Derrick Henry had no words for what was arguably the worst day of his NFL career. Henry played no role in Sunday's overtime loss to the Houston Texans, as he rushed 16 times for nine yards and had four catches for one yard.
For those counting at home, that's 20 touches for 10 yards. According to CBS Sports Research, Henry had the fewest scrimmage yards in a game since 1950 for any player who had 20 or more touches of the ball. He is the first player to have 20 touches and fewer than 15 scrimmage yards in a game. Henry averaged 0.5 yards per touch.
The performance left Henry in doubt about his future with the Tennessee Titans, who were eliminated from the playoffs with three games left.
“There was definitely that feeling today,” Henry said in a team note after the game. “We were hoping to get in there and then be eliminated knowing there were three games left. I've been here my whole career. I definitely want to go out strong, but that's not the case. I’m just trying. “Give it my all in the last three games and leave everything on the field.”
Derrick Henry
TEN • RB • #22
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This season has been a busy one for Henry, who has 230 carries for 884 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 3.8 yards per carry is a career low, and the 63.1 rushing yards per game is also a career low.
Henry will be a free agent after the season and the Titans are in the midst of a rebuild with Will Levis at quarterback. The Henry era – along with Ryan Tannehill – appears to be in its final weeks. Henry turns 30 in January and has scored double-digit rushing touchdowns in six straight seasons, but he may have to continue his NFL career elsewhere.
“I have big plans. I feel like I can get better and do a lot of things better,” Henry said. “But at the end of the day it is what it is. I will always continue to work hard and strive to continue improving. I will never point fingers or blame anyone else.”
“If anything, I will criticize myself first, not anyone else, and that’s exactly what happened this year.”