Getty Frank Clark #55 of the Kansas City Chiefs had some strong words for running back Derrick Henry after the Chiefs' win Sunday. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl for the first time in head coach Andy Reid’s tenure. The Chiefs took care of the underdog, No. 6 seed Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship, winning 35-24.
Prior to the game, Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark talked some major smack about his opponent’s star offensive player — and NFL’s leading rusher — Titans running back Derrick Henry.
“He’s not hard to hit,” said Clark of Henry before the game. “He’s just a big guy. 240, 245, 250, honestly he should be running harder at his weight and at his size. I don’t see no difficult in tackling him. He’s just easy to me up front because I don’t look at any running back like they can’t be tackled,” the 2019 Pro Bowl defender continued. Then, he took it a step further: “He’s not one of the best guys at breaking tackles to me honestly.”
Henry had 19 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City, and he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, which is much lower than the 5.1 yards he gained in the regular season every time he touched the ball. The star running back was contained in the second half, and after the game, Clark made it clear how he felt about his team’s defensive performance. He also took a few more jabs at Henry.
Chiefs DE Frank Clark: ‘We’re the Best Defense in the World’
Clark told NFL Network’s James Palmer that the team was well-prepared when it came to stopping Henry. He also took the time to give his fellow defenders some huge praise.
“We’re the best defense in the world right now,” Clark declared boldly after the Chiefs’ huge win Sunday. “They come in here, they say they’re gonna run the ball. I know exactly what they were gonna do, you watching that film, you know what they’re going to do … Over 200 yards each game. I knew damn well we wasn’t going to win the game if we let that happen. They come in here, he runs for 70 yards, they call him the best rusher in the league. We sendin’ his a– home early.”
Indeed, the Titans are headed home after a storybook season and incredible postseason performance, but after beating the Patriots and Ravens, they couldn’t quite come out of Arrowhead with another win.
Instead, 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes will head to his first-ever Super Bowl, while coach Andy Reid will have his first chance at a championship since 2004, when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles.
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