HOUSTON (WTVF) — With Ryan Tannehill out with a bum ankle and rookie Malik Willis making his first NFL start Sunday against the Texans, the Titans leaned into their physical identity. Derrick Henry and the offense ran all over the NRG Stadium turf and the defense locked the Houston offense for a 17-10 victory.
Henry's no stranger to having big games in this building. He continued his dominance of the Texans with 219 yards on a season-high 32 carries. It was his fourth consecutive 200-yard game against Houston, which is the most by a running back against one team in NFL history.
It was the King's sixth 200-yard game overall, tying O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson for the most in NFL history.
Henry helped the Titans break out of an early offensive slog with an electric 29-yard touchdown run in which he broke tackles, cut back outside and then beat everyone to the pylon for a 7-3 lead. That came one play after a physical eight-yard run and two plays after Willis missed a wide open Chig Okonkwo on a well-designed playaction pass.
Tennessee committed to the run after halftime with a 65-yard scoring drive in which all nine plays came on the ground, including a 30-yard draw from Dontrell Hilliard on a third and long. The drive was capped by a one-yard run from Henry for his 75th career touchdown, passing Eddie George for the most TDs in team history.
The Titans got a field goal on their next possession, gaining all 81 yards on 11 runs before a Willis incompletion on what turned out to be his only pass of the second half.
Why pass when they can't stop the run? The Titans ran for seven yards per attempt, gaining 314 yards on 45 rushing attempts, just four shy of the Titans era record for attempts in a game.
The defense did the rest. Kristian Fulton intercepted Davis Mills on the Texans first possession and the Titans then forced punts on eight of Houston's next nine possessions excluding a kneel down before halftime.
The only other drive resulted in a field goal following a Willis interception set Houston up at the Tennessee 11. But the Texans actually went backward with Bud Dupree recording one of the team's three sacks on third down.
The defense was at its best in those sudden change moments. Following the team's two turnovers the Texans ran just six plays, resulting in -26 yards.
David Long flew from sideline to sideline making tackles, the secondary led by Fulton locked receivers down and the defensive front bottled up the running game, holding rookie Dameon Pierce to just 35 yards on 15 attempts.
And Jeffery Simmons was everywhere. The big defensive tackle was questionable with his own ankle injury going into Sunday, but made his presence felt as usual with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Willis will see missed opportunities - like a bad overthrow of Chig Okonkwo on a beautifully designed playaction shot. He'll see mistakes - the interception was thrown behind Cody Hollister. And he'll see areas for improvement in the operation of the offense at the line of scrimmage. But he'll remember getting a win in his first NFL start, something Tannehill texted him congrats on immediately after the game, reminding him not everybody accomplishes that.
But the Titans need Tannehill back in the worst way. Six completions and 55 yards passing are not conducive for success in the National Football League. But a punishing running game and a stingy defense are a winning formula, and the Titans are rounding into form in both areas.
That's five straight wins after an 0-2 start and a 2.5 game lead in the division as they pursue a third straight AFC South title. Most importantly, the Titans believe they will find a way to win no matter the circumstances against them.
On Sunday it was an all-time great performance from an all-time great running back and a dominant defense that delivered.
