Derrick Henry Scores Twice, Hits Rushing Milestone in Titans' 17-10 Win Over Panthers
NASHVILLE — There's a lot of hard work that goes into preparing for an NFL game. And when the desired result — a victory — doesn't come, it's hard to swallow.
And when you go nearly a month without winning, it gets real hard. That's what has been going on with the Tennessee Titans this November. They absolutely had to snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday, and they did just that in a 17-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Nissan Stadium.
They did it with a great first half, one of their best of the season. They got two rushing touchdowns in the red zone from star running back Derrick Henry, a big strip sack from edge rusher Arden Key and a terrific final-minute drive that added three points just before halftime.
A lot of things — a lot of good things — all came together at once. And it was enough to get a win, their fourth straight inside Nissan Stadium. They are now 4-0 this year in Nashville, but just 4-7 overall.
Still, a win is a win, and it feels good. Smiles returned to the Titans' locker room following their first win since Oct. 29 against Atlanta. Mission accomplished.
"I think that you just get frustrated,'' Titans coach Mike Vrabel said when asked if his team had started to doubt instead during the three-game road losing streak. "We put a lot into it. I don't think there's doubt. We've just got to eliminate bad football. We've got to eliminate the penalties, the X plays, the cover guys, the third downs that extend drives.
"Because our good is good enough to win. I know that, I've seen it, and I believe in it. It's just the unfortunate mistakes that cost you points, and cost you more possessions.''
It sure looked like it in the first half. The Titans' first scoring drive was a thing of beauty, going 91 yards in 15 plays and eating up 9;36 on the clock. Rookie quarterback Will Levis was 7-for-7 on the drive, hitting five different receivers. Henry, who averaged only 31 rushing yards in the past two losses in Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, capped the drive with a punishing 1-yard run.
It was great for the Titans, who have had to settle for field goals in the red zone far too often this season. It was great to see Henry in the end zone.
It's so cool. He's one of the guys I was saying earlier about getting our swagger back,'' Levis said of Henry. "He's one of the most gifted people to ever touch the rock. For him to be on this offense and for me to be able to hand the ball off to him and watch him run, is a pleasure.
"Again, when you get him rolling there's not many people that can stop him. It was good to get him in the end zone a couple of times today, get his confidence up. I still think he's hard on himself and feels he could have done a better job running the ball offensively. But this is going to motivate him to get us ready for next week and get those guys up front rolling.''
Henry's second score came after a huge defensive play from Key, who abused Carolina left tackle Ikem Ekwonu — the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — and slapped the ball out of quarterback Bryce Young's hands. Jeffery Simmons recovered, and Henry scored from 10 yards out on the second play following the turnover. It gave the Titans a 14-3 lead with 2:27 to go in the second quarter.
Henry finished the day with 76 yards on 18 carries. It was his best day since rushing for 101 yards in that last win against Atlanta.
"Derrick, he wants to impact the game. We know that, and we want to let him,'' Vrabel said. "The career that he's had thus far, 9,000 yards, we need 10,000.
"We hit him there on the run and had a couple of nice ones, hit him on the touchdown run. He went out the back door and he had the long one there in the 4-minute but then again we stalled and weren't able to finish.
Henry now has 9,074 for his career, the 38th back in NFL history to hit that mark. Henry, who turns 30 on Jan. 4 during the final week of the season, is just the eight running back to hit at least 9,000 yards and at least 80 rushing touchdowns before his 30th birthday.
He joined some very exclusive legends: Adrian Peterson, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk.
His second touchdown — the 84th of his career —moved him past Corey Dillon and Jim Taylor for sole possession of 17th all time. He is one score away from tying Marshawn Lynch at No. 16.
“I grew up watching Marshawn, admired his game, the way he played,” Henry said. "It's a blessing to be able to get to that list and get to where I’m at. And just thankful for the people that help me.”
Tennessee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo (85) is pushed out of bounds at the one yard line by Carolina Panthers linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (54) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023.
Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY Sports
The Titans didn't do much offensively in the second half, getting far too conservative and failing to score during the final 30 minutes. But the defense rose to the occasion, getting four sacks on the day. Carolina scored on a 5-yard touchdown run by Chuba Hubbard with 8:06 to go in the third quarter, but they never threatened again.
They ran 26 plays after the score, but never got within the Tenneesse 40-yard line.
The Panthers are just 1-10 now, but that doesn't matter to the Titans. A win is a win, and they remained perfect at home. They hope to do the same thing next week, when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday
“It’s huge," Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. “It’s the NFL. Every win counts.”
So true. And this one counts, too. Remaining perfect at home is a big deal.
Related stories on Titans-Panthers
- WHAT MIKE VRABEL SAID: The Titans won another home game Sunday, beating the Carolina Panthers 17-10. Coach Mike Vrabel met with the media after the game. Here's the full transcript of his press conference, with video. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: The Tennessee Titans beat the Carolina Panthers 17-10 on Sunday with running back Derrick Henry leading the way with two touchdowns. Here are the best photos of the game. CLICK HERE
- WATCH KEY STRIP-SACK: The Tennessee Titans defense has struggled to create turnovers this season, but they were able to create one in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers when edge rusher Arden Key stripped Bryce Young and gave the ball back to the Titans' offense. CLICK HERE
- WATCH DENICO AUTRY STOP: The Tennessee Titans have kicked off their matchup with the Carolina Panthers and the Titans got a big play out of the gate when Autry stopped a run on third down to force a Panthers' punt. CLICK HERE
- WATCH HENRY TD RUN: The Tennessee Titans got on the board first with a Derrick Henry touchdown run from one yard out after Will Levis led the Titans down the field with a perfect drive of 91 yards. CLICK HERE
