Did Derrick Henry kill the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise?

Setting the stage

Let me go back to 2017 and remind you what the vibe was around the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In Week 1, the Jaguars destroyed the Houston Texans and forced Deshaun Watson on the field early after a 10-sack day from the newly dubbed “Sacksonville” Jaguars. The Jags looked hot and they looked poised to be a defensive force in the NFL heading into a game against Tennessee in Week 2.

The Jags were favorites at home against a Titans team that had just lost to the Oakland Raiders to start the season.

By the end of that Sunday, the home favorites were confused after the game was controlled almost entirely by the Tennessee Titans running game. The team who had just beaten a team like the Houston Texans on the road had basically gotten run over by the Titans.

Fast forward to the end of the season and the Jags lose a game vs the Titans that gives Tennessee a playoff berth. While the Jags shrugged it off as them not really trying to win a game that was meaningless to them, it was also a game where Jacksonville got to see Derrick Henry’s real potential for the first time.

Despite a mediocre stat line, Henry scored on a 66-yard screen pass and in that moment he became the symbol that most people associated with the Titans sweep of the Jacksonville Jaguars that season.

Henry was a problem that needed to be dealt with.