Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry had 178 yards rushing for three touchdowns, while Ryan Tannehill threw for 221 yards and one touchdown as Mike Vrabel's side moved top of the AFC South.
Sunday 29 November 2020 21:43, UK
Derrick Henry surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards as he ran for 178 and three touchdowns off 27 carries to lead the Tennessee Titans to a 45-26 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Henry had 140 for three scores off 17 carries in the first half alone against the Colts' third-ranked rushing defense, which was missing defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Denico Autry and linebacker Bobby Okereke.
Ryan Tannehill was an efficient 13-of-22 for 221 yards and one touchdown, with the Titans pulling away after an even start that saw the teams level at 14 apiece in the second quarter.
Philip Rivers finished with 295 yards passing for two scores and an interception, while Nyheim Hines was limited to just 29 rushing yards off 10 carries in the absence of rookie running back Jonathan Taylor.
Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith set the tone for a Henry clinic early on with five runs from last season's leading rusher in a 10-play, 75-yard drive ending in him running it in from 12 yards off a swing pass from Tannehill.
Rivers rounded off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with an 11-yard dagger into the safe hands of Trey Burton in reply after Jacoby Brissett had come in to convert on fourth-and-one earlier in the series.
AJ Brown ripped through the Colts' secondary for a 69-yard catch-and-run to the house to restore the Titans' lead, before Brissett returned in the short-yardage package to power over after a pass interference call against Kevin Byard had set Indianapolis up on the one-yard line.
Henry punished a Rock Ya-Sin penalty when he darted right for a one-yard touchdown, before slaloming through again for an 11-yard score to bolster Tennessee's advantage.
Tannehill then sold a beautiful fake to his partner to run it in himself in the final 30 seconds of the half having connected with Corey Davis for 37-yards on the set-up play.
Having squandered an easy pick six opportunity in the second quarter, Titans cornerback Breon Borders was well-positioned to haul in a Rivers overthrow in the direction of Zach Pascal. That resulted in a 49-yard field goal from Stephen Gostowski following four straight drives ending in punts to begin the second half.
Brissett was again tasked with bundling over for a one-yard score after TY Hilton's 50-yard catapulted the Colts just shy of the goal line, only for Hines to be stuffed on the two-point conversion attempt.
After surviving an interception call on a simultaneous catch ruled in their favour, the Colts took advantage of successive Titans penalties through a five-yard touchdown catch from TY Hilton, before failing to convert the two-point attempt.
Their onside kick was then pounced on by Brown, who raced clear for a 42-yard touchdown to confirm the win.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming, a new weekly preview show as well as at least five games a week and NFL Redzone, you won't miss a moment. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
