NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Things looked bleak to those outside of the facility when a fractured foot landed Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry on injured reserve nine weeks ago.
The Titans immediately went into action by signing veteran running backs Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman on Nov. 2, the same day the news broke that Henry had a fractured foot. Most of the attention was directed toward Peterson joining the Titans. Peterson lasted three games before being released.
Foreman was an afterthought, even though he was rejoining the Titans (11-5) after playing five games for Tennessee last season.
"We had him last year, and we're very comfortable with him," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "He's shown the ability to fit into our run scheme. He runs hard, and he's decisive."
Henry's 219 carries, 937 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns all led the NFL at the time of his injury. Foreman, Peterson, Dontrell Hilliard and Jeremy McNichols have combined for 220 carries for 990 yards and six touchdowns.
Foreman's 112 carries for 437 yards and three touchdowns have been an integral part of Tennessee's effort to maintain an effective rushing attack. It helped keep the Titans in games when the passing attack struggled.
It was Foreman's career-high 132 yards and a touchdown that fueled the Titans to a 34-3 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday that clinched an AFC South Division title and planted Tennessee into the top seed in the conference.
Now, Foreman can help the Titans secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win against his former team, the Houston Texans, in the season finale at NRG Stadium on Sunday.
"Foreman’s been running hard," quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "He’s getting the tough yards. You see him get contacted -- you know, 1 yard, 2 yards downfield -- and he’s driving his feet, pushing the pile. He ended up with 6 yards."
Tennessee holds the tiebreaker over the Kansas City Chiefs (11-5), who face the Denver Broncos in their regular-season finale Saturday.
The Titans' offense struggled initially without Henry. The unit went through stretches in which Tannehill failed to post 200 passing yards and didn't finish with a touchdown pass. Yet the Titans managed their way to a 5-3 record without Henry.
Foreman got off to a slow start but has topped 100 rushing yards in three of his past five games. Obviously, no back can individually replace Henry. But Foreman's goal was to somehow help the Titans find a way to win without their best player.
"My approach was, not try to fill big shoes," Foreman said. "The approach was go out there and play my game, do what I can do to help the team. He is a great running back, I think the best in the league. So, to be able to come in, just try to help this team and fill in where he left off, it was a challenge, for sure, because I am a competitor."
The worst game was Week 11 when the Titans suffered a 22-13 loss to the Texans at Nissan Stadium. The loss knocked the Titans from the top seed in the AFC. Foreman had seven carries for 25 yards in that game.
Henry topped 200 yards in each of his two games against Houston last season. While Foreman isn't trying to replace Henry, a performance similar to Henry's against the Texans to clinch the top seed would be poetic justice.
The Texans selected Foreman in the third round of the 2017 draft. Houston waived Foreman in 2019 for what they categorized as poor work habits.
Foreman sat out the 2019 season after being waived by the Indianapolis Colts that August. The Titans signed him the following season but didn't bring him back in 2021.
Foreman was again out of the league after the Atlanta Falcons waived him during final roster cuts. After spending the first eight weeks out of the NFL, Foreman just wanted a chance to show he belonged.
"I am just thankful and blessed being in this position," Foreman said. "Every time I step out on that field. I just want to go out there and give it my all and just show that I deserve to be here."