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The Tennessee Titans have long-awaited Derrick Henry's return from the foot injury he suffered in Week 8. The Titans offense went through ups and downs after the superstar running back was sidelined. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round Saturday, their wait is over as Henry is back and ready to dominate.
Henry was activated off injured reserve Friday after speculation throughout the week he would play. The 28-year-old gives the Titans offense a boost that's hard to put into words.
His explosiveness in the run game and his strength that makes him hard to tackle are unmatched in the NFL.
The Titans are arguably the most disrespected No. 1 seed in NFL playoff history. Derrick Henry's return changes that narrative as he completes the roster.
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Derrick Henry will play against Bengals today
Amidst Derrick Henry's return, the next question on people's minds has been how much he'll play. Henry has a steel plate in his foot, which would theoretically make it challenging to run and make cuts.
Videos on social media this week showed Henry running hard and looking strong in practice. ESPN's Turron Davenport reports that Henry will be the starting running back and receive a generous number of carries.
Whether Henry receives his season average of 27 carries in this game remains to be seen. The Titans have D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard as reliable backups to spare Henry.
In Henry's absence, Foreman and Hilliard did admirable jobs. The duo may not have had the same home-run play ability Henry does; but they both averaged over four yards per carry behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines at run blocking.
For as good as they are at run blocking, the Titans' offensive line has struggled all season in protecting Ryan Tannehill. That is where the Bengals can take advantage of their star pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson.
Despite the Titans' struggles with pass protection, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson respects the impact they make in the running game.
Derrick Henry's return to the lineup is one of the most important developments of the postseason.
Henry had 937 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns before his foot injury. He led the NFL in rushing for weeks after his injury, a testament to the unstoppable pace he was at beforehand.
The Bengals are without their best run defender, Larry Ogunjobi. It could come back to haunt them in this game against Henry.
This game has the potential to be an instant classic with the return of Henry. Between Henry, Julio Jones and AJ Brown, the Titans are at full strength on offense.
When they all played together earlier this season, they went 4-0 and beat four of the NFL's best teams.
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