Derrick Henry is expected to be the Tennessee Titans' starting running back in Saturday's divisional-round game against the New England Patriots, ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe reports.
Henry is set to start ahead of veteran running back DeMarco Murray, who is still recovering from the grade-three MCL tear he suffered at the end of the Titans' Dec. 24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Murray could still play a part against the Patriots but is expected to be limited even if he does play.
“For him to miss anything, something's got to be hurt,” Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said of Murray. “I'm definitely not going to rule him out. He's day-to-day.”
Henry has started the last two games for the Titans in Murray’s absence. He had a quiet performance against the Jaguars in Week 17, but he was instrumental in the Titans’ 22-21 come-from-behind win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
The second-year back and former Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama had a career-high 156 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He also added two catches for 35 yards. Henry’s 191 yards from scrimmage set a new single-game Titans playoff record, breaking Billy Cannon’s previous mark of 178 yards.
Henry led the Titans in rushing with 744 rushing yards in 176 attempts this season and also had five rushing touchdowns. Murray was a close second in rushing yards with 659, but he did lead the team with six rushing scores.
With Murray still ailing, Henry will be crucial in helping Tennessee take advantage of a shaky Patriots run defense which gave up 4.7 yards per carry, the second-most in the league.
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