Derrick Henry is coming off one of the worst performances of his career last week against Cleveland, an 11-carry, 20-yard performance in the 27-3 loss.
The Tennessee Titans running back played just 17 of 45 offensive plays in Week 3. The 20 rush yards were his fewest since Week 15, 2017, and second-fewest in a game in his career in which he had 10-plus carries, per NFL Research.
The dismal outing has Henry geared up to face the other Ohio team, Cincinnati, on Sunday.
“I am always motivated to play the next game,” Henry said Thursday, via the team’s official website. “Last weekend, it was rough. We didn’t have much success. … But at the end of the day, I am always going to be locked in; I’m always going to be focused on my job and what I have to do. I am going to go out there and play my best.
“Did last weekend add a little more fuel? Definitely.”
Behind a struggling offensive line, Henry is averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry in 2023 and has averaged 53.3 rush yards per game through three tilts — he led the NFL with 109.9 rush yards per game from 2019-2022.
“It takes all 11 — everybody focused, having the will to get off the line of scrimmage, create space, us finishing runs, guys going in there and digging out safeties and DBs,” Henry said. “(The Bengals) have had success against us the last couple of games, and we just have to be better focused and get into drives, and everybody do what they are supposed to.”
In last year’s loss to the Bengals, Henry was held to 38 yards on 17 carries (2.24 YPC). Through three weeks, Cincinnati has allowed 455 rushing yards, tied for third-most in the NFL, but is coming off a contest in which they held the Los Angeles Rams to 71 yards rushing.
