(SportsRadio 610) - Death. Taxes. Derrick Henry dominates the Houston Texans.
For the fourth straight game, Derrick Henry amassed at least 200 yards against the Houston Texans.
Since 2019, Henry has posted games of 211, 212, 250 and Sunday afternoon, Henry tagged the Texans for 219 more on a season-high 32 carries.
Whether it be Romeo Crennel, Anthony Weaver or Lovie Smith, a 4-3 front or a 3-4, it quite simply hasn’t mattered. No scheme or coordinator has been able to slow Henry when he suits up against the Texans.
“We knew who we were playing. One of the best backs in the game,” Lovie Smith said Sunday evening after the game. "That physical brand of football, we weren't ready to play that today."
The Texans continue to boast the league's worst run defense, allowing 186 yards per game on the ground following Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Titans.
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The Texans are also allowing 403 total yards per game. That’s the the third-worst mark in the NFL, trailing only the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.
Hemorrhaging yards on the ground has been a story all season long.
Lovie Smith and the Texans have blamed gap integrity, missed tackles and being out of position.
Sunday evening, the Texans' first-year head coach said it was more of the same.
"Believe it or not, we go over the fundamentals. Some days you miss tackles," Smith said. "Today was one of those days."
The Texans (1-5-1) are poised to experience a few more of "those days," as they are in the midst of a gauntlet.
At the conclusion of week 10, the Texans will have seen four of the league's top eight running backs, with the Eagles' Miles Sanders and Giants' Saquon Barkley coming up in consecutive weeks.
During their week seven loss to the Raiders, Josh Jacobs ran for 143 yards on just 20 carries, Sunday afternoon, Henry tormented the Texans for the sixth 200-yard game of his career, tying him with OJ Simpson and Adrian Peterson for the most in NFL history.
Philadelphia (7-0), the league's only remaining undefeated team, comes into town Thursday night, having just blown out the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13.
Smith said he’s expecting his team's best on Thursday, despite not getting that effort on Sunday.
“When you play the top team, that should bring out the best," he said. "(Sunday’s game against the Titans) should have brought out the best, when we're playing the top team in our division."
Sanders, the Eagles' lead running back, rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on just nine attempts against the Steelers, posting his best yards-per-carry average on the season at 8.7 in the win.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts continued to impress through the air as well, completing 68% of his passes (19-of-28) for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
Looking at a short week ahead, Smith said all his team can do is rest up.
“They're going to be in the same situation as us except for they're traveling. It's not like we can put a whole lot of new things in," Smith said. "What we need to do after a physical game like that is try to heal up as much as we possibly can and get ready to play."
As the Texans lick their wounds following Henry’s fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing, the Texans head coach is just ready to put Sunday’s embarrassing effort behind him.
“We did not, the Houston Texans, our football team, under my leadership, did not play well today in all areas," Smith said. "That's the good thing about playing a Thursday game, as I see it. ... When you play like that, you're anxious to get back out there. I know we're better than that."
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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