JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Derrick Henry never asked to stay in the game. His teammates made sure coach Mike Vrabel knew just how close the Tennessee Titans running back, who is leading the NFL in rushing for the second straight season, was to another 200-yard day.
So Vrabel stuck with Henry, who delivered a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars that helped him make history.
Henry rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries Sunday afternoon, his best performance in five trips to his hometown area, and the Titans dominated in a 31-10 AFC South Division victory that extended the Jaguars' overall losing streak to 12 games.
It was Henry's fourth career game with at least 200 yards and two scores on the ground, breaking an NFL record he shared with Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson and Barry Sanders. It's his eighth game this season with more than 100 rushing yards, and Henry also topped the century mark for the ninth consecutive road game, leaving him one shy of the NFL record Sanders set with the Detroit Lions across the 1996 and 1997 seasons.
"I love my teammates," Henry said. "Appreciate them guys every day for what they do. The unselfishness that they have for me, it's really a blessing to have the teammates and the team that I have. Coach Vrabel is just trying to look out for me, just so I didn't take any extra shots. My body feels good, so it's about my teammates."
Enjoying a big performance about 25 miles from his hometown of Yulee was something new for the 26-year-old Henry. He hadn't reached triple digits rushing in any of his four previous games in Jacksonville. He managed just 13 yards as a rookie in 2016, followed by outings of 92, 57 and 44 yards in front of friends and family.
He didn't even need a full half Sunday to surpass all those outings against the Jaguars, who haven't won since surprising the visiting Indianapolis Colts 27-20 to open the season.
"I don't think we could get any more people up there," said Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone, who stacked the box early and often against Henry.
It didn't work. Henry had 170 yards on 17 carries in the first 30 minutes, including a 36-yard touchdown run. He added a 47-yard scamper early in the third as the division-leading Titans (9-4) started to pull away.
Tennessee scored 17 points in less than four minutes spanning the second and third quarters. After's Henry's first score, the Titans forced a punt and quickly moved into position for Stephen Gostkowski's 53-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Tennessee got the ball to start the third and piled on, with Ryan Tannehill finding tight end Geoff Swaim for a 5-yard score. It was Tannehill's second touchdown pass of the day; his first came on a flea flicker that ended with A.J. Brown's one-handed catch in the end zone.
Henry's 1-yard plunge in the third put the Titans over 30 points for the fifth consecutive week, helped them clinch their fifth consecutive winning season and move a step closer to securing a playoff berth and perhaps their first division title since 2008. They have won three of their past four after losing three of four, and Henry now has 1,317 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 271 carries this season, an average of 4.9 yards per attempt.
"We realize what Derrick brings to the table each and every game," Tannehill said. "He plays hard. He plays physical. When I turn around and I can see a crease, a four-foot wide crease in the D-line, I know that's going to be good for the Titans."
The Jaguars had their own milestone at running back as James Robinson became the first undrafted rookie in league history to top 1,000 yards in the first 14 weeks of a season. Robinson accomplished the feat with a 47-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
He also became the fourth undrafted rookie to reach 1,000 rushing yards, joining LeGarrette Blount (1,007 for the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Phillip Lindsay (1,037 for the 2018 Denver Broncos) and Dominic Rhodes (1,104 for the 2001 Colts).
The Jaguars benched quarterback Mike Glennon after his fourth turnover (plus a safety) in six quarters and turned to Gardner Minshew for the first time since Week 7. Minshew missed several weeks with a right thumb injury, but even after being deemed fully healthy, he remained on the bench behind Glennon.
Minshew immediately led Jacksonville to a touchdown, capping his first series in nearly two months with a 5-yard throw to Keelan Cole. It was too little, too late - and Marrone declined to name a starter moving forward.
"It's something that I really missed," Minshew said. "I missed the camaraderie with the guys. I missed being out there. As much as you're always a part of the team, it's just something different when you really are out there with the guys. It's always special."