5 Titans players the Vikings should worry about in Week 3

Derrick Henry – RB

If Jonnu Smith is the No. 1 player the Vikings need to worry about this Sunday, then a close second is Derrick Henry. Minnesota just gashed by Colts rookie running back Jonathan Taylor and while he’s a nice young back with plenty of talent, he’s no Henry.

Henry is an extremely physical runner who punishes defensive linemen and linebackers throughout the game. He’s very difficult to bring down and the constant barrage of the big back running into the front seven eventually takes its toll.

This is the Titans’ biggest weapon. They wear defenders down by giving Henry a ton of carries and they know that late in the game he’ll finally bust off a long one because the defense is beaten up. Those big gainers are the ones that put games out of reach and ensure a victory for the boys in navy and powder blue.

The only silver lining for the Vikings is that Henry hasn’t been super effective this season. While he has rushed for 200 yards, he’s toted the rock 56 times already with just a 3.6 yards per carry average, which isn’t great and he’s yet to score a touchdown.

As bad as Minnesota’s run defense was last week, the plan going in has to be to shut down Henry and force Ryan Tannehill to beat them through the air. Whether or not the Vikings can actually achieve this remains to be seen.