NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry isn’t a big or brash talker. That’s why it stood out when he called his performance in the team’s regular-season finale “kind of soft.”
The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Alabama made up for that with an NFL postseason debut for the record books, but getting the second-year pro to acknowledge any change in his own confidence – or simply being pleased after a big game – is as tough as tackling him in the open field.
“I’m just trying to play better every week,” Henry said as the Titans prepared for a divisional playoff at AFC No. 1 seed New England on Saturday night. “I’m going to get another chance to play – it’s a great team in a good environment – so just making sure I’m doing all the right things this week.”
On Dec. 31, the Titans earned their first postseason berth since 2008 with a 15-10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Nashville. Henry had a 66-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass, but he averaged just 1.8 yards per carry that day, totaling 51 yards on 28 rushes.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) walks to a drill during an NFL football practice Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans are scheduled to play the New England Patriots in an AFC divisional round playoff game Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)In last Saturday’s 22-21 wild-card win at Kansas City, Henry rebounded by setting a franchise playoff record with 191 yards from scrimmage as he helped the Titans rally from an 18-point halftime deficit. He topped the previous mark set by Billy Cannon in January 1961 with the best postseason performance by a running back in at least a decade.