The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are preparing for a game that could be a matchup of strength-on-strength, with one of the league’s most consistent run defenses set to square up against a runner as physically-imposing as any in the NFL. New Orleans has gone 39 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, while Titans running back Derrick Henry has averaged 94.9 yards on the ground this year.
But there’s a chance we don’t see that heavyweight fight. Per a report from ESPN’s Field Yates, on Saturday the Titans downgraded Henry to questionable for Sunday’s game, and promoted running back Dalyn Dawkins from their practice squad in case he isn’t able to suit up while managing a hamstring injury. Henry slowed down in recent weeks with that issue and missed some time during Titans practice while receiving treatment.
The Titans ruled out two players for Week 16 against the Saints already, including cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and slot receiver Adam Humphries. If Henry joins them on the sidelines, Tennessee will have to platoon Dawkins with backup running back Dion Lewis. And that’s concerning — Henry has accounted for 271 of the Titans’ 380 rushing attempts (71.3%) as a team this season. Lewis has taken just 38 handoffs to pick up 134 yards, a rate of 3.5 yards per carry.
