To nobody’s surprise, it’s going to be the Derrick Henry show once more this weekend against the Patriots. The Titans ruled out DeMarco Murray once more today, after Mularkey said yesterday that he was “keeping hope alive” for the veteran back.
“He’s out,” Mularkey said. When asked how close Murray was, Mulakey said “not close enough to play this week, but close enough to play next week. He’s very disappointed — I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone work so hard in a training room.”
Obviously, the Titans aren’t really hurting on the surface without Murray in the fold. Derrick Henry shined in Tennessee’s win over Kansas City in the wildcard round, but you saw some of Murray’s value as Henry blew a pass protection rep right before halftime. The result was Marcus Mariota taking a huge hit.
It’s those little things that Henry might not have the greatest grasp on right now, but there no denying that he’s the more talented option at this point. I’d be interested to see what Murray’s role would be if he returns, but it would take a win over the Patriots to find that out.