Colts Behind Enemy Lines: Titans RB Derrick Henry

The Indianapolis Colts will have to stop a familiar foe on Sunday in order to beat the Tennessee Titans.

It is rivalry week for the Indianapolis Colts when the Tennessee Titans come to Lucas Oil Field on Sunday. There’s certainly no love lost between both of these teams. With every team in the AFC South currently sitting at 2-2, this game becomes even more pivotal in the race to take control of the division.

The Colts are coming off a heartbreaking loss against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Titans are coming off a blowout victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Colts are a very different team than the ones the Titans have seen in the past, Tennessee remains much the same. Tennessee is a team with an outstanding defense and an offense constructed around the run game. 

Derrick Henry, so far this season, has 73 carries, 285 yards, and two touchdowns. He is also currently averaging a career-low in yards per carry at 3.9. He’s not the same back that he used to be, and while it appears Father Time is catching up with him, he did have his best game of the season last week against the Bengals, where he ran for 122 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.

The Titans’ entire game plan is predicated on the success of Henry. Their ability to throw the ball is through heavy play-action based on the running game.

The Titans don’t really vary how much they use Henry. They run him downhill through the A and B gaps. They also like to run toss plays and get him out on the perimeter when defending them with smaller ends.

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They do this to force your primary pass rushers to have to set the edge and contain. That can be a problem sometimes in Gus Bradley’s scheme, which teaches an attack front that causes some of the defensive linemen to immediately get upfield and leave rush lanes. The Colts will have to be very disciplined in this game.

The Colts gave up 164 yards on the ground to the Rams last week, largely because their best defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner, was on snap count while nursing a back injury. The Colts will have to play more base defense against Tennessee in order to stop Henry. Having an extra linebacker out there is essential to help fill gaps.

Shaquille Leonard, Zaire Franklin, and E.J. Speed must fill the rushing lanes that the Titans’ offensive line will open up. Tackling well in open space will be pivotal because Henry gains a huge chunk of his yards after contact. The Colts shouldn’t be discouraged if Henry gets over 100 yards if it takes him over 25 carries to do it.

The Titans will continue to feed Henry as long as the game is close, but one way to take him away completely is to jump out and get ahead early. The Colts will have their handful with the former 2,000-yard rusher, but if Buckner is healthy and Grover Stewart is there, I think they will be just fine.

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