(Cincinnati) If Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry makes his return to action on Saturday in the second round of the National Football League playoffs, he will face an already struggling Cincinnati Bengals defensive line.
Posted at 2:55 p.m.
Until they won their first-round playoff game against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, Bengals players were generally doing well.
Star tackle Larry Ogunjobi suffered a foot injury that will keep him out for the rest of the playoffs. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson, the team leader in quarterback sacks, spent the week in concussion protocol but was cleared to play Saturday.
Defensive end Sam Hubbard has sore ribs and tackle Mike Daniels, who suffered a groin injury against the Raiders, will likely miss the Titans. Josh Tupou, another tackler, is bothered by a sore knee.
Henry, the imposing six-foot-three, 247-pound running back, is expected to make his comeback on Saturday against the Bengals in Nashville. He has been sidelined since suffering a broken right foot on October 31.
Tackler DJ Reader makes no secret that the job of stopping Henry, the 2020 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, is a thankless one.
“He’s a big running back, but you have to do your job to keep him from getting on, and to hit him. We have to make sure that we exhaust it as much as it exhausts us. »
Reader and BJ Hill will fill the center of the Bengals defensive line, and if Hendrickson can’t play, Cam Sample, a rookie player, and Khalid Kareem, who is in his second season, will have to take over.
To add depth, the Bengals signed tackle Zach Kerr, who was on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, to a contract. According to head coach Zac Taylor, Kerr may play on Saturday.
For his part, Henry said he felt good during full contact workouts this week, even with a metal plate in his foot.
Moreover, he was unable to say how much it will be used on Saturday. It is likely that he alternates with D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard, the two running backs who have taken over during his absence.
“They’ve done a great job all year,” Henry said of the Bengals defensive unit.
“I watched them against the Raiders and thought they played really well. They have lost elements along the way, but overall they have players capable of imposing themselves physically. »