The Tennessee Titans might be without their star running back in week 14 as they face the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
As Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio prepares his players for their Week 14 opponent, the Tennessee Titans, the status of one of Tennessee’s top offensive playmakers is in limbo.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Titans running back Derrick Henry, who left Sunday’s game vs. the Indianapolis Colts with concussion-like symptoms, has entered concussion protocol, leaving his availability for Tennessee’s matchup vs. the Miami Dolphins — on Monday Night Football — in jeopardy.
Titans’ RB Derrick Henry, who left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter to be checked for a concussion, is in concussion protocol, leaving his status for Monday night’s game at Miami in question.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2023
Henry, 29, is currently second in the NFL in rushing yards with 841 yards on 197 attempts. Only San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has more yards with 1,032 yards. (Raheem Mostert is third, FWIW) Henry also has eight rushing touchdowns. To compare that to what Miami’s running backs have done this season, Mostert currently leads the league with 14 rushing touchdowns (16 total), while rookie De’Von Achane has seven rushing touchdowns (9 total).
Still, very few running backs can do what Henry does. A rare blend of speed and power — which, if you didn’t see on Sunday, Miami gave up 7 yards per carry to Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson. Yes, the game was out of hand, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but there were a few times Robinson bulldozed his way for easy yardage.
Safety Jevon Holland should be back, but with Jerome Baker likely out for an extended period, Miami may struggle to tackle a back of Henry’s caliber. With Henry, the Titans’ offense has averaged 108.9 yards per game this season — but they have improved that number to 116 yards over their last three.
This season, Miami’s defense has allowed only 96.6 yards per game on the ground. However, with Jalen Ramsey back in the lineup over their last three games, Miami has held opponents to 67.7 rushing yards per game.
If Henry can’t play, the Titans will turn to rookie running back Tyjae Spears. Spears has had a productive start to his career, averaging 5 yards per carry through 13 weeks of the season. On Sunday, vs. the Indianapolis Colts, Spears carried the ball 16 times for 75 yards and added four receptions for 13 yards.
As a Derrick Henry stan (go back and look at the 2016 Mock draft if you don’t believe me), I hope he’s out there on Monday Night. Because even with an #elite RB like Henry, I’m confident that the Miami Dolphins will roll right through the Titans on their way to the AFC East title.
UPDATE (1:15 PM): Mike Vrabel says Derrick Henry is not in concussion protocol
#Titans Mike Vrabel said as of now Derrick Henry is not in concussion protocol.
“We checked on him last night, then checked on him in the morning.”
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 4, 2023
What are your thoughts on the Tennessee Titans? Do you think Henry will play on Monday? How do you feel sitting at 9-3 on this Victory Monday? Let us know in the comments section below.
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