The Tennessee Titans were dealt a crushing blow earlier this week with the injury diagnosis to All-Pro running back Derrick Henry.
He suffered an injury to his fifth metatarsal in his foot, which has led many to speculate that he is dealing with the dreaded Jones fracture.
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Whether this will end Henry’s season remains to be seen, but it seems like a good bet that he’ll miss at least two months of action.
The former Heisman Trophy winner underwent surgery on Tuesday morning.
This leaves the Titans in an interesting spot.
They were a team whose identity was forged by Henry’s bruising rushing style.
Their ability to control the clock gave them a blueprint for winning games week in and week out.
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Tennessee still has a lot of time to figure out how they will replace Henry, but they’ve already brought in future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson, who figures to absorb some early-down snaps.
While Henry’s injury definitely is a setback, it might not be a death knell for Tennessee, and here are three reasons why.
3. Ryan Tannehill’s Ascension
A couple of short years ago, most folks would’ve looked sideways at the notion that Ryan Tannehill could lead a passing attack worthy enough of keeping a team afloat.
But given his performance since taking over as the starter for the Titans midway through the 2019 campaign, Tannehill has done enough to prove that he’s viable enough to keep his team in games.
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It’ll be interesting to see how he performs without the crutch of Henry’s 20-30 touches per game, but he’ll likely do just fine.
The former college wide receiver may utilize his legs more in RPO type of scenarios in the Titans offense, and his athleticism will help his cause in order to keep the chains moving.
Plus, he has one of the best young wide receivers in the game in A.J. Brown, who has become a star without another consistent passing threat on the field (since Julio Jones has not been able to remain on the field).
Just Ryan Tannehill trying to do an interview while his @Titans teammates celebrate their OT win against the Colts
Conventional wisdom would lead fans to believe that the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry has been shredding tacklers left and right due to his massive frame.
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It’s an easy narrative to follow, and it’s largely true since Henry is one of the most difficult players to square up and bring down in the NFL.
The mammoth human being nearly rushed for 1,000 yards in half a season, as he had 937 ground yards to his name before going down.
But the Titans offensive line deserves a ton of credit this year for establishing control at the line of scrimmage, and giving Henry room to operate.
Henry leads the league in rushing yards, and rushing yards before contact.
In fact, nearly half of his production on the ground (450 yards) has been gained before a defender laid a finger on him.
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Whether Peterson, Jeremy McNichols, or other backs are tasked with replacing Henry, having clear rushing lanes should help keep their attack on schedule.
The Titans are currently 6-2, and sit in a comfortable position in the AFC, and perhaps more relevantly, in the AFC South.
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The Indianapolis Colts, whom they just defeated on Sunday, are 3-5, and are second in the division.
A three-game lead in the loss column, plus a season series sweep of Indianapolis has Tennessee in an advantageous position to say the least.
While they have a stiff road test coming up in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, they still have three games remaining against division foes, plus a game against the struggling Miami Dolphins.
They’ll have time to workshop some things and figure out how they want to play without Henry, and their current division lead keeps a deep January and February run in play.
In one of the more surprising developments of the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are not where most people thought they would be at the midway point.
They’re currently a .500 team, and just climbed back to that threshold after a struggle of a contest against the New York Giants on Monday night.
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Given the exceptional track record they’ve put together over the last few seasons, it’s still too early to panic about Kansas City’s slow start.
With that being said, there are certainly cracks in the armor for a team that seemed to be a shoe-in for the AFC title game, at worst.
The Chiefs did acquire Melvin Ingram before the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it should help a defense that has struggled so far in 2021.
However, there were a couple of other moves out there Kansas City would’ve been well advised to pursue that could have helped them just as much.
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2. Marlon Mack
Patrick Mahomes is one of the most naturally gifted quarterbacks the game has ever seen, but he’s uncharacteristically forced some things that have led to turnovers.
There’s not much concern that he’ll revert back to the MVP-level form that we’re all accustomed to seeing.
However, every quarterback benefits from a solid supporting cast, which includes a viable running game.
Starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still not ready to return after suffering a knee injury in Week 5.
Since that time, Kansas City has patched it together in the backfield with the likes of Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore.
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Even though Edwards-Helaire is the clear leader in that room, he probably hasn’t been as good as the draft capital invested in him (first round in 2020) would suggest.
For injury-related or competition-related reasons, the Chiefs would’ve been wise to bring on Marlon Mack from the Indianapolis Colts.
He appears to be fully healthy after his Achilles injury in 2020, and would’ve served as a viable option for carries over Williams and Gore.
The #Colts and RB Marlon Mack have agreed to mutually seek a trade, per sources. Mack is fully healthy after last year’s Achilles tear. But Jonathan Taylor as the bell cow and Nyheim Hines recently extended, Mack is hoping for opportunities elsewhere.
To be clear, bringing on the likes of an Odell Beckham Jr. would have been a luxury add for Kansas City, and would’ve cost a lot more to bring in than a rotational back like Mack.
But if the Chiefs are interested in getting back to the AFC title game, and perhaps a Super Bowl in a possible rematch with a loaded Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, a move like that would have been justified.
Beckham has been released by the Cleveland Browns, and it’s possible the Chiefs knew this would happen, and didn’t want to part with compensation due to that prediction.
With that said, a day-three draft pick probably would’ve been accepted by Cleveland.
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While fellow supremely talented wide receiver Josh Gordon is playing more each week, the chances of him recapturing anything close to his old form after two years away are slim.
Beckham doesn’t figure to be the same player he once was either, but he has at least been in the league competing consistently.
Kansas City offers Beckham a team with a well-defined structure, and an offense that loves to air it out.
In Week 5’s edition of TNF, Aaron Donald became the Rams all-time franchise Sacks leader as they came out on top in a divisional affair with the Seattle Seahawks. The perennial All-Pro and 3x DPOY reached 88.5 sacks on Thursday, surpassing St. Louis Rams legend Leonard Little in the official sacks era (since 1982). Donald has long been considered a top player in the NFL, and this is just another milestone in what will end up being a surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame career.
Most career SK in #Rams history since officially tracked in 1982: 1. Aaron Donald (88.5)^ 2. Leonard Little (87.5) 3. Kevin Greene (72.5) T4. Kevin Carter, Robert Quinn (62.5) 6. Chris Long (54.5) pic.twitter.com/4oHQ5j6NXr
Because Aaron Donald is shorter than the average DT and almost every O-Lineman, he has the leverage advantage on almost every snap where he can get under the blocker’s pads and execute the popular football phrase “low man wins”. Something he executes better than anybody who’s ever played the game.
2. STRENGTH
Aaron Donald is far from the average 6’0” male and thus, using his near-superhero strength, he is able to bully his way through offensive lineman, taking the most direct route to the quarterback as he continuously bullrushes weaker Offensive Lineman that have no chance to stop the brute strength the 3x DPOY possesses.
3. QUICKNESS
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Even with his incredible strength and power, Donald is also one of the quickest defensive lineman in recent memory. He uses a combination of speed finesse and power moves to easily evade blockers, go from one gap to another in the blink of an eye, and wiggle past opposing blockers with ease.
Most career SK in #Rams history since officially tracked in 1982: 1. Aaron Donald (88.5)^ 2. Leonard Little (87.5) 3. Kevin Greene (72.5) T4. Kevin Carter, Robert Quinn (62.5) 6. Chris Long (54.5) pic.twitter.com/4oHQ5j6NXr