The Tennessee Titans had the luxury of sitting at home and watching the madness of Wild Card Weekend play out.
They now know they have a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line.
Getting the top spot and the lone bye in the AFC was nice in general as it involved some much-needed rest.
Yet it was particularly special for the Titans because it gave Derrick Henry an extra week to recover.
The star running back has not played since Halloween and still had 937 rushing yards on the year.
He had foot surgery but somehow recovered and may be ready to go this weekend, according to Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Mike Vrabel says this is a big week of practice for Derrick Henry to get acclimated. They want him to get used to running a lot/blocking schemes.
No official decision yet on Henry’s status or workload but Vrabel says they will run the ball a lot regardless b/c it’s “who we are.”
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 17, 2022
Vrabel mentioned how they need to get Henry acclimated again, which should not be an issue for the veteran.
A Strong Rushing Attack No Matter What
The Titans are going to run the ball whether Henry plays or not.
They had that formula when he was healthy and kept it going once he was out.
D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard have combined to form a nice duo and just recently combined for 126 yards in the season finale against the Houston Texans.
Derrick Henry must have stayed doing upper body workouts while he was out.
I swear he got bigger.
RIP to whoever he stiff arms first. pic.twitter.com/nqj45x3cFB
— DannyBTalks (Daniel Baldwin) (@DannyBTalks) January 13, 2022
So even if Henry plays, both players aren’t going to suddenly be relegated to the bench.
The star has to be somewhat eased back into action and the Titans also don’t want to make dramatic changes right away to begin the postseason.
The fact the Titans were able to clinch the top seed without Henry proves they were able to adapt and find ways to win without him.
Getting him back now almost seems unfair given his status as the best running back in the NFL.
NEXT: Derrick Henry's Return Is Almost Unfair