New Orleans Saints: Shutting down Derrick Henry must be No. 1 priority

The New Orleans Saints’ primary goal on Sunday should be slowing down elite Tennessee Titans’ running back Derrick Henry.

There’s no denying that the New Orleans Saints expect to win as they travel up north to take on the Tennessee Titans. However, to ensure a victory, they’ll need to find a way to slow down Derrick Henry, one of the most powerful runners in the NFL.

Henry has five games of 100-plus yards and one which he went off for 188 yards earlier in the season. Over the Titans’ last few games, Henry has been unstoppable, rushing for 100-plus in four of the team’s last five.

That’s where elite outside linebacker Demario Davis needs to come into play. Ryan Tannehill isn’t an overly confident running quarterback so hopefully, Davis will have more time to lock in on Henry, the real motor of this offense.

Limiting Henry is the key to this game. In all five of those outings in which Henry has hit that 100-yard mark, the Titans have won. With only eight wins on the season, it’s clear that, for them to have a chance against the 11-3 Saints, Henry must get going early.

Against a weak and banged up linebacking corp for the Saints, Henry could have a field day, but it won’t be on Davis’ watch. A Pro Bowl snub, Davis is having one of the best years of his career and should be a force in the middle of the field.

With two defensive ends out as well, it’ll be interesting to see how the pass rush works to limit Tannehill and even impact Henry’s performance as well. Overall, this is a game in which Cam Jordan and Davis must thrive in order to New Orleans to win with ease.

The Saints have a top-five run defense while the Titans have a top-ten run offense. This game, for the Saints’ defense, will be won in the trenches, and it should be their main goal to limit Henry.