Weaker schedule softens blow of Henry’s loss

Friday, November 5, 2021, Vol. 45, No. 45
By Terry McCormick

Titans running back Derrick Henry.

-- Photo By Zach Bolinger | Ap

If there is any good news for the Titans in the wake of the Derrick Henry injury it is that the schedule does soften a bit after Sunday night’s game in Los Angeles against the powerful Rams.

It helped the Titans immensely that they jumped out to a 6-2 record, winning four in a row against AFC foes Buffalo, Kansas City and Indianapolis before getting the Henry news. This has given the Titans a good enough cushion in the woeful AFC South that there is almost no way they won’t win the division championship.

But it also gives them a big enough lead that they can adjust to being a different type of offense with Henry out of the lineup.

Sure, given their loss earlier this season to the New York Jets, the Titans cannot afford to take any team lightly, but having the Texans on the schedule twice, plus Jacksonville, Miami and San Francisco is a good harbinger that all is not lost for Tennessee, as it hopes Henry can get back sometime before the playoffs begin.

After the Rams, the only teams remaining on the Titans schedule with winning records are the Saints, who just lost quarterback Jameis Winston to a torn ACL, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 4-3 after edging the Browns.