Following a one-week hiatus due to a hamstring, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry will play the Houston Texans in Sunday’s finale at NRG Stadium.
The Titans are entering the week with a mindset of “must-win.” If they don’t do so, they will find themselves out of the playoffs, if they don’t get the help they need. Henry’s return in Houston is ever-so-valuable for a team seeking to get to the postseason after not doing so in 2018.
Henry will help them. The Titans sorely missed his powerful rushing in Week 16’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.
“I think Derrick Henry is an excellent running back,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on Thursday. “Big, downhill guy. He’s played a lot of football this year. I’m sure that week off probably helped him be ready to go. We know that we’ve got a lot of respect for Derrick. We’ve played against him a lot and he’s a tough guy. He’s a tough guy to handle and we’re going to have to be ready to go.”
Despite missing a contest, Henry ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,329) and third in total touchdowns (15). The former Heisman Trophy winner has 4.4 speed to go alongside his 6-3, 247-pound frame, making a prototype power back seemingly impossible to tackle on the first attempt.
According to Player Profiler, Henry ranks second in the NFL in breakaway runs (13) and ninth in evaded tackles (77). Per Pro Football Reference, he creates 3.4 yards on average after contact.
The last time Houston faced Henry, in Week 15, they did a better job limiting him than his last opponents. He rushed for 86 yards on 21 attempts, the first time he was held under 103 rushing yards in over a month.
The Texans could enter Week 17 without anything to play for, as the Kansas City Chiefs, with a win, can lock them into the fourth seed. However, for Henry, he’s playing to help the Titans get to the postseason, and the Texans should expect him to run angry as always.