NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Derrick Henry busted through an arm tackle attempt from defensive tackle Thomas Booker, loped past safety Jalen Pitre when he whiffed as he dove at his cleats and accelerated away from defensive backs Tavierre Thomas and Desmond King on his pathway to the end zone.
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It looked like the Tennessee Titans’ juggernaut of a running back was well on his way to embarrassing the Texans’ beleaguered defense again when he bolted for a 48-yard touchdown run with a top speed of 19.9 miles per hour during his team’s second offensive series of the first quarter.
Henry had rushed for 200 or more yards in an NFL-record four consecutive games against the Texans
The scamper from Henry didn’t foretell what happened next for the Texans’ defense during a 19-14 victory Saturday over the Titans to snap a nine-game losing streak. After gaining 219 yards and scoring two touchdowns against the Texans during a win earlier this season, Henry was held to 126 yards on 23 carries. After the touchdown run, he was held to 78 yards on his other 22 carries for a 3.5 average.
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“Derrick Henry is the best running back in football,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “I mean, this guy’s as good as there is. He is tough and a lot of those missed tackles on a normal back would go down.
“But the guys kept fighting and, at the end, when we needed to clamp down and played the run a lot better, the tackling was better. Gang tackling, and it takes more than one to get him down.”
Henry had rushed for 211, 212, 250 and 219 yards in his previous four games against the Texans with at least two touchdowns in those lopsided matchups.
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“Finally got over the hump,” defensive end Jon Greenard said. “Finally finished the game and got the right result. We ultimately know we got to get a hat on him. We stopped him at times. Obviously love to play better, but we did enough to get a W.”
Henry gained 83 yards at halftime on 11 carries, but rushed for just 43 yards in the second half.
“It feels good,” middle linebacker Christian Kirksey said. “It’s late in the season. To get a win on the road in the division, it’s a testament to the guys on this team. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be record-wise, but this means guys are still fighting.
“Henry is top three in the league. Obviously, 126 yards is still a lot of yards. We take pride in stopping the run. We didn’t want to let someone go over 100 like that. We did what we had to do.”
Greenard dropped Henry on a solo tackle for a loss. In many other instances, the defense stepped up.
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That included rookie linebacker Jake Hansen forcing Henry to fumble in the fourth quarter with Greenard recovering the loose football.
That play grabbed the momentum for the Texans.
“Play that needed to be made,” Smith said. “Whenever you take the ball away, it’s about momentum. Game is about momentum.”
Rookie linebacker Christian Harris, playing some of his best football of the season, intercepted Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis to seal the game after Brandin Cooks’ game-winning touchdown.
“He’s learning,” Kirksey said. “He’s a hell of a player. He’s making the plays he’s supposed to make.”
The fumble forced by Hansen inspired Harris to make a big play of his own.
“It turned me up,” Harris said. “I got excited when he got his. I had to make one, too. It’s lit for sure. I’m happy for him making a big play. It changed momentum.
“Against Henry, it was really just staying more gap sound. Things got a little cloudy at the beginning, but we attacked in the second half. We pride ourselves on being physical and we came out with a victory.”
And rookie safety Jalen Pitre intercepted Willis’ Hail Mary pass at the Texans’ 2-yard line to end the game.
The way they defended Henry made the biggest difference.
“I think we did a good job for the most part containing him,” Pitre said. “You know, there were some missed tackles, especially on my part that I want to correct. But overall, you know, it was a good game. He’s a good running back. He does a lot of great things. But, for the most part, we did a good job.”
The Texans hadn’t won a game in over two months.
After falling short against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime and the Dallas Cowboys on a 98-yard game-clinching drive in the previous two games, the defense made a difference.
Henry rushed for 83 yards on 11 carries in the first half. He averaged 7.5 yards by halftime. He averaged 3.6 yards in the second half, though.
“I think it’s just disciplined football,” Smith said. “First drive, we missed about three tackles on that long run. From there, you’ve just got to learn from your mistakes and keep fighting and again, that’s what this group has done all year.”
And Willis completed just 14 of 23 throws for 99 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 34.5 passer rating.
He was sacked four times, twice by defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo. He was hit eight times overall.
“He ain’t got long back there,” Greenard said. “Ultimately, he had the clock in his head. We kept being relentless once we got him rattled.”
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Okoronkwo had three tackles for losses and five tackles. He has four sacks over the past four games.
“Anytime you got a rookie quarterback, you have to get after him,” Okoronkwo said. “He hasn’t seen a lot of ball, so we’re just trying to make sure he’s not comfortable back there.
“I’m finally finding my footing. Everything is coming together. We’re hoping to build on what we’re doing. It feels amazing. It feels good, especially before Christmas.”
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Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com