Derrick Henry matches Barry Sanders' incredible feat in Titans win over Seahawks

Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans scores a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks
Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans scores a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks

Most of us know that Derrick Henry is one of the best NFL running backs. His performances over the last couple of seasons have elevated him into a surefire Hall of Fame category player. He recently matched Barry Sanders' feat and will surely surpass him if he keeps maintaining the same standards.

Derrick Henry catches up with Barry Sanders

Derrick Henry now has the same number of games with 150+ rushing yards and 2 touchdowns as Barry Sanders with ten. Barry Sanders is considered by many to be the greatest running back of all time, so catching up with him is a phenomenal achievement for Derrick Henry.

Derrick Henry will now be looking to match and better Jim Brown and LaDainian Tomlinson. At the rate that he is going, it would not be much of a surprise to see him do so. Unless, similarly to Barry Sanders, he also retires at the peak of his powers.

While fans across the league will be hoping that Derrick Henry carries on as long as he can play, there are legitimate similarities between him and Barry Sanders.

In four seasons, Derrick Henry has rushed for 5860 yards, with an average of 1465 yards per season. That is slightly less than the 15269 yards over 9 seasons for Barry Sanders, which gives an average of 1697 yards per season. Their yards per carry is exactly the same at 5 per yard. Also, in his fifth season, Derrick Henry has 55 touchdowns for an average of 11 per season, including this season. This exactly mirrors and Barry Sanders' total of 99 touchdowns in 9 seasons.

What is next for Derrick Henry as he looks to surpass Barry Sanders?

Next in Derrick Henry's sights are Jim Brown and LaDainian Tomlinson. Jim Brown is considered by many to not only be the greatest ever running back, but the greatest player of all time. Reaching more than 12000 yards and 5.2 yards per carry like Brown would require Henry to step up his output.

LaDainian Tomlinson, on the other hand, has over 13000 yards but his total yards per carry is less than five. Hence, with the output Derrick Henry has shown over the last couple of seasons, he can cross him next and vault over both him and Barry Sanders. Tennessee Titans fans will be hoping that this scenario indeed comes true.


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Edited by Henno van Deventer