Tennessee Titans starve their “closer” Derrick Henry in loss to 49ers
For the second consecutive week, bruising running back Derrick Henry finished the game without recording double-digit carries.
Murray Favored
The Tennessee Titans continue to misuse personnel, and it proved costly on Sunday afternoon.
DeMarco Murray has recently found the burst he lacked for the better part of the season, but haas Murray’s flash of 2016 form hurt the team? It’s possible that it has. How? It’s cutting into Derrick Henry’s workload, further delaying the inevitable.
Murray is well-liked by the Titans coaching staff, who were enamored by what he was able to produce last season. Marred by injury in 2017, Murray continues to be the preferred option in the Titans backfield.
Despite what the statistical averages suggest, Tennessee trusts Murray more in passing down situations despite his tendency to sputter in running scenarios.
The Closer
Henry earned the nickname “The Closer” for the damage he was able to concoct in the fourth quarter. Whether it be short down situations or simply wearing down fatigued defenses, Henry has been effective late in games.
The Titans are undefeated when Henry touches the ball at least 10 times. Although this statistic is very telling, the Titans coaching staff continues to ignore it. It couldn’t have been more visible than in yesterday’s loss to San Francisco.
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Murray finished the game with 18 carries for 59 yards. Pretty solid, right? Henry recorded 7 touches for 19 yards. Inexcusable.
With a little over one minute left in the game, the Titans had an opportunity to feed their closer, move the chains and bleed out more precious ticks off the game clock. Trailing by two, the Titans were already in Ryan Succop’s range.
Instead, Tennessee kept Murray on the field.
From the shotgun formation, Murray would be given the ball and failed to convert a 3rd and 2. Succop booted the three, but the 49ers and laser sharp Jimmy Garoppolo would be afforded too much time. The Titans would end up losing a pivotal game.
Henry’s Touches
Derrick Henry’s last recorded touch took place one minute into the fourth quarter. It went for a four-yard loss. He wouldn’t be given an opportunity for the remainder of the game.
Prior to the four-yard loss, Henry managed to do the following:
"3-yard gain, 4-yard gain, 2-yard gain, 10-yard gain, 1-yard gain, 3-yard gain"
Notice a trend? Henry’s only loss of yards was on his last recorded touch. His previous six carries were all for positive yards. His 10-yard rumble was one yard shy of Murray’s game-long 11-yard run. Murray had over double the amount of carries, and Henry nearly matched his production.
Murray averaged 3.2 yards per carry. On the stat sheet, it is higher than Henry’s 2.7 yards per carry. However, without that final carry, Henry yielded a 3.8 yards per carry average. His number should have been called often down the stretch.
Was Henry’s diminished role a byproduct of his struggles in pass protection? Probably. The Titans coaching staff will justify Murray on the field due to the team being in a primarily pass-first mentality.
That being said, a crucial call was made in which the coaching staff knew they needed to run the ball for a short gain to set up the game winning field goal. Henry’s production in the game suggested he could have converted.
Henry’s historical success late in the fourth quarter indicates he could have not only gained the necessary yards, but rumbled for a game-sealing touchdown.