Week 2 Bama Pro of the Week: Derrick Henry
Each week during the NFL regular season, I'll award one standout Alabama player of the week whose performance boosted his team to victory. The only criteria being his team must win. At the end of the season, I'll name the MVP and hand out a few other awards to recognize the excellence the Alabama Crimson Tide has present in the NFL.
With a league-best 55 (counting Jalen Hurts) active players under contract across 28 franchises, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here's this weeks winner:
Derrick Henry was a dominant force in the Tennessee Titans come-from-behind win over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, rushing for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries and added six catches for 55 yards through the air.
Henry took his rightful place at the top of the NFL's rushing lists with 240 yards through two games. If Henry manages to three-peat the league rushing title, he'd be the first back to do so since Emmitt Smith from 1991-1993. But Hall of Fame company is the style of company Henry likes to keep in the stat sheet.
Henry's Titans left the halftime locker rooms at Lumen Field in Seattle trailing the Seahawks 24-9 and it seemed the Titans would face a second-straight blowout from an NFC West franchise. Instead, Henry helped the Titans drive the field out of the half, capping the series with a nine-yard touchdown - his first of the 2021 season.
Henry turned it on in the 4th quarter after the Seahawks made an effort to extend its fragile lead with a Russell Wilson touchdown pass. Henry responded with a 60-yard touchdown that swung all of the momentum to the Two-Tone Blue of Tennessee.
Henry's third touchdown finally pushed the Titans even with the Seahawks with 29 seconds remaining to send the contest into overtime.
In the opening game of the 2021 campaign, the Titans stumbled out of the gate, but in Week 2 Henry revved the engines and made a case for his squad getting back to where it's expected to be: in the hunt to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 56.
Henry and the Titans will host the Ryan Kelly-led Indianapolis Colts next Sunday at noon CST on CBS.
And now for our honorable mentions:
- Damien Harris, Patriots: 16 rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown; one reception for two yards
- Najee Harris, Steelers: 10 rushes for 38 yards; five receptions for 43 yards and his first career touchdown
- Julio Jones, Titans: Six catches for 128 yards
- Henry Ruggs III, Raiders: Five receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown; 1 rush for 2 yards
- Trevon Diggs, Cowboys: Six tackles, 1 pass breakup and one interception
- Patrick Surtain, Broncos: Four tackles, one pass breakup and his first career interception
Read More: Best Crimson Tide Performances from NFL Week Two
Be sure to tune back into tide1009.com each Tuesday to see the Bama Pro of the Week throughout the NFL season. Here's each winner from the 2021 season so far:
Week 1 Bama Pro of the Week: Jalen Hurts