Houston Chronicle

Team effort needed

Chiefs face daunting task against Henry, one of league’s toughest running backs

- By Herbie Teope

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinato­r Eric Bieniemy admits he enjoys watching Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry do his thing.

Bieniemy played running back for nine NFL seasons and served as the Chiefs’ running backs coach before being promoted into his current position, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he appreciate­s Henry’s skill-set.

“Being a former running back and a former running backs coach, it goes without saying I am a fan of the kid,” Bieniemy said. “The kid does a hell of a job.”

As for Sunday, well, Bieniemy’s fandom can only go so far when the Chiefs host Henry’s Titans in the AFC Championsh­ip Game at Arrowhead Stadium.

“Now, this weekend, I am not going to be a fan,” Bieniemy said. “It is important for us to take care of business on our side of the ball. It is important for us to execute with great attention to details, and it is important for us to put points on the board to apply pressure to them.”

The Chiefs’ offensive coordinato­r is right. In the Chiefs’ Week 10 game in Nashville, they settled for four field goals, including one from the Titans’ 12-yard line, and had one blocked in a 35-32 loss.

Perhaps the best way to defend against Henry and the Titans’ runheavy offense is to score touchdowns, and not settle for field goals, whenever the opportunit­y presents itself; jump out to a big lead, forcing Tennessee to become a one-dimensiona­l opponent that’s forced to air it out.

But the primary responsibi­lity of attempting to corral Henry ultimately falls on the Chiefs’ defense.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry is not only a physical load, he’s the hottest running back in the NFL. The Pro Bowl running back is on a tear in the playoffs, totaling 377 total yards rushing to average a jaw-dropping 188.5 per game.

Henry’s hot streak began against the Chiefs. He ran for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Titans’ final six games, averaging 149.3 yards per outing. He finished the season leading the league in rushing, with 1,530 yards and 16 touchdowns on 303 carries for a 5.1 yards-per-carry average.

In Week 10, the Chiefs held Henry to 48 yards on nine carries in the first half. But Henry lived up to his reputation of getting stronger as games progress when he rumbled for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in the second half.

The Chiefs tried to stop him and failed. The same can be said of the New England Patriots in the AFC wild card round and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional round.

So how exactly do the Chiefs plan on stopping the Titans’ star running back this time?

“It’s going to take a lot of us hitting him and tackling him,” linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “He’s a big, strong, physical guy. It’s going to take all of us wrapping him up and trying to take him down.

“You’ve just got to take his legs out. We’ve talked all week about taking out the engine. We need to just chop him down. When you tackle him high, he tends to carry you for five more yards. Hit him low.”

Linebacker Reggie Ragland, Henry’s college teammate at Alabama, agreed.

“Anytime you’ve got a running back that can run 4.5 (40-yard dash), 6-4, 240 (pounds), you’ve got to kill the engine, as the coaches would say,” Ragland said. “I’m just going to go in there and hit him. I just love to hit. So, I’m going to do the best I can. If I’m the first guy there, I’m going to try and hold him up and let the cavalry come.”

The Chiefs’ defense grasps the daunting mission that’s waiting for them Sunday. They can’t get complacent because the Titans won’t shy away from feeding Henry even when facing a deficit.

Kansas City also must remain fundamenta­lly sound in the rest of its defense because Tennessee quarterbac­k Ryan Tannehill has shown he can take advantage of aggressive defenders in stacked boxes with play-action passes. Last weekend, Tannehill faked a handoff to Henry, the Baltimore defense bit, and Tannehill came over the top with a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kalif Raymond.

 ?? Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press ?? Derrick Henry had a big second half against Kansas City in Week 10, and Chiefs defenders know a group effort will be necessary to bring down the bruising running back.
Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press Derrick Henry had a big second half against Kansas City in Week 10, and Chiefs defenders know a group effort will be necessary to bring down the bruising running back.

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