Derrick Henry Draws Rave Reviews from NFL Twitter in Titans' Loss to Chiefs

The Tennessee Titans were missing their starting quarterback, on the road in front of a raucous crowd and facing Patrick Mahomes, which was a recipe for a blowout.

Instead, they almost used quite the formula to stun the Kansas City Chiefs until Mahomes did his best Superman impression to lead the AFC West leaders to a 20-17 victory Sunday. Tennessee put up a valiant effort but saw its five-game winning streak end as it fell to 5-3 on the season.

The driving force of that valiant effort was running back Derrick Henry, who finished with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. It was much-needed, considering Ryan Tannehill was sidelined with an ankle injury for the second game in a row, and rookie replacement Malik Willis completed five passes overall, with zero going to wide receivers.

Henry's 219-yard and two-touchdown showing was enough in the last game against the Houston Texans when Willis threw for just 55 yards, but Mahomes was on the other side in this one and ran for a late touchdown and two-pointer to tie it before directing a field-goal drive in overtime.

Still, Twitter gave Henry his flowers for an incredible game, even if some were wondering why he didn't have more chances:

It seemed like Kansas City was going to cruise to the straightforward win when it jumped ahead 9-0 with a Mecole Hardman touchdown in the second quarter. That's when the Henry show started with two touchdown runs and a 56-yarder in the second quarter as he showed off his speed, ability to run out of the wildcat and bruising physicality by the goal line.

Willis also used his legs multiple times as the Titans controlled the clock, kept Mahomes on the sidelines and put the four-time Pro Bowler under constant pressure.

It was the perfect gameplan to win on the road with an injured quarterback against a powerhouse like Kansas City, but Mahomes went full magician during a 93-yard drive with a long scramble to convert 3rd-and-17 before he used his legs for the touchdown and the two-point conversion to force overtime.

Fortunately for Henry and the Titans, they won't have to worry about Mahomes in the next game against the Denver Broncos.