Why is Derrick Henry not playing tonight vs. Cowboys?

When the Tennessee Titans lined up against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football today, Derrick Henry was conspicuous by his absence. With Ryan Tannehill also out and them starting Joshua Dobbs, the Titans would have liked to have their starting running back available for some offensive firepower.

However, as luck would have it, he was not available for the game because of a hip injury. He was limited in practice throughout the week during Weeks 16 and 17, and this is the first time he has missed a game this season. Derrick Henry is first among all NFL running backs with 319 rushing attempts and 13 rushing touchdowns. He has 1,429 rushing yards and is second in the league. He also has 32 receptions and 379 receiving yards, the best receiving numbers of his career.

It is not the worst idea either because their next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars will be one that determines whether they win the AFC South or not. Hence, preserving him for that game makes sense. But will he be able to be back by next week?

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Derrick Henry injury update: How long will Titans be out for?

As alluded to above, the next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars is crucial. Irrespective of whatever happens in this game, if they win their last game, they win the AFC South and make it to the playoffs.

So there is every chance that Derrick Henry will be back next week. As noted before, this is not the first time the hip injury has bothered him. It was there last week as well, but he did take to the field. The rest given to him this week seems to be more of a cautionary tale.

It is not expected to be as extremely serious that it will keep him out of the starting lineup in the next game. Furthermore, if the Tennessee Titans do make it to the playoffs, Derrick Henry is expected to feature in that as well.

Derrick Henry will be extremely crucial to the Titans' chances of achieving anything going forward this season as Ryan Tannehill is on injured reserve and so will not be available next week. With backup quarterbacks like Joshua Dobbs or Malik Willis starting, they would need to depend on a good rushing game. It is no exaggeration to say that he will be the determining factor in how the new year turns out for the Tennessee fans.