It seems like years ago the Pioneers were playing high school football, and the college season has shaped up as largely uninspiring with the UT Vols and Vanderbilt Commodores both logging forgettable campaigns.
But there’s excitement every week in the NFL as the Tennessee Titans make a strong playoff push and are currently sitting atop the AFC South.
Chances are slim Titans RB Derrick Henry will beat out Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes or Packers QB Aaron Rodgers for the title of league MVP, but here is the reason why he should.
No player is more valuable to his team than Derrick Henry.
His stats are absurd, and I’ll mention them in a moment, but statistics only tell so much. What Derrick Henry does that’s more important than touchdowns and yards is he gives the Titans their identity.
The Titans have always wanted to be a physical, run-you-over football team. That dates back to the RB Eddie George days.
But if you want to knock teams over, you must have a running back who can do it and Derrick Henry is that guy. He doesn’t just put up catchy numbers. He controls the game.
Since 2018, Henry has rushed for over 200 yards four times. During that same span, the rest of the NFL has rushed for over 200 yards four times.
Mahomes is the current MVP favorite and will probably get the honor, but the Chiefs offense would still have an arsenal of explosive playmakers even if Vinny Testaverde was their QB. Testaverde was so bad, Tampa Bay once gave him a color blind test because he threw so many passes to the wrong team.
Kansas City wouldn’t be as dominant without Mahomes, but the Chiefs would still be mighty talented with the WRs and RBs on their roster. I don’t think the Titans would be a .500 football team without Henry.
All the other MVP candidates are quarterbacks enjoying great seasons. It’s hard to argue against a player like Aaron Rogers, who is truly doing great things for Green Bay, but the Packers are a much more well-rounded team than the Titans with strong defense and special teams play.
The Titans have a leaky defense, a terrible pass rush, and an erratic kicker who missed four FGs earlier this year against the Broncos. Without the NFL’s leading rusher, it would be hard to imagine the Titans even in the playoff conversation.
Derrick Henry with 1,532 yards rushing and 14 TDs is the league MVP. And December is his time to shine. If he continues at the pace he’s registered the past three games, he’ll finish the season with 1,985 yards rusing, just a few shy of the 2,000-yard benchmark which makes RBs legendary.
