A Winning Formula No More

NASHVILLE – It was hardly a secret ingredient. Anyone who watched the Tennessee Titans in recent seasons was well aware of it.

For years, however, it has been an essential part of their recipe for success.

Now, even a 100-yard rushing performance by Derrick Henry is not enough to eliminate the bitter taste of defeat.

The Pro Bowl running back topped 100 yards for the third straight game when he ran for 126 on 23 carries on Saturday. Nonetheless, Tennessee’s losing streak reached five games with a 19-14 defeat against the Houston Texans.

“It’s always hard,” Henry said following the contest. “You never want to lose. Losing five in a row is tough. Just trying to find anything you can to be a better teammate, be a better leader and everybody is just trying to work as hard as they can to get a win.

“When you come up short it sucks. … Go back to work. That’s just what it is.”

Henry has eight 100-yard rushing performances this season, which is the second highest total of his career. He had 10 in 2020 when he set a franchise record and posted the fifth-highest rushing total in NFL history with 2,027 yards, and eight were victories.

The Titans, however, are just 4-4 this season when Henry hits that mark. They won the first four – all in succession – beginning in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. The four since all have been in losing efforts, beginning with the overtime loss at Kansas City in Week 9.

To understand just how perplexing this development is, consider that prior to this season Tennessee was 22-3 in games when Henry rushed for 100 or more, 26-3 (an 89.7 winning percentage) before the Kansas City game.

In other words, the Titans have lost more games this season when Henry rushes for 100—plus yards than in his first six seasons combined.

“That’s our bread and butter, and I feel that we accomplished that [against Houston],” tight end Chig Okonkwo said of the run game. “There were a couple of times where we might have run it, but we had a bad penalty that put us back. … But I think we did our job when it came to running the football.”

Yet it did not produce the desired result.

Success with the run typically translates to success on the scoreboard for all teams, but particularly with Tennessee. When Eddie George was the centerpiece of the offense, the franchise went 30-6 when he rushed for 100 yards or more. When Chris Johnson put the run game into high gear for a few years, the Titans went 26-9 when he hit that magic number.

This season’s four losses in games with a 100-yard rusher equal the team-high during the Titans era (1999-present). The only other time they lost as often was in 2009, Johnson’s 2,000-yard season, but in that case, they won twice as often as not.

“We just haven’t executed as much as we need to,” Henry said. “Sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and self-inflicted wounds with penalties, and guys were down but there’s always a next guy up mentality here.

“I think [we have to] execute and go out there and play our style of football. I feel like we haven’t done that, sustained that.”

And when they have, they certainly have not made it pay off.