Fansided

20 best running back seasons in NFL history

By Russell S. Baxter

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 15, 1964: Runningback Jim Brown #32 of the Cleveland Browns awaits the next series of plays for the offense during a game on November 15, 1964 against the Detroit Lions at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Also pictured for the Bowns include Frank Ryan #13 and Clifton McNeil #85. 64-71385 (Photo by: Herman Seid Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 15, 1964: Runningback Jim Brown #32 of the Cleveland Browns awaits the next series of plays for the offense during a game on November 15, 1964 against the Detroit Lions at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Also pictured for the Bowns include Frank Ryan #13 and Clifton McNeil #85. 64-71385 (Photo by: Herman Seid Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Running back Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Running back Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

16. Derrick Henry, Titans (2019)

It was similar to riding a hot goalie in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Tennessee Titans did not reach Super Bowl LIV in 2019. However. They gave it one helluva shot thanks to a relentless running back that got hot at the right time.

Derrick Henry was a second-round pick in 2016 by the Tennessee Titans. The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Alabama shared time in the backfield during his first two NFL seasons. It wasn’t long before he became the focus of the club’s ground attack.

In 2020, he became the eighth player in league annals to run for 2,000-plus yards in a season. However, it was the previous season that saw him help get the Titans within one victory of the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance.

In his final six regular-season appearances (he missed a Week 16 meeting with the Saints), Henry ran for a combined 896 yards and 10 scores. Tennessee won five of its last seven games after a 4-5 start.

Henry really turned it on during the postseason. He rushed for 182 yards and one TD as Tennessee dethroned the then-defending Super Bowl champion Patriots. A week later at Baltimore, Henry ran for 199 yards and threw a TD pass as his club bounced the top-seed Ravens. Henry ran for 69 yards and a score in the AFC title game at Kansas City in a losing effort.

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