212 yards in Week 15, 86 yards in Week 16 and 199 yards in Week 17.
Chris Johnson, Titans, 2009: Chris Johnson, better known as ‘CJ2K,’ is the only 2,000-yard rusher in Oilers/Titans history. He is third on the franchise’s all-time rushing list with 7,965 yards. After Week 14 in 2009, he had 1,629 yards, and to reach 2,006 total yards, he ran for 104 yards in Week 15, 142 in Week 16 and 134 in Week 17.
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens, 2003: Lewis had 1,622 yards after Week 14 of the 2003 season. To finish with 2,066 yards, Lewis exploded for more than 110 yards in each of his final three games. He amassed 125 yards in Week 15, 205 yards in Week 16 and 114 yards in Week 17.
Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos 1998: A Hall-of-Fame running back, Davis finished the 1998 season with 2,008 yards. Through Week 14, he had 1,654 yards. He ran for 147 yards in Week 15, a season-low 29 yards in Week 16 and 178 yards in Week 17.
Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions, 1997: A 10-time Pro Bowler and in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sanders had 1,594 yards and trailed Davis, who had 1,647 yards, through Week 14 of the 1997 season. He finished with 2,053 yards. To get there, Sanders registered 137 yards in Week 15, 138 in Week 16 and 184 yards in Week 17.
Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams, 1984: Dickerson had 1,792 yards through Week 14 of the 1984 season. To reach 2,105 yards -- an NFL single-season record -- Dickerson ran for 462 yards in the final three games of that season. He had 149 yards in Week 15, 215 in Week 16 and 98 in Week 17. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the six-time Pro Bowler led the league in rushing six times in his career, including in back-to-back seasons (1983, 1984).
O.J. Simpson, Buffalo Bills, 1973: This is an odd one. Back then, the NFL season was only 14 games long. Thus, what Simpson did was historic. He ran for 2,003 yards in those 14 contests and had three 200-yard showings that season. Simpson too is in the Hall of Fame and made six Pro Bowl appearances. He led the league in rushing four times.
HENRY’S PATH TO HISTORY
For Henry to reach 2,000 yards, he will need to string together three consecutive massive performances. But him doing that is far from a long shot. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in eight games this season and 15 times since Week 10 of last season, including postseason games.
Henry will face two of the worst rushing defenses in the league in the final three weeks, the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. The other matchup will be against a Green Bay Packers defense that ranks just outside of the top 10 in rushing defense.
The Lions own the 29th-ranked run defense. The unit has given up more than 1,700 yards on the season and on average, gives up 132.8 yards per contest. The Texans have the second-worst run defense in the league. Houston has given up 1,980 rushing yards this season and allows 152.3 yards per game.
While the Packers will be more of a challenge for Henry, their defense has given up its share of yards and has surrendered 109.7 yards per game to opposing rushers.
