Buffalo Bills 31-34 Tennessee Titans: Derrick Henry scores three touchdowns as Titans stop Josh Allen on crucial fourth down
Derrick Henry topped 100 rushing yards for the fifth successive game as he ran for 143 and three touchdowns to help the Tennessee Titans to a 34-31 victory over the Buffalo Bills after Josh Allen had been stopped on a fourth-down quarterback sneak in the final seconds of the game.
Tuesday 19 October 2021 07:37, UK
Derrick Henry scored three rushing touchdowns before the Titans stopped Josh Allen on fourth-and-one near the goalline with 22 seconds remaining as Tennessee held on to beat the Buffalo Bills 34-31 on Monday night.
Story of the Game
Henry scored his third touchdown with 3:05 to play and was rewarded with a decisive stand from his defense as lineman Jeffery Simmons thwarted quarterback Allen at the three-yard line to seal the win after the Bills had elected to go for it instead of sending the game to overtime with a field goal.
First Allen had been marked shy of the first-down marker on a scramble before he was smothered on the ensuing play to give the ball back to the Titans with 12 seconds left.
"We got some dogs over there," Henry said of Tennessee's defense. "They fight to the end. They showed it right there."
Henry came in as the NFL's rushing leader even with most teams in the league having played six games, and he finished with 143 yards, topping 100 for the fifth consecutive game - the longest streak in the league since DeMarco Murray had eight straight in 2014 for Dallas.
The 2020 AP Offensive Player of the Year also had a 76-yard touchdown run, the first of seven lead changes in the game, as the Titans were trailing 6-0 early in the second. Henry now has 11 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer, tied with former Titans running back Chris Johnson for fourth-most in the NFL behind Adrian Peterson (16), Barry Sanders (15) and Jim Brown (12).
"We continue to jump on Derrick's back, and he's willing and able to carry us," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "And it's just something that you know you have in your back pocket, front pocket. We pull it out and we use it. It just gave us a big shot of life there."
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill added another touchdown run against a Buffalo defense that came in ranked third against the run. Harold Landry had two of the Titans' three sacks, and Kevin Byard intercepted a pass.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said officials initially signaled Allen got the first down on his third-down scramble, but was informed by referee Clete Blakeman after the game that an official had radioed down from the box to tell him his quarterback had come up short.
Allen entered the game having converted an NFL-best 24 quarterback sneaks for first downs since 2018.
Titans three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan was carted from the field and evaluated for a concussion late in the second, while rookie cornerback Caleb Farley left with a knee injury and wide receiver Julio Jones was forced off with a hamstring problem upon his return from a two-game absence.
Stats leaders
Bills
- Passing: Josh Allen, 35/47, 353 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Rushing: Devin Singletary, five carries, 27 yards
- Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, five catches, 91 yards
Titans
- Passing: Ryan Tannehill, 18/29, 216 yards, 1 INT
- Rushing: Derrick Henry, 20 carries, 143 yards, 3 TD
- Receiving: A.J. Brown, seven catches, 91 yards
Scoring Summary
Key Plays
Henry broke free for 76 yards to put the Titans on top in the second quarter after Tennessee's defense had limited the Bills to two Tyler Bass field goals early on.
Allen responded with a 14-yard strike to Stefon Diggs to cap a seven-play 72-yard drive before Byard ran back his interception on the fifth-year quarterback to the Bills 11 to set up Tannehill's eventual four-yard rushing score.
Buffalo hit back on a 29-yard touchdown catch from Cole Beasley on third-and-12 to round off a 10-play 75-yard drive that had been kept alive by Allen's conversion on third-and-five with a completion to Diggs late in the first half. In doing so Allen passed Aaron Rodgers with 108 combined touchdowns in his 49th start, the Green Bay Packers talisman's 107 having been most by a quarterback in his first 50 starts since the merger.
Henry added to his tally after the break to make it 24-23 in Tennessee's favour by punching it in from three yards out after Tannehill had connected with A.J. Brown for 14 yards on fourth-and-two earlier on in the 12-play, 67-yard march downfield.
Allen's third touchdown came in the final minute of the third quarter when he found Tommy Sweeney from a yard out, before the quarterback himself got on the receiving end of a pass from tight end Dawson Knox on a trick play for the two-point conversion and a 31-24 lead.
The Bills would not score again, Henry completing his hat-trick and the Titans defense coming up with the stop to see out the win.
What's Next?
Buffalo head into a bye week before hosting the Miami Dolphins while the Titans prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at home this coming Sunday.
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