Despite playing in the second half of the season without MVP candidate Derrick Henry, the Titans remained the top seed in the American League until the final week of the regular season. Now, the once-season 2,000-yard running back injury is gradually recovering, which is great news for the Titans.
Sources say Henry underwent foot surgery last November and is still in recovery, and the Titans hope he will be out of the injury list in three weeks. If the Titans can win the final week to lock in the top seed, Henry will get another three weeks off, so the Titans have a much better chance of winning in the playoffs. We've all seen that the Titans have had a tough game lately, with the team losing half of the last six games and not getting back in shape until those two.
Losing their most impactful number one running back, the Titans' offensive ability was greatly reduced, and opponents did not have to invest a lot of personnel on the offensive front to prevent Henry from running the ball. Henry's absence, coupled with injuries to two major receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, put a lot of pressure on the defensive group with quarterback Lane Tannehir without top technical teammates. The Titans, who lacked major generals, greatly reduced their offensive ability and made more mistakes.
It remains to be seen how important a role Henry will play once he returns. In a team that relies heavily on the road attack, the Titans rely heavily on Henry, and his unique punching style, combined with his personal ability, makes him unstoppable on many occasions. However, Henry, after recovering from injury, should be more careful in use, although the leg injury recovered and re-adapted to the game, but the outbreak always needs a process.
Now the Titans are opening the door for Henry's return. "We've already discussed this, so we'll see." Head coach Mike Flabell said: "He's recovering today, wait until he feels okay, we'll probably make a decision in midweek. "Henry was expected to rest 6-10 weeks when he was injured, and now 10 weeks have passed. But the team's playoff situation is also delicate now, and only by beating the Houston Texans in Week 18 can the top seed be retained. Remember that the Titans have already lost to the Texans once this year.
When Henry was injured, his dashing yards were far ahead of the others, rushing out of 937 yards. Despite missing eight games, Henry's rush is still sixth of all running backs this season. Deonte Freeman rushed out 497 yards after Henry fell and led the Titans, with the team winning 5-3 in those 8 games that Henry was absent.
(Great White)