Alabama Players in the NFL Tracker Week 15: Derrick Henry Continues Slam Way to Top

Another week, another milestone within reach for Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry

Kristi Patrick | Dec 21, 2020

We have a theory on this, albeit a not very good one.

When running back Bo Scarbrough played for the Detroit Lions he wore jersey No. 43. This past season he was placed on injured reserve, activated on Oct. 24 and then released a week later.

No. 43 is now worn by cornerback Alex Myres, who during his first game with the Lions on Sunday made the mistake of trying to make a high hit on Scarbrough's former teammate with the Crimson Tide, Derrick Henry.

Let's just say it don't go well for the first-year player out of Houston.

It was as if Henry took all the frustration Scarbrough felt this season (he subsequently signed with the Seahawks' practice squad only to suffer a season-ending hamstring injury) and channeled it into a stiff-arm slam that was the buzz of social media on Sunday.

Derrick Henry with the MEAN stiff arm! 👑

📺: Watch #DETvsTEN on CBS pic.twitter.com/1jhPLFZncg
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 20, 2020

Was it payback? Wrong place, wrong time is way more plausible, but Tony Dungy had the best line when he called it "Roughing the tackler." Henry rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown in the Titans' 46-25 win.

Henry, who led the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards and had 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019, has 1,679 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns this season.

He joined former Alabama running back Shaun Alexander joins (2004-05), Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis (1997-98) and Larry Johnson (2005-06) as the only players in NFL history with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 102.3 rating and had 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on Sunday against Arizona.

Hurts is the first rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw at least three touchdown passes and rush for a touchdown in his first career road start.

Per Elias, he's also the first player in NFL history with 500 passing yards and 150 rushing yards during his first two career starts.

NFL Week 15 moves

• The Eagles signed offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher off the Washington practice squad.

• The Raiders placed wide receiver Henry Ruggs III on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

• The Giants protected long-snapper Carson Tinker on their practice squad.

• Cornerback Trevon Diggs had his status changed by the Cowboys to Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return. On Saturday, Diggs was activated.

• Lions place defensive lineman De'Shawn Hand on the Injured Reserve with an ankle injury.

• Cowboys place cornerback Saivion Smith on the Practice Squad; Injured list.

• Center Ross Pierschbacher was activated from being on Washington's Exempt/Commissioner Permission list.

Hurts Talk Popular

It didn't take long for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to talk about Jalen Hurts after his former Alabama teammate made his first career NFL start last weekend.

On Wednesday, he was asked about it during his teleconference with reporters.

“Yeah, I wasn’t able to talk to him before the game or after the game, but I would say maybe two or three weeks, we’ve talked a good amount about whatever situation he was in and whatnot," Tagovailoa told AllDolphins.com. "We were going back and forth talking about it. I’m happy to see him and how successful he’s been. That’s a big win against the Saints. So congratulations to Jalen and his team. I hope he continues to do well.”

He wasn't the only one talking about Hurts' start and win against the Saints and their league-best defense.

For example, Eagle Maven posted what Brett Favre said about Jalen Hurts on his weekly SiriusXM NFL Radio show.

“As I watched that game, I couldn’t help but think, over and over again, this looks like a legitimate Philly team,” Brett Favre said on his radio show, The SiriusXM Blitz. “I was kind of taken back to the year they won the Super Bowl.”

He added: “They played a heck of a football game against a heck of a football team. They beat the Saints, and it wasn’t a fluke. They played their butts off. And you have to give credit where credit is due.

“Jalen Hurts played an excellent football game. He gave them a spark. And again, I’m not knocking Carson Wentz. I’ve said on the show that I was surprised that they didn’t go with Nick Foles, but that’s not a knock against Carson Wentz. What Carson can do well is certainly different from what Jalen does well. And we knew that Jalen could give them that element of scrambling, the threat of run, but it was even better than I thought it could have been. He played outstanding.”

Peter King of NBC Sports said Hurts is “the right man for this time in Philadelphia” and “he has the perfect background for this gig.”

Yes, King was talking about his time at Alabama.

“He played confidently, with no fear,” King added. “It was amazing to see (Doug) Pederson go for it on fourth-and-two at the New Orleans 15-yard line early in the second quarter. Hurts threw a perfect back-shoulder-pass to Alshon Jeffery (he’s still on the team?) at the left pylon. Touchdown.

On that closing first-half drive, King wrote, Hurts was “weaving through a terrific defense like he was running ’Bama again and the Saints for a moment were Vanderbilt. … He was as in command as a first-time starter could be. At the very least, the Eagles learned the kid can take the heat and deliver under pressure.”

NFL Week 15 Preview

While numerous former Alabama football players are in the middle of the NFL's playoff chase, Derrick Henry is at a different level while pursuing history.

When the Tennessee Titans host the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Henry just needs one rushing touchdown to become the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons.

Henry, who is trying is trying to be the first player to repeat as the NFL rushing champion since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006-07, leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,532) and is tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns (14).

Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings was challenging Henry, but is now nearly 200 yards in his rear-view mirror with 1,352.

Last week, Henry rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns to become the first player in NFL history with four career games with at least 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

He also has seven career games with at least 170 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (seven games) for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only two Hall of Famers have more, Tomlinson (11 games) and Jim Brown (nine).

Henry, who rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns during Week 6 and rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12, is the fifth player with three games of 175-or-more rushing yards and two-or-more rushing touchdowns within a single season. He joined Jamal Lewis (2003), Joe Morris, (1986), Tomlinson (2006) and Rickey Williams (2002).

Matchup of the Week

• It's fun to see younger players in the NFL reunited on Sundays, especially when they may have been former teammates. When the Patriots visit the Dolphins, running back Damien Harris and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be on opposite sidelines.

Harris is aiming for his third-straight game with 50-plus rushing yards, while Tagovailoa has his first 300-yard game last week. He's had no passes intercepted in five of his six starts, and leads rookies with 95.2 NFL passer rating (min. 100 attempts).

NFL Week 15 Schedule

Thursday, December 17

Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders, 7:20 p.m., CT, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon

Saturday, December 19

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, 3:30 p.m., NFL Network

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers, 7:15 p.m., NFL Network

Sunday, December 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, noon, Fox

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens, noon, CBS

San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys, noon, CBS

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts, noon, CBS

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, noon, CBS

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings, noon, Fox

Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans, noon, CBS

Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team, noon, Fox

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, 3 p.m., Fox

New York Jets at Los Angeles Rams, 3 p.m., Fox

Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints, 3:25 p.m., CBS

Cleveland Browns at New York Giants, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday, December 21

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

NFL Week 15 Notes

• With the Cowboys already missing defensive backs Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Chidobe Awuzie, against the Bengals last week, with Saivion Smith among those pressed into service. He left with an injury midway through the game, only to return and finish. On Monday it came out the ailment had been, a fractured hand.

• The Raiders will likely lean heavily on running back Josh Jacobs against the Chargers on Thursday night. He's found the end zone three straight game agains the AFC West rival, plus has 100-plus scrimmage yards in three of his four career primetime games.

• While his interception got a lot of attention last week, the three passes defended by cornerback Levi Wallace were a career high.

• In 16 career games against the Buccaneers, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has 114 receptions for 1,841 yards (115.1 per game) and 11 touchdowns.

• Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey had two forced fumbles last week, and leads the league with eight this season. It's the most forced fumbles by a defensive back since Charles Tillman (10 in 2012).

• Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper needs 58 receiving yards for the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career.