Derrick Henry surpasses 2,000 yards rushing mark in Titans’ win
HOUSTON — Tennessee’s Derrick Henry became the eighth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, finishing with a career-high 250 yards on Sunday as the Titans beat the Houston Texans 41-38 to win their first AFC South title since 2008.
Henry, who entered the game with 1,777 yards rushing, reached the mark on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. He’s the first player to top 2,000 yards since Adrian Peterson had 2,097 in 2012.
Henry finished that drive with 246 yards rushing. The Titans led 38-35 after quarterback Ryan Tannehill scored on a 5-yard run.
Henry added a 4-yard run on Tennessee’s last drive and finished the season with a franchise-record 2,027 yards rushing.
John Wolford, making his first NFL start at quarterback, helped lead the Rams to an 18-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the regular-season finale that clinched the team’s playoff spot.
Henry had a 52-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and added a second score on a 6-yarder early in the third.
Another long run, this one for 45 yards later in the third quarter, put him at 201 yards rushing for the day. He lost a fumble on Tennessee’s next drive before reaching 2,000 in the fourth quarter.
Chris Johnson held the previous franchise record. He rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009, making the Titans the only team to have two players eclipse the 2,000-yard mark. Johnson cheered for Henry on Twitter when he drew close to 2,000 yards, posting: “2 2k’s!!!!”
Henry entered the game having already secured his second straight rushing title, making him the first player to lead the league in rushing in consecutive seasons since LaDaianian Tomlinson in 2006-07. Second-place rusher Dalvin Cook of Minnesota entered the week with 1,557 yards rushing and missed Sunday’s game after the death of his father.
The Cleveland Browns survived a late rally by the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 24-22 win that pushes them into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, ran for 1,540 yards last season.
He’s the first player in the Super Bowl era to rush for 200 or more yards against the same team in three straight games. He had 212 yards rushing in a Week 6 win against Houston and piled up 211 yards rushing in last year’s regular-season finale.
It was the fifth career 200-yard game for Henry, which ranks second behind Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson, who have six each.
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