The Tennessee Titans, despite all of Derrick Henry's best efforts, have been a colossal disappointment in 2023. Henry has clearly tried his best to prop up a middling Titans team, and his performance on Sunday against a streaking Indianapolis Colts team was no different. He tallied a total of 102 yards on 21 carries, with two of those carries going for touchdowns in what ended up being a 31-28 overtime defeat to th Colts.

To make matters worse, Henry appeared to suffer a head injury on a rampaging carry courtesy of a hard shoulder tackle from Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. As a result of that hard hit from Franklin, the Titans running back is now in concussion protocol, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

This is nothing short of bad news for the Titans, as they rely heavily on Derrick Henry's marauding runs to secure advantageous field position. Just to put Henry's importance for the Titans in even greater perspective, Henry has tallied more rushing attempts (197) across 12 games than either of the team's quarterbacks in six starts each, with Will Levis throwing 185 passes and Ryan Tannehill throwing 158, and that's with NFL teams putting more emphasis on the passing game over the past few years.

For now, Henry's status for the Titans' contest next week against the Miami Dolphins on Monday, December 11, is up in the air; head injuries are very tricky to deal with, so the Titans will want nothing more than to rush their star running back back in action, especially with Tennessee looking primed to miss the playoffs for the second straight season.

If Derrick Henry ends up missing time due to a concussion, the Titans will need Will Levis to step up at the point of attack. Moreover, the Titans will have to see an emergence from running back Tyjae Spears so their offense could remain afloat.

On the season, Henry ranks third in the NFL in rushing attempts per game, with 197, trailing only Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey, while the Titans running back ranks second in the league in rushing yards, with 841 (trailing only McCaffrey). He has tallied eight rushing touchdowns this season, good for sixth-best in the league.