NFL
Titans' Derrick Henry could be out for the rest of season
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry's hopes of making NFL history appear to be over, with injury perhaps set to end his season.
Derrick Henry suffered a potential season-ending injury in the Tennessee Titans' win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Titans improved to 6-2 with their 34-31 overtime victory in Indianapolis.
However, there was a price to pay - according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Henry could now miss the remainder of the campaign. Subsequent reports have revealed Henry is believed to have broken a bone in his foot and will undergo an MRI scan.
It is tough to oversell Henry's importance to the Titans, who have leaned on the running back as the undisputed focal point of their offense for the last three seasons. This season, Henry has produced consistency to put him in position to threaten Eric Dickerson's record for rushing yards in a single season. He leads the NFL with 947 yards, 288 more than his nearest challenger, the Colts' Jonathan Taylor.
Henry's numbers
Averaging 117.1 yards per game, he is on pace for 1,990, though several more performances of 100 yards or more could put him within striking distance of the 2,105 Dickerson racked up in 1984. Now that record seems set to stand, with the AFC South-leading Titans likely to put more of the burden on quarterback Ryan Tannehill in Henry's absence.
Henry had continued to deliver despite a workload that would see lesser running backs break down under the strain. He carried the ball a league-leading 303 times in 2019 and increased that number to 379 last season, winning the rushing title in back-to-back years.
The former Alabama star had already tallied 219 rush attempts this season, with backup Jeremy McNichols used predominantly as a pass-catcher. Tennessee will not lean on McNichols or Darrynton Evans in the same way, meaning the onus will be on Tannehill to lead the Titans on what they hope will be a deep playoff run.