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          NFL Nation

          Derrick Henry and Titans' line deliver resounding answer to Colts

          • Turron Davenport, ESPNNov 29, 2020, 09:48 PM
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              Turron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show "Talking with TD" and you can follow him on Twitter: @TDavenport_NFL.
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          Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and the offensive line set the tone in their 45-26 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis. The victory gives the Titans (8-3) a one-game lead over the Colts (7-4) in the race for the AFC South title.

          The Titans' 45 points were the most allowed by the Colts at home in franchise history. It was the biggest points total by the Titans since Week 13 of 2008, when they scored 47 in a win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

          Henry finished with 178 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Henry's success typically comes in the second half, but on Sunday most of Henry's damage came in the first half, when he scored three touchdowns and picked up 140 yards on the ground.

          It's the second time in Henry's career that he gained more than 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns in one half. He did it in Week 17 against the Houston Texans last season. The only other players to do so multiple times are Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson.

          Henry is the only player who has gained 100 yards or more on the ground against the Colts' defense since 2019. Henry has now done it three times, including 103 yards in a Week 10 loss to Indianapolis and a 149-yard performance in a 31-17 Week 14 win over the Colts last year.

          Since the start of the 2019 season, Henry has an NFL-high 13 games with at least 100 yards rushing. Henry's 178 rushing yards Sunday were the most he's ever had against the Colts.

          Henry has two games in his career with 200 or more rushing yards, both coming against AFC South division rivals -- a 238-yard outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14 of 2018 and a 211-yard performance against the Texans in the season finale last season.

          Although Henry fell short of 200 yards and making it a sweep of AFC South opponents, his 178-yard game was the third time he had at least 175 yards and three rushing touchdowns. It ties him with Adrian Peterson for the third-most in NFL history behind Tomlinson (4) and Jim Brown (5).

          Describe the game in two words: Big payback. The Titans were looking to avenge a frustrating 34-17 loss to the Colts two weeks ago in Nashville. That was a physical matchup that was dominated by the Colts in the second half, but the Titans returned the favor Sunday.

          Pivotal play: A.J. Brown came up big with a 69-yard touchdown to make the score 14-7. Brown caught a 10-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill and took it 59 yards for the score.

          Bold prediction for next week: Henry will follow up his 178-yard rushing performance by picking up at least 150 yards on the ground for the third consecutive game, this time against the Cleveland Browns.