Derrick Henry is still The King

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Houston Texans 17-10 on Sunday. It marked Tennessee’s fifth consecutive victory (5-2). They sit comfortably atop the AFC South. Canton-bound running back Derrick Henry carried the Titans’ offense on his back. It was vintage Henry, who remains the best running back in the NFL.

Henry rushed for an astounding 219 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries (6.8 yards per carry). It was exactly the type of performance Tennessee required from Henry given the optics. Rookie quarterback Malik Willis started in place of an injured Ryan Tannehill. Willis completed just 6-of-10 passing attempts for 55 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. Willis attempted *one* pass in the second half as he rode shotgun to Henry’s greatness. Willis remains a raw and developing quarterback.

Henry became Tennessee’s all-time touchdowns leader by a running back (75), surpassing both Earl Campbell and Eddie George. Henry was the focal point of Tennessee’s offensive game plan as they attempted to limit Willis’ overall impact on the outcome. The Titans rushed for 314 total yards. It represents the most rushing yards by any team in a single showing this season. Henry gained 118 yards on 18 carries against Houston’s stacked boxes (eight-plus defenders, via Next Gen Stats.)

Henry now has six career games 200-plus rush yards and two touchdowns. The next closest players (LaDanian Tomlinson, Jim Brown and Barry Sanders) have three apiece, per CBS. Henry now has four 200-yard rushing games against the Texans. The former Alabama standout set an NFL record for the most 200-yard rushing games versus an opponent. Henry also tied Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson with six career 200-yard rushing games.

Henry now ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (755), behind just Saquon Barkley (779). He’ll likely be in third place by the conclusion of Monday (Nick Chubb needs 16 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals to surpass Henry). Henry entered the weekend in fifth, but surpassed Lamar Jackson (553) and Josh Jacobs (676) on Sunday.

Many analysts wrote an aging Henry off this past offseason, but Henry didn’t write back (*Geno Smith voice*). Henry remains the league’s most effective ball-carrier. The Titans are incredibly thankful to roster him.