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Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is about as humble and team-oriented a player as you’ll find in the NFL, and that was true even after his dominant performance in Week 6 against the Houston Texans.
Henry had his best game of the 2020 season thus far, as he compiled 212 yards on the ground, 52 yards through the air, and a pair of rushing scores, including one that went for 94 yards and another that was the game-winner in overtime.
When asked about his performance after the game, Henry was more interested in talking about the team rather than his own personal effort, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“I’m praising my teammates — those guys are incredible,” Henry said. “Other guys make plays, it wasn’t me. I just had to go out there and do my job. A lot of guys were big in critical moments, all my teammates. Just happy to be on this team, happy to be part of this organization. We’re 5-0 playing good team football no matter what. No matter how the game is going, we’re going to stay together and finish games. Just happy to be on this team. All my teammates are doing an incredible job and hats off to them. Ain’t nothing about me.”
So, where did Henry learn to be so humble? Well, that lesson came from his grandmother, as he told the media following the Titans’ fifth win of the 2020 campaign.
.@KingHenry_2 on why he's so humble: I know it can be here today, and gone tomorrow. I have been blessed, me and my family. I am appreciative of my opportunities. My grandmother always told me to be humble.@Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 18, 2020
Henry’s physical gifts were on full display during his 94-yard run. Not only did he weave in and out of traffic and use his stiff-arm to get to the open field, he also flashed the kind of breakaway speed that is unheard of for a large man that stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 247 pounds.
Derrick Henry's best plays from his 212-yard game đ
đș: Watch more @KingHenry_2 highlights on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/6m4LXjzBzG
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 18, 2020
Henry topped out at 21.6 miles per hour on that play, but he says he still isn’t satisfied with that speed, saying “I want to get to 22,” per Paul Kuharsky.
Henry’s 200-yard, two-touchdown game was the third of his career, which puts him in rare company. He is one of just four players in NFL history to accomplish such a feat, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
The other three are all Hall of Famers: Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson.
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