Colts hope short-handed defense can stand up to Henry and run-heavy Titans
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INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis spent all week preparing for Derrick Henry.
Facing the league’s leading runner with a short-handed defensive line makes the challenge more daunting.
With Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner out after being placed on the reserve/covid-19 list earlier this week, starting defensive end Denico Autry still inactive after going on the covid list last week and now starting linebacker Bobby Okereke ruled out with an ankle injury, coach Frank Reich isn’t changing his tune. He’s bringing back an old refrain for Sunday’s game against Tennessee.
“This is normal in the NFL, and good teams overcome it,” he said, referring to the three absences. “That’s what we need to do. Sure, every player is important and adds a unique combination to the game, and when players go down, you miss them. But I’ve seen it happen so many times through the years: The good teams overcome it, and that’s what we need to do.”
Especially with so much at stake.
Both teams are 7-3 and share the AFC South lead. Indy won this season’s first contest, Nov. 12 on the Titans home turf, and a season sweep would give the Colts a one-game lead plus a tiebreaking season-sweep.
A victory by Tennessee would give the Titans a one-game lead with five to play, a split in the series and the current tiebreaking edge because of a better division record.
But without Buckner, Autry and Okereke, the league’s second-stingiest defense won’t look the same — on paper — and some believe it could give the run-heavy Titans a significant advantage up front.
Henry doesn’t buy it.
“I think they play very hard,” the NFL’s reigning rushing champ said. “They fly to the ball. (They are) guys that play great together collectively, good tacklers,”
Reich believes those traits will continue to be on display despite being without their best run stuffer, leader in sacks and fourth-leading tackler.
Instead, the Colts defense believes only the name will change.
“There’s no question,” Pro Bowl linebacker Darius Leonard said when asked if the Colts would miss Buckner. “It is what it is. The other guys have to do the preparation because it’s not one guy. It’s 11 guys.”
Last week, Henry became this season’s first 1,000-yard rusher, and he comes into Sunday with a league-high 1,079 yards through 10 games.
He also is on quite a streak.
Henry has hit the 100-yard mark six times this season, including each of the past two weeks and has run for 100 or more yards in seven consecutive road games. Henry had 103 yards in the first meeting with Indy, and last season he rushed for 149 yards in a rare Titans victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. And he doesn’t expect the workload to decrease this weekend.
“We have that mindset that it’s playoff football right now and just be locked in every week,” he said.
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers returned to practice Friday, his first action since injuring the big toe on his right foot in last weekend’s victory over Green Bay.
It appears Rivers will make his 235th consecutive start this weekend.
“I thought Philip looked good and had a good day out there,” Reich said.
Rivers has not missed a start since 2006 when he became the starter for the Chargers, and Sunday’s start would break a tie with Eli Manning for the 10th-most starts in league history. He would also tie Charles Woodson for ninth on that list.