Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports
Henry's Run on NFL Records Continues
Mike Vrabel started to read the note given to him by a member of the Tennessee Titans’ public relations staff Saturday night.
He did not finish it. He did not need to.
No one understands the brilliance and impact of running back Derrick Henry better than his second-year head coach. No numbers were going to add to his appreciation of the 2019 NFL rushing champion who has become a central figure in the current postseason. Not after he watched Henry shoulder the offensive load once again Saturday in the Titans’ 28-12 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium.
“They handed me a sheet that said, ‘The only player in NFL history … ,’ Vrabel said. “So, whatever comes after that. I mean, it’s pretty much self-explanatory when it’s ‘only player in NFL history’ blah blah blah blah blah.”
Maybe it said that Henry is the only player in NFL history to rush for better than 180 yards in three straight games, which he is. He rolled up 190 on 30 carries against the Ravens, which accounted for 63.3 percent of his team’s total. And that does not include his third-quarter touchdown pass out of the wildcat formation to Corey Davis, which made it 21-6. That performance followed his 182-yard effort on 34 attempts in the wild card victory over New England and his 211 yards on 32 rushes in the regular season finale at Houston.
Perhaps it said that Henry is the only player in NFL history to rush for better than 180 yards in multiple road playoff games – never mind in consecutive weeks – which he is. The only other player to top 180 in the postseason on the road was the New York Jets’ Freeman McNeil, who ran for 202 in a 1982 wild victory at Cincinnati.
It could have said that Henry is the first player ever with 170-plus rushing yards in consecutive playoff games, which he is.
Whatever it said, Henry probably was no help.
“I’m more happy we won,” he said. “I mean, stats and all that stuff is good. But we got the win and we’re advancing. That’s the most important thing.”
In just two games, Henry has rushed for more yards this postseason than any player since the Titans’ all-time rushing leader Eddie George ran for 449 yards in four games as Tennessee went from wild card to Super Bowl XXXIV runner-up. Last year, for example, New England’s Sony Michel was the NFL’s playoff rushing leader with 336 yards – in three games.
A rundown of the NFL’s top playoff rushers (1999-present):
| Player, team, year | Yards | Carries | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
Eddie George, Tennessee 1999 | 449 | 108 | 3 |
Derrick Henry, Tennessee 1999 | 377 | 64 | 1 |
LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh 2016 | 357 | 65 | 2 |
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore 2000 | 338 | 103 | 4 |
Sony Michel, New England 2018 | 336 | 71 | 6 |
Frank Gore, San Francisco 2012 | 319 | 63 | 3 |
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle 2014 | 318 | 63 | 2 |
Marshall Faulk, St. Louis 2001 | 317 | 64 | 3 |
It should be noted that everyone on that list other than Henry produced those numbers in at least three games.
Henry’s total this postseason already ranks seventh all-time. He needs 14 yards in next weekend’s AFC Championship to pass Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas (390 yards in 1990) for sixth place.
With 23 more yards he will become the fifth player in NFL history to rush for at least 400 yards in a single playoff year. Three of the other four, Terrell Davis (twice), John Riggins and Marcus Allen, did it for Super Bowl champions. The other was George, who was part of a team that came up just short.
“It’s fun to get to coach him,” Vrabel said of Henry. “He’s got a great energy. He’s durable. He’s physical. And I’m glad he’s with us.”
