Derrick Henry causes Chiefs defenders to make obvious business decisions

In 2019, per Pro Football Focus, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,985 yards, including the postseason. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,605 yards. Nick Chubb of the Browns finished third with 1,494 yards.

In 2020, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 2,067 yards, including the postseason. Dalvin Cook of the Vikings was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,557 yards. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s third-best rusher with 1,525 yards.

Through the first six weeks of the 2021 season, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 783 yards. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 587 yards, and Chubb was the NFL’s third-leading rusher with 523 yards.

You get the idea. It’s not just that Derrick Henry is the NFL’s best back by an absolutely crushing margin; it’s also that Henry after contact outpaced just about every back in the NFL. Henry’s combination of brute force to and through the gaps and second-level speed makes him an impossible player to consistently stop.

The Chiefs and their leaky defenses decided to take things to the next level on Sunday. It’s hard enough to bring Henry down when you’re trying to tackle him; if you’re obviously not… well, you might as well go 7-on-7 in the parking lot and call it a day.

There was this sort of arm tackle from the usually outstanding defensive lineman Chris Jones…

…and what can only be called an intentional miss by cornerback Mike Hughes.

2018 was Bob Sutton’s final season as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. The Chiefs ranked 27th overall in Defensive DVOA, though the team made it all the way to overtime in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots because they could run the ball when they had to, and because Patrick Mahomes became a football-throwing alien in his first NFL season as a starter.

This season, under Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs came into Week 7 ranked 31st in Defensive DVOA. They can’t run the ball at all, Mahomes has been erratic at best, and though we don’t like to question the effort of players (that’s something you don’t want to speculate about, because there isn’t much worse you can say about a player on the field than to wonder if they’re giving their all), but as we also say, the tape does not lie.