Week 6: 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 week's winner:

Derrick Henry tore through a tough Buffalo Bills defense for 143 rushing yards and three rushing scores, giving the Tennessee Titans a much-needed and well-deserved 34-31 win Monday night.

The bulk of Henry's yardage came on a 76-yard touchdown run where El Tractorcito rammed through the first line of the Bills defense and blazed past the secondary.

Yes, at 250lbs, he blazed, reaching a top speed of 21.8mph, the fastest recorded by any player in the NFL this season and the fastest of his professional career.

Henry upheld his workhouse routine, totaling 22 touches in the contest. When Tennessee needed one final drive to take the lead, the Titans leaned on Henry to get the job done.

On his 20th carry of the game, Henry took the handoff off right tackle 13 yards to paydirt, taking a lead with 3:05 left on the clock.

Through six games, Henry holds a commanding lead at the top of the rushing leaderboards with 783 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's 260 yards ahead of second-place Joe Mixon in yards and twice as many touchdowns ahead of the six rushers tied for second.

If that's not scary enough, this game was the third of the season in which Henry rushed for at least 125 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground. No other player has ever achieved that feat three times over the course of a career.

Henry put up MVP stats last year and he's shattering his own pace. That's enough to earn this week's Bama Pro of the Week award.

Best Crimson Tide Performances from NFL Week Six

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And now for our honorable mentions:

• Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins: 10 receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns
• Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: 33-47 passing for 329 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Three carries for 22 yards.
• Xavier McKinney, Giants: Three tackles and two interceptions.
• Kenyan Drake, Raiders: Four carries for 34 yards and one touchdown and two catches for 39 yards and one touchdown.
• Trevon Diggs, Cowboys: Four tackles and an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown.

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

Week 2 Bama Pro of the Week: Derrick Henry

Week 3 Bama Pro of the Week: Trevon Diggs

Week 4 Bama Pro of the Week: CJ Mosley

Week 5 Bama Pro of the Week: Najee Harris