Getty Chiefs' Frank Clark & Titans' Derrick Henry
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has nearly single-handedly carried his team to the AFC Conference Championship game. His current string of performances is absolutely absurd. One week ago Henry became the first player in NFL history to have two games of 180 rushing yards in the same postseason.
His bruising running style and ability to wear down defenses over 60-minutes has been one of the most compelling things to watch these playoffs. However, Kansas City Chiefs edge-rusher Frank Clark has apparently been tuning in to the Titans games as well, and from what we’ve gathered from his recent comments, he’s frankly none too impressed.
Frank Clark Bashes Derrick Henry Ahead of Playoff Game
NFL Network’s James Palmer got a chance to have a one-on-one sit down with Kansas City Chiefs defender Frank Clark this past Friday. On Saturday, Palmer took to Twitter to shed some light on some rather intriguing comments Clark made towards Titans running back Derrick Henry, and his running style.
There’s a whole lot you can dissect from those near eye-rolling comments. From stating Henry is “not hard to hit” to stating that there is “no difficulty in tackling him.” Clark even proclaims that the Titans stud running back is “not one of the best guys at breaking tackles.”
We don’t want to just throw Clark’s observations out the window, he clearly has broken down Henry’s film over the past week to prepare for the Titans on Sunday. So instead of just discarding Clark’s comments, we’ll present to you the stats and let you decide if Clark has a point.
The Stats Say Henry is One of The Most Difficult RBs to Tackle
Derrick Henry stands at a towering 6’3”, and while he’s listed at a conservative 247 pounds, that must have been on an empty stomach. Henry is monstrous, and his running style backs up every stereotype you may have on a player of his stature.
Henry rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2019 (968 to be exact)…after contact. That staggering number, of course, led the entire NFL. To put that number into better perspective, only 15 players rushed for more than 968 yards total this past season, and Henry topped that number after receiving his first blow from a defender.
To further expand on Henry’s bruising running style, his 3.2 yards after contact average this year tied for the league-lead, while his 29 broken tackles ranked third in the NFL.
While Clark may not see Henry as one of the more difficult backs in football to bring down, it’s been clear that the majority of the NFL has had their issues in doing so. Mostly evident by the fact that he has averaged 196 rushing yards over his last three games.
The Chiefs have become more stingy against the run in weeks past, surrendering the eighth-fewest rushing yards in football over their last three games. However, Clark may have added fuel to an already lit flame underneath one of the best backs in all of football.
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