The Extra Point: Derrick Henry's 2020 Season More Than Worthy of a King

Maybe the biggest surprise regarding Derrick Henry's 2,000-yard season was that the former Alabama standout didn't land a single MVP vote

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry was "a little surprised' that he did not receive a single vote for this past season's top NFL individual honor.

Per All Titans, he became the 10th running back since 1953 and first since 2006-2007 to win consecutive rushing titles. Even more historically, he joined one of the most hallowed groups in all of sports, the 2,000-yard club. He is one of eight running backs in it. Plenty of Hall-of-Famers are members of both, of course.

Despite all of that, former Alabama standout and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry did not receive a single MVP vote.

“I had the fifth most (yards) in NFL history," Henry said during a February appearance on Bussin’ With the Boys, the Barstool Sports podcast hosted by his teammates, linebacker Will Compton and Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan. 

"Just acknowledge me a little bit.”

Henry wasn't even one of the three finalists for the award. The runners-up to Green Bay’s Rodgers were two other quarterbacks, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo's Josh Allen.

Henry was honored as the Offensive Player of the Year after running for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns while claiming his second straight rushing title.

The yards were the fifth most in league history, and the touchdowns were third in the league last season.  

Only eight running backs have ever had a 2,000-yard season. One of them, Barry Sanders, is already on the record as saying Henry could be the first to do it twice.

“If I go for 2,000 yards again and don’t win it,” he said, “that’s disrespectful.”


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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.