JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Five years into his pro football career, some of Derrick Henry's biggest plays and most productive games have come against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Just not in Jacksonville, which is about 25 miles south of Henry's hometown, where he starred for the Yulee High School Hornets before going on to do the same for the University of Alabama and now the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars, despite their persistent struggles as a franchise, have an impressive streak going against the NFL's leading rusher this season and last. They haven't allowed Henry to reach 100 yards on the ground in any of his four trips home. He managed just 13 rushing yards at Jacksonville as a rookie in 2016, followed by outings of 92, 57 and 44 yards in front of friends and family at TIAA Bank Field.
Jacksonville (1-11) will probably need to contain Henry again if it's going to have a chance Sunday against the Titans (8-4), who can clinch their fifth consecutive winning season, move a step closer to securing a postseason berth for the third time in four years and try to separate themselves from AFC South co-leader Indianapolis in a bid to win their first division title since 2008.
"We know this guy. We know this guy's going to get the football and he's coming downhill," Jaguars safety Jarrod Wilson said. "We know he's getting the ball, so it's really just man on man and trying to match up and do our job."
Even then, there's no guarantee defenders won't end up on Henry's growing highlight reel. The Jaguars already have secured plenty of appearances, all of them in Nashville, where Henry had a 66-yard touchdown reception in 2017 and a 99-yard run in 2018 that was part of a 238-yard, four-score day.
"He's coming around the edge at 250 pounds and 6-4, so he's already got that length advantage," Wilson said. "Not trying to be on that tape. Try to cut his legs down, get him down the best way I can. Definitely not trying to be on no stiff-arm tape."
Jacksonville spent entire portions of practice this past week working on countering Henry's trademark stiff-arm, which the Jaguars see up close twice a year. Defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich uses oversized yellow pads to poke and pound defenders at the line of scrimmage.
"His stiff-arm is vicious, so we've got to be prepared to stop that," defensive end Dawuane Smoot said. "Like two years ago, I almost got a (tackle for loss) on him and he hit me with one of those stiff-arms. I've learned from that."
Jacksonville, which tied an NFL single-season record by allowing at least 30 points in six consecutive games, has steadily improved on defense in recent weeks despite losing several starters to injuries. The Jaguars still rank last in the NFL in total defense (416.0 yards a game) and 30th against the run (136.9 yards a game).
They held Henry to 84 yards on 25 carries on Sept. 20 in Nashville, where the Titans won 33-30 by making a 49-yard field goal and picking off a pass in the final two minutes.
"I think they play hard," Henry said. "That's what they've always done. That's what they continue to do with different personnel groups in there, guys that are new to the defense, but they play hard. It's something they've always done."
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Jaguars will try to contain Titans' Derrick Henry again - Chattanooga Times Free Press
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