ESPY Awards 2019: Katelyn Ohashi wins Best Play; Derrick Henry falls short
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry fell short in his bid to win the ESPY for Best Play.
It was a long road to be a finalist for the ESPY award for Best Play, and unfortunately for Tennessee Titans fans, running back Derrick Henry fell just short.
Henry was among four finalists for the award thanks to his record-tying 99-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he made it through two rounds of bracket-style voting by fans to get to the final round for the ESPY.
He ended up losing out to UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi, who scored a perfect 10 on her floor exercise routine. Here’s a look at the amazing clip of her perfect score.
https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1149139593318604806
Ohashi also took home the ESPY for Best Viral Sports Moment.
Here were all the finalists:
No. 1 seed: Dolphins’ Miami Miracle downs the Patriots
No. 2 seed: Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater ends Philly’s season
No. 3 seed: Derrick Henry’s 99-yard touchdown run
No. 5 seed: Katelyn Ohashi scores a perfect 10 in floor exercise
Henry’s 99-yard touchdown run against Jacksonville was the play that got him nominated. Henry literally bulldozed a bunch of Jags defenders to accomplish the feat, which made it all the more impressive.
Despite Henry not winning the award, let’s once again revel in just how spectacular that run truly was.
https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1142198385270595585
Sadly for Henry and Titans fans, it simply wasn’t enough to overcome the stiff competition he faced for the honor. It must be noted, however, that the process of actually getting to the final four was a difficult feat to accomplish in and of itself.
Derrick Henry’s legendary 4-game stretch
In that Week 14 game against the Jags, Henry finished with 17 carries for 238 yards and four touchdowns, crushing the Titans’ divisional rival into pieces.
It was the start of an epic four-week run in which Henry totaled 585 yards and seven touchdowns, en route to one of the more memorable four-game performances we have seen in NFL history.
It was so good that it helped Henry become the highest-graded running back in the league during the second-half of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
On the back of Henry’s sensational performances, he’s now expected to carry the load for the Titans on the ground in 2019. The Alabama product was forced to split carries with fellow back Dion Lewis for much of 2018 until he busted out when give more opportunities.
After all, Henry more than proved he deserves to at least get the chance to.