PFF Grades: Henry Still Tough to Tackle, and More

The Tennessee Titans offensive and defensive lines performed well against the Buffalo Bills, but their running back still had to make yards after contact.

In rushing for 143 yards against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, Derrick Henry – as usual – did the bulk of his damage after first contact.

The Tennessee Titans running back totaled 126 of those yards after contact, per Pro Football Focus, an average of 6.3 yards per carry once a defender had gotten a hand – or more – on him.

On the season, Henry now has 587 of his 783 yards after contact, which is more than 200 yards better than the NFL’s second-leading rusher in that regard, Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (375).

Here are some other highlights/lowlights from the PFF graders:

• Top 5 offensive grades (at least 20 snaps) – tackle David Quessenberry (72.8), wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (70.4), wide receiver A.J. Brown (70.1), running back Derrick Henry (69.4), quarterback Ryan Tannehill (67.4).

• Top 5 defensive grades – safety Amani Hooker (91.9), defensive lineman Denico Autry (79.2), defensive lineman Teair Tart (76.2), safety Kevin Byard (75.0), cornerback Chris Jackson (66.3).

• Tannehill beats the blitz – When Tannehill was blitzed by the Bills, he completed 5-of-6 passes for 76 yards, good for a 118.8 passer rating. When he was not blitzed, Tannehill was 13-for-23 for 140 yards and an interception, a 56.4 passer rating.

• Protecting the pocket – A week after they allowed just nine pressures (and three sacks) of Tannehill, the Titans were even better against the Bills. Tennessee’s blockers did not allow a single sack and surrendered just eight pressures.

• Pressuring the passer – On the other side of the line, the Titans recorded 26 pressures of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. Denico Autry led the way with seven, followed by Harold Landry (five) and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons (five).

• Coverage extremes – It was a good night for rookie cornerback Elijah Molden in coverage. He allowed just one completion – for nine yards – on three targets. On the other end of the spectrum, cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins allowed four receptions – for 54 yards and two touchdowns – on just four targets.

Prior to his injury, rookie cornerback Caleb Farley allowed five completions – for 62 yards and five first downs – on five targets.

Overall, the Titans defense allowed Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley to combine for 16 catches on 18 targets, totaling 177 yards and two touchdowns.