A lot of people will tell you that in the NFL these days, running backs don’t matter.
It might be more accurate to say that running backs don’t matter — until they do.
After two straight seasons of leading the NFL in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns, Derrick Henry of the Titans missed the last nine games of the 2021 regular season with a foot injury, returning for his team’s divisional round loss to the Bengals. When Henry was on the field last season, the Titans had an Offensive EPA of 0.08. Without him? -0.1. Tennessee had a Passing EPA of 0.15 with Henry, and -0.11 without, a Rushing EPA of 0.03 with, and -0.09 without.
