Derrick Henry sends perfect message after leading Titans to victory
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans got back in the win column on Sunday with a 17-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Tennessee was led both on and off the field by star running back Derrick Henry, who tallied 78 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Henry also reached a milestone, surpassing 9,000 career rushing yards […]
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans got back in the win column on Sunday with a 17-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Tennessee was led both on and off the field by star running back Derrick Henry, who tallied 78 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Henry also reached a milestone, surpassing 9,000 career rushing yards during the game and becoming just the 39th player in NFL history to hit 9k.
Henry led the Titans' offense down the stretch, leaning on the Carolina defense and breaking some big runs to burn clock and ice the game. That leadership carried over into Henry’s postgame interview where he sent the best message possible.
Even after a win, the 29-year-old running back was not satisfied. In Henry’s eyes, Sunday was not good enough and he needs to do more moving forward.
“No, I feel like I could have done a little bit better today,” said Henry when I asked him if he was happy with his performance in the game. “Just going to watch the film and grow from it. Try to be better and work on it as this week comes up and hopefully it translates.”
This is not the first time the Titans’ running back has been critical in his self evaluation. Earlier this week, Henry told Titans media that he was focusing on being more effective and efficient with his touches. Henry was looking to create more explosive plays. What had been going wrong? “That’s just my fault. Me executing and doing what I need to do to make the play effective,” said Henry.
But anybody familiar with Titans football in 2023 would tell you that Henry’s numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Henry's touch volume has been hindered by the Titans' play volume on offense. His offensive line has also been a mess and the run blocking hasn’t been there for him consistently. Henry gets hit in the backfield too often and has had limited opportunities to get his legs churning before being hit.
When it comes to the lack of explosive run plays and inefficiency of Tennessee’s ground game, very little of the blame falls on Henry’s shoulders. That's something Mike Vrabel made clear to me after Sunday's win.
“We've just got to block better,” said Vrabel when I asked him for his opinion on Henry’s play after the game. “But when there was some space—it was cool in the four-minute there. It was fantastic. Again, we've just got to get him started and not beat ourselves with negative yardage runs.”
When the Titans have given Henry room to run, he has consistently made the necessary plays to win football games. But even when the blame doesn’t fall on Henry, he still strives for perfection and sends a great message to his teammates. Even when he has scored twice, reached a milestone, and helped the Titans win, he demands excellence of himself. That's something every player in the locker room notices and respects.
"This guy scored two TDs and climbed spots up the record book but he still wants more from himself. That's what you have to respect about Derrick Henry," said veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after the game.
The Titans should not be satisfied with their win on Sunday. They should absolutely try and use it as momentum to carry over into a winning streak, but beating a 1-10 football team by one score at home and not scoring in the second half is nothing to hang your hat on. I think Henry knows as much.
A win is a win. It’s true. It’s always good to get back in the win column and taste victory, but there is no room for complacency in the National Football League. If more Titans take on the same personal challenge and accountability that Henry does, the Titans may actually find a few more wins this season.
Derrick Henry gives Mike Vrabel ringing endorsement
Derrick Henry backs up head coach Mike Vrabel.
