Buffalo Bills: 3 key matchups in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans

Entire Buffalo Bills defense vs. RB Derrick Henry

Of course, everybody remembers Derrick Henry’s vicious stiff-arm to Josh Norman last season.

The play was plastered onto every 2020 NFL season highlight reel, and it stands as one of Henry’s signature moments in the NFL.

Norman is no longer with the Bills, but nobody on the defense wants to find themselves in his shoes this upcoming Monday. Bringing down the hulking 6’3″, 247 pound running back is going to be a challenge, and it’s certainly a unique one for Buffalo’s defense.

The Buffalo Bills have allowed just 78.4 rushing yards per game to opposing tailbacks, but the team has not faced a running back that currently sits inside the Top 10 in rushing yards. Henry, who’s compiled 640 yards, ranks first in the NFL in the category.

He’ll also be running with a little extra motivation with multiple milestones within his reach.

It’s worth mentioning that the defense did do a good job limiting Henry in the matchup a year ago, as the bruising runner picked up just 57 yards on 19 carries. He did punch in two touchdowns, however.

While the defense will be the ones directly responsible for containing Henry, the offense has a part to play in this, too. If Buffalo’s offense can work in conjuncture with the defense and jump out to an early lead, the Titans may be forced to lean on its passing attack instead of the run game.

Despite the fact that Tennessee’s passing attack features elite receiving talents like A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, it’s averaged just 7.2 yards per attempt this season, which is 10th-worst in the league. Forcing the Titans to abandon the run would be a major win for Buffalo.