Henry scores 3 TDs; Tennessee Titans send Jacksonville Jaguars to 20th straight loss
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By Mark Long, Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Derrick Henry enjoyed another happy homecoming while continuing to torment his hometown team.
Henry ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns about 25 miles from where he grew up,Kevin Byard returned a fumble for a score and the Tennessee Titans beat Jacksonville 37-19 Sunday, sending the Jaguars to their 20th consecutive loss.
Henry padded his NFL rushing lead — he now 640 yards on the ground through five games — as the Titans (3-2) rebounded from an overtime stunner at the New York Jets and avoided consecutive losses to winless teams.
“I think he’s a stud,” Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “The crazy thing is, from a rushing standpoint, as an offensive line, we can do way better. We’ve played way better in the past. We’re leaving a lot of meat on the bone there.”
Henry and the Titans have won four straight and eight of nine in the series.
“Derrick does a great job pretty much every week,” Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “You look at what he’s done over the course of his career, especially the last three years. He’s big, his physical and he’s tough. He runs hard and he’s durable. It’s fun to be able to play with him.”
Jacksonville (0-5) moved into sole position of the second-longest skid in NFL history, six shy of tying the record Tampa Bay set in 1977 over its first two seasons as an expansion team. The franchise’s latest debacle came eight days after coach Urban Meyer was captured on camera with a young woman dancing near his lap at an Ohio bar, behavior team owner Shad Khan called “inexcusable.”
Meyer was more animated than usual on the sideline and even ran near the goal line to celebrate a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play.
But Meyer ended up once again lamenting all that went wrong for his team.
“I see a group of warriors. I see a group of players that I love to death,” Meyer said. “I see a group of players that are spilling it on the field and we’re not getting it. We’re not closing it out.”
The Jaguars fumbled on the third play of the game. Byard scooped it up and ran 30 yards for a score. Jacksonville also missed an extra point; dropped what should have been an interception and maybe a pick-six; missed a 53-yard field goal; and was flagged for a phantom pass interference penalty on a third-down play.
Adding to the list, quarterback Trevor Lawrence appeared to run for his second score of the day in the fourth quarter. But replay officials ruled him down inside the 1-yard line, setting up a fourth-down call. Carlos Hyde was dropped for a 3-yard loss on the ensuing play, and center Brandon Linder suffered what appeared to be a significant leg injury.
The Titans probably needed all that fortune. Their defense was porous most of the afternoon, allowing 454 yards and forcing just two punts. Jacksonville’sJames Robinson ran 18 times for a career-high 149 yardsand a touchdown.
“Not gonna apologize for winning,” Byard said. “Obviously, it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect at all. We’ve got to a lot of stuff we need to clean up. But happy to get a win, man, in Duval (County).”
Tennessee was better on the other side of the ball, with Henry grinding out his yardage on 29 carries. Ryan Tannehill completed 14 of 22 passes for 197 yards with a touchdown.
KEY INJURIES
Linder was carted to the locker room, a potentially huge loss for the Jaguars. ... Titans CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring), LB Rashaan Evans (quadriceps), G Rodger Saffold (shoulder) and LB Monty Rice (groin) all left the game, adding to an already mounting injury list for the defending AFC South champions. … Jaguars LBs Myles Jack (back) and Dakota Allen (shoulder) also were injured.
UP NEXT
Titans host Buffalo on Monday night, Oct. 18.
Jaguars travel to London to play a “home” game against Miami next Sunday.
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years Here are some memorable moments from Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer's life in the public eye. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2005: Florida coach Urban Meyer applauds a play against Florida State on November 26, 2005, in Gainesville, Florida. (A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2006: Florida coach Urban Meyer makes a point with umpire Rimas Kozica during play against Iowa in the 2006 Outback Bowl on January 2 in Tampa. Florida defeated Iowa 31-24 . (A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2007: Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media and holds the trophy the day after the BCS Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 8, 2007. The Gators won the game 41-14. (Gene Lower/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2008: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide congratulates head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators after the Gators' 31-20 win in the SEC Championship on December 6, 2008, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2009: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators gets Gatorade dumped on him by his teammates towards the end of the game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game at Dolphin Stadium on January 8, 2009, in Miami. The Gators won the game by a score of 24-14. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2010: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators hoists the trophy after the Gators defeated the Bearcats 24-51 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisana Superdome on January 1, 2010, in New Orleans. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2011: In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, ESPN college football analyst and former University of Florida football coach, Urban Meyer, "Albert" the University of Florida mascot and Denver Broncos quarterback and former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow attend "ESPN the Weekend" on March 5, 2011, at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Mark Ashman/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2012: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates with his players after beating the Michigan State Spartans 17-16 at Spartan Stadium on September 29, 2012, in East Lansing, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2013: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans shakes hands with head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes after defeating the Buckeyes 34-24 to win the Big 10 Conference Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 7, 2013, in Indianapolis. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2014: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes lifts the Stagg Championship Trophy in celebration of his team 59-0 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2014, in Indianapolis. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2015: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes hoists the trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks 42-20 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2016: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds the Fiesta Bowl trophy after the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016, in Glendale, Arizona. The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 44-28. (Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2017: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates with the trophy after their 27-21 win over the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017, in Indianapolis. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2018: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds the Big Ten Championship trophy after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats during the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 1, 2018, in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2019: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer with the Rose Bowl trophy celebrates winning the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019, in Pasadena, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2020: Jay-Z and Urban Meyer attend Mike Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Loews Miami Beach Hotel on February 01, 2020, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Photos: Urban Meyer through the years 2021: Head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars Urban Meyer looks on during Jacksonville Jaguars Mandatory Minicamp at TIAA Bank Field on June 14, 2021, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)