Move Over Beastmode!
When Derrick Henry got past another wave of defenders trying to impede him from yet another touchdown, his eyes nearly jumped out of his head as he galloped to the end zone with Titans fans in the stadium cheering him on.
An electric night that he’ll never forget, the Tennessee Titans saw Henry’s potential turn into actual results.
Derrick Henry rushed for 238 yards with four touchdowns as he guided the playoff hopeful Tennessee Titans pound their divisional rival Jacksonville Jaguars 30-9 at Nissan Stadium on Thursday night.
It was a record breaking night for Henry, who set franchise records with his 238 rushing yards and four touchdown runs as the Tennessee Titans improved to 7-6.
Henry tied Tony Dorsett’s NFL-record long 99-yard touchdown on the first play of Tennessee’s third offensive drive to give Tennessee a 13-2 second quarter lead.
The running back stiff-armed several defenders on his way home for a touchdown run that will make the highlight reels from now until the end of the season
The six-foot-three, 247-pound running back plowed through and ran past Jacksonville defenders all night long, displaying the physical gifts and talent that helped him win the Heisman Trophy Award in his college days at Alabama.
In his third season in the NFL, Henry has not made the leap to being a full-time, every down back like the Tennessee Titans franchise would’ve hoped.
Entering tonight, the 24-year-old running back had only 474 rushing yards on the season, averaging 3.7 yards per carry a season after compiling 744 rushing yards and averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
Thursday night represented a breakout performance out of nowhere for Henry, as he only had two 100-yard games in the regular-season prior.
He had a huge performance in the Tennessee Titans AFC Wildcard 22-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last season when he totaled 191 yards at Arrowhead. That out of nowhere showing represented Derrick Henry at his absolute best in the NFL up until tonight’s amazing performance.
He’s dealt with sharing carries with DeMarco Murray over his first two seasons and the Titans added Dion Lewis — who led the New England Patriots with 896 rushing yards last season — this past offseason, a move by default that cut into Henry’s workload.
Lewis entered the game with seven more carries this season than Henry despite averaging less rushing yards than him. Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans have put an emphasis on trying to run the ball with more success over these final four games of the season.
After tonight, the only question is does Henry begin to outpace Dion Lewis in the backfield and finally finds consistency as a feature back in the NFL?
The Tennessee Titans are hopeful that becomes a reality.
What are your thoughts on Derrick Henry’s huge night? Leave your comments below!
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