NASHVILLE, TN (WKBW) — The Bills run defense knows how big of a challenge Titans running back Derrick Henry is, and it showed in Monday night’s game.
Henry finished with 20 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the 5th straight game. His longest run of the day was a 76-yard touchdown run where he, according to the ESPN broadcast, reached 21.8 miles per hour. It was the fastest run of his career.
"That first run was on me," safety Jordan Poyer said about the touchdown run. "I was in the gap and I felt like I could've made that play."
Monday night’s game was Henry’s best performance when going up against a Bills defense. In their previous three meetings Henry averaged just 63.6 yards on the ground [56, 78, 57] and four touchdowns.
"We let him out a few times and when that happens and once he gets through that front line, it's hard to bring him down," safety Micah Hyde said. "He got through a few times. The guy's huge, he's fast and you've gotta find a way to bring him down."
It was the first time the Bills defense allowed a 100-yd rushing performance this season as they’ve been pretty solid against the run through their first five games. Heading into Monday night’s game, the unit was 1st in the league when it came to run defense, allowing an average of 78.4 yards a game.
"We preach all the time to make a team one-dimensional," linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. "We've gotta be better at stopping the run and making them one-dimensional, and making them put the ball in the air and make plays. But with a team like that, with a back like that, it's hard to stop them. We gotta do better."
The 34 points given up by the Bills defense was also the most they’ve given up in a game so far this season. They allowed 23 points to Pittsburgh and 21 to Washington.
