Jaguars must get running game and other keys to victory vs. Titans

2. The Jaguars defense needs to slow Derrick Henry down in Week 14

One of the things that stood out the most in the Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Tennessee Titans was that they were able to take away their biggest strength, running back Derrick Henry. Although the player known as the King hasn’t been nearly as productive as he was the previous two seasons, he still ranks third in rushing yards in the league.

Against Philly, Henry only mustered a paltry 30 yards on 11 carries but he’s gone off against other teams. For example, he racked up 219 yards on 32 carries against the Houston Texans and tallied 17 carries for 115 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs the following week.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars have struggled to defend the run. They gave up 100 rushing yards to the Lions and have allowed an average of 137 yards per game over the last six weeks. Head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media Monday and talked about the challenge slowing Henry down is going to present in Week 14:

“You’ve got to get him on the ground”, Pederson said. “He’s a big strong, powerful guy and it’s one of those games where you gotta bring your big boy pads as they say. It’s always a physical game against Tennessee and this will be no different.”

“Go to watch a lot of tape on him, see his style of runs and see how guys are tackling him and making sure we prepare ourselves that week to do that”.

So why should containing Henry be at the top of the Jaguars’ list of priorities in Week 14? If they manage to pull off the feat, they will force Tennessee to become one-dimensional, which will in turn present additional pass rush opportunities to the Jacksonville defense.