Eye-opening Derrick Henry stat isn't something for Titans fans to worry about
The Tennessee Titans suffered an agonizing defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in Week One. For the second year in a row, the Titans began their season with a one-point loss to an NFC opponent. Many Titans fans have pointed out that Derrick Henry was not as featured in this game as […]
The Tennessee Titans suffered an agonizing defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in Week One. For the second year in a row, the Titans began their season with a one-point loss to an NFC opponent.
Many Titans fans have pointed out that Derrick Henry was not as featured in this game as he normally is. ESPN's Turron Davenport confirmed that after the game, showing that Henry saw less snaps than rookie Tyjae Spears.
Henry saw 28 offensive snaps, which was just under half of all plays. Spears, on the other hand, saw 33 which was 56% of all offensive snaps.
While it may be alarming to see such a distribution, this doesn't tell the full story. Spears lined up as a receiver on several plays and the two backs also saw the field together at points. It's clear the Titans want to use Spears as a receiver and it almost resulted in a TD at one point, but Ryan Tannehill missed the wide-open RB.
Henry ended the day with 15 carries for 63 yards and no scores. Spears, while playing more snaps, only received three carries for 27 yards. Spears did receive four targets from Tannehill, however, indicating that the rookie will be used in the passing game more than on the ground.
It's clear that Henry is still the lead back. His 15 carries to Spears' three paints a clearer picture than just looking at the snap count. Spears was on the field because the Titans were desperately trying to get something going through the air. Would I have liked to see Henry get more involved? Absolutely. But clearly, the team valued Spears' pass-catching ability in that game script.
Going forward, there's no reason to be concerned about Henry. Spears will take SOME carries away, but Henry will undoubtedly receive the bulk once again. Having both of these backs on the field together is not a bad thing, by the way. Spears being a factor in the passing game will only open up the offense as the season progresses.
Another factor to consider is the penalties. On several occasions, the Titans had positive momentum killed by penalties which forced the team into a passing situation. When you're down and backed up by penalties, you have no choice but to try and pass the ball.
In the Titans' ideal game script, Henry is still pounding the rock and Spears is on the field for pass plays.
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Featured image via © Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
