Derrick Henry isn’t having merely a good playoff performance — he’s doing what no other running back has ever done before.
With his 195-yard outing against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, and 182-yard effort against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card game, Henry became the first player in NFL history to rush for 175 yards or more in two or more playoff games in the same postseason.
But the historic numbers don’t stop there.
Henry has rushed for more yards in a players’ first four playoff games than any running back in history.
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Henry, thanks to his 211 yards in the regular season finale against the Houston Texans, is also the first running back in league history to to record three consecutive games rushing for at least 180 yards.
Henry’s Herculean performance is reminiscent of the efforts of Hall of Fame Washington Redskins running back John Riggins showing in the 1982 playoffs.
Washington won the Super Bowl thanks in large part to Riggins running for 610 yards over the span of four playoff games. Riggins, like Henry is doing now, was given the ball repeatedly when the games mattered most, getting the ball 136 times including a Super Bowl record 38 attempts against the Miami Dolphins.
Henry’s performance is so far outpacing Riggins legendary postseason. Through two playoff games, Henry has gotten the ball 64 times and gained 377 yards; Riggins got 62 carries and gained 304 yards in Washington’s first two playoff games.
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Henry has also caught three passes while Riggins did not catch a single ball out of the backfield; and Henry has scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing) while Riggins had one score after two games.
Washington won a Super Bowl thanks in large part to having a future Hall of Fame running back and giving him the ball over and over again.
The Titans have used a similar approach with Henry and its gotten them to the AFC Championship. John Riggins cemented himself in NFL lore with his efforts in 1982, and Derrick Henry is looking to do the same.
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