Tennessee Titans can prove haters wrong against Steelers

There are still some haters in the national media and the Tennessee Titans, and Derrick Henry can prove them wrong on Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans aren’t in one of the big NFL markets, so they’ll never get the same respect that a good Los Angeles, New York, or Dallas team would get until they can prove that they can be dominant for multiple years in a row.

The Kansas City Chiefs had to do that, and they haven’t slowed down after rising to the top as one of the NFL’s elite teams a few years ago. The Titans are looking to do the same and return to the AFC Championship this year.

So far, the Titans are off to a pretty good start. The Titans are 5-0, and the offense has continued to dominate. The questions surrounding Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry seemed to have been answered early in the season as both continue to impress with their performances.

Even though both have impressed so far, there are still some doubters, including ESPN’s Ryan Clark. Henry has continued his dominance from 2019, but Clark still isn’t sold. The former Pittsburgh Steeler offered some extra motivation for Henry this Sunday.

"“He has late-play bravery,” Clark said. “He don’t have the same type of bravery when he’s around them dogs… When he’s in that mess and them boys are the same size, he don’t run the same.“I’m telling you right now… I would get in a track stance, if I knew it was run, I would take off running and I would either have to hit Derrick Henry or the goal pole by the time I stop. Somebody has got to prove a point that when you get to the secondary, we’re not playing those games no more because you don’t do that when you’re in the front seven. I’m telling you, that junk is fake bravery, it’s late bravery.”"

I’m not sure what part of Henry’s game suggests he has fake bravery, but Earl Thomas might beg to differ.

The Titans and Steelers could be competing for the top spot in the AFC on Sunday, depending on how a few other games go around the conference. If the Titans win, we could see them at the front of the pack representing the rest of the AFC.