The New England Patriots suffered their earliest playoff exit since the 2009-10 campaign this past Saturday, falling to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round.
Derrick Henry ran wild on the Patriots in the Titans' 20-13 win, carrying the ball 34 times for 182 yards and a touchdown.
With Ryan Tannehill throwing for just 71 yards, Henry's monster outing was obviously the biggest reason why Tennessee's offense had any sort of success, and Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas understands that ahead of the Ravens' Divisional Round matchup with the Titans this weekend.
But Thomas doesn't necessarily foresee Henry having that same type of performance against his club:
“It’s a credit to how hard he’s running and that offensive line,” Thomas said, according to Kimberley Martin of Yahoo Sports. “He’s a cutback runner, he’s very patient, he’ll find creases. Guys didn’t seem too interested in tackling him. I think our mindset is a little different. We’re gonna try to tackle him, try to swarm and see how it plays out.”
Questioning the Patriots' defensive effort following a regular season in which New England ranked No. 1 in the NFL in total defense is certainly out there, but perhaps Thomas is sending a message to his own team in that regard.
The Ravens finished fourth in the league in defense themselves this year, so they should certainly be prepared to take on Henry and Co. on Saturday night.
Baltimore went an NFL-best 14-2 during the regular season, and Thomas, who earned a Pro Bowl selection, has certainly played a vital role in the Ravens' success.
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