A Moment – and Mindset

NASHVILLE – It wasn’t the Tennessee Titans’ biggest gain of the day. Nor was it a particularly flashy play.

But Derrick Henry’s bludgeoning 11-yard run up the middle late in the fourth quarter – assisted by nearly every member of the offensive line – almost certainly drew the most emotion from those on the field and off.

Center Ben Jones, for example, emerged from the massive pile of the humanity at the Indianapolis 46-yard line, jumped to his feet and delivered multiple, screaming power flexes in the direction of the Titans sideline.

“We're trying to finish the game,” Jones said. “You want the ball in your hands, you want a victory snap at the end of the game. We take pride in that as an offensive line on a run game, and we wanted to finish the game on our terms, and we did that (Sunday).”

Why so much excitement, aside from the fact the offense delivered a critical, game-clinching first down with just a few moments remaining in their 19-10 over Indianapolis?

Maybe it was the symbolism of it all.

The play began with a gimpy-legged Jones snapping to a gimpy-legged Ryan Tannehill –both players had missed snaps due to injury earlier in the game. Then there was the effort, not only of the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry, but of every available offensive lineman, hurling Henry forward and beyond the first-down marker. The Colts knew exactly what was coming, but they couldn’t stop it.

“Unbelievable,” coach Mike Vrabel said of the play. “I felt like that just pretty much summed up everything that we wanted to do. A good defense, good run defense, they're fast, they're big in the middle and we were close. It was great to see Derrick bust out of there at the end – that 10-yard pile push or that run for 10 yards.

“You were starting to look at the clock and you were like, ‘OK, it is going to be third down at the two-minute warning and then what's going to happen?’ Next thing you know they keep pushing the pile. I know that those guys will be excited and hopefully there is a good picture that we can hang in the hallway.”

The Titans began the game with 12 players on injured reserve, a list that included the likes of outside linebacker Harold Landry, left tackle Taylor Lewan and wide receiver Treylon Burks.

Jones looked as if he might join that club in the first quarter, when the 33-year-old hobbled off the field with some type of lower-body injury. He missed all of one play, returning despite the fact he was clearly not 100 percent.

Then there was Tannehill, who had his right ankle rolled up on early in the fourth quarter. He tried returning to the huddle, but eventually had to leave the field. It was straight to the blue medical tent where he had the ankle taped in time to return for the next drive. He missed just one play.

“I knew it wasn't good, but I knew I was going to be able to battle through it,” Tannehill said. “So, it's just about going in there, getting evaluated and getting yourself mentally, physically ready to go out and keep at ‘em.”

Then came the moment defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons rolled his ankle midway through the fourth quarter, a situation that required on-field medical attention like those of Jones and Tannehill earlier.

The pattern repeated itself, however, when – one defensive series later – Simmons was back on the field after a visit to the medical tent. He wasn’t about to stand on the sidelines and watch, not with the Titans trying to hold on to a nine-point lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

“I mean, it was painful, but my mentality is I want to be on the field each and every snap,” Simmons said. “Especially the way the game was going, especially with them having the ball, I wanted to be out there. Tape it up.

“My mentality (was) I’m not going to let my teammates down. If I can feel like I can go, and I’m not putting myself or my team in harm, I’m going to be out there on the field.”

Sure enough, Simmons was on the field for Indianapolis’ final drive, when the Titans forced a Michael Pittman turnover.

One play later, all the Titans’ resiliency and willpower appeared to reveal itself in that Henry run up the gut – a massive moving scrum that sealed Tennessee’s fifth straight win over the Colts.

Mission accomplished.

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Tannehill said. “I told those guys in the huddle it was going to be all about our finish right now. You’ve got to want it more than they want it.

“It was really just a cool play. Obviously, it energized the sideline, got everyone juiced.”