Derrick Henry rushed 32 times for 219 yards and both Tennessee touchdowns Sunday as the visiting Titans stopped the punchless Houston Texans 17-10.
It was the fourth consecutive 200-yard performance for Henry against the Texans, dating to 2019, and the most rushing yards by any player this year. Tennessee (5-2) rushed for 314 yards as a team and threw just one pass in the second half.
Rookie quarterback Malik Willis, making his first NFL start in place of Ryan Tannehill (ankle, illness), completed 6 of 10 throws for 55 yards with an interception and had 12 rushing yards. Dontrell Hilliard added 83 yards on the ground for the Titans, who won their fifth straight game to remain in first place in the AFC South.
Houston (1-5-1) was ineffective on offense most of the game, gaining just 161 total yards and earning just 10 first downs. Quarterback Davis Mills completed 17 of 29 passes for 152 yards while being intercepted once and sacked three times.
Mills managed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Dameon Pierce with 17 seconds left in the game, but Robert Woods recovered an onside kick to seal the outcome.
The Texans managed an early lead after Steven Nelson set them up at the Tennessee 11 with a 33-yard interception return. But Bud Dupree’s third-down sack forced them to settle for Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 43-yard field goal with 10:40 left in the first half.
Tennessee took the lead for good later in the second quarter after Woods’ 16-yard punt return put the Titans on Houston’s 37-yard line. Henry covered the distance in two plays, scoring on a 29-yard run with 4:20 remaining.
The Titans made it 14-3 with 6:31 left in the third quarter, driving 65 yards and overcoming three false start penalties as Henry and Hilliard took turns carving up Houston’s run defense. Henry walked in on fourth-and-goal from off right tackle.
Another ground-based drive added their final points. Tennessee chewed up 81 yards and more than seven minutes of clock before Randy Bullock converted a 29-yard field goal with 11:08 remaining in the game.
–Field Level Media
