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Leaving your defense on the field for long stretches of time is what wears out your defense.
It's the snap count.
To eat clock and move the chains, most teams run the ball along with a controlled, short passing game.
A tired defense probably doesn't want to have to tackle a physical back like Henry.
They're tired. He's big. It hurts.
Some of you guys are looking at this from an either/or angle, when like most things in life and football, it's BOTH.
They wouldn't want to chase Jamaal Charles in his prime in the 4th quarter either, although Charles would likely take one to the house and they'd at least get a breather.
It's about the sustained drives whether they end in points or not. (IF you have a lead already. Points are better, of course, but wearing a defense out is about snap counts and time on the field without a breather.)
If you're a 190 pound DB, and you're exhausted in the 4th quarter, you don't want to see Derrick Henry's big, fast ass coming through the hole untouched with a head of steam coming at you. You just don't. You'll do your job if you can unless you're a total pussy, but you ain't gonna like it. It's demoralizing.
Think about how you felt as a fan last season, when the other team could just ram it down our defense's throats late in games and we couldn't stop them. If you were demoralized as a fan (and I know I sure was), imagine how it felt to be on the field. Knowing what they were going to do and being powerless to stop them.
Having a Derrick Henry to do it with is just the icing on the cake.
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