Don’t hurt ‘em, Derrick. Stiff-arm king Derrick Henry was at it again Monday night, going for a hat trick with three touchdowns in the Titans’ upset of Buffalo. The former Heisman winner was electric, massacring the Bills (who entered the night as commanding six-point road favorites) for 143 yards on the ground with more than half of that output coming on this emphatic, 76-yard touchdown burst.
Henry, one of the heaviest running backs in football at a hulking 247 pounds, was moving at a clip of 21.8 mph, which, according to Next Gen Stats, is the fastest speed recorded by a ball-carrier this season. In a league inhabited by athletic freaks, Henry may be the most inexplicable creation yet, a baffling mutant sent by alien overlords to destroy mankind.
The 27-year-old ‘Bama alum (where else would he be from?) has topped 100 yards rushing in five straight games, bulldozing his way to 10 touchdowns (six of those coming in the past two weeks) over that span. Adding to his legacy as one of the most punishing backs, not just of his era but of all-time, Henry told Mario Addison—not exactly a lightweight at 6’3”/260—to talk to the hand, stiff-arming the Bills veteran into oblivion.
For those not watching Red Sox/Astros on FS1, Henry’s disrespectful but nonetheless dazzling display had Twitter in awe with observers marveling at the reigning Offensive Player of the Year’s herculean strength.
A consistent thorn in Buffalo’s side, Henry emasculating Addison Monday night reminded many of a similar encounter he had a year ago with Josh Norman, steamrolling the Pro Bowler like a trash compactor.
Henry ultimately lost yardage on the play, though history will only remember him putting Addison in a body bag. Barring injury, Henry appears well on his way to a third straight rushing title, pacing the league with 783 yards through six games. With the NFL moving to a 17-game schedule this year, the former second-round pick should challenge Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105 yards), a mark that has stood since 1983. Facing an anemic Chiefs defense permitting 133.2 rushing yards per game (sixth-most), look for King Henry to feast when the Titans host Kansas City in Week 7.
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