The Tennessee Titans had to play without Ryan Tannehill on Sunday as an ankle injury stopped the quarterback’s streak of 55 consecutive starts. With 18 snaps of regular-season experience under center, rookie Malik Willis started at quarterback for the Titans against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

It might not have mattered who started at quarterback for Tennessee because when it comes to Houston, Titans running back Derrick Henry is the Harlem Globetrotters and the Texans are the Washington Generals.

Until Sunday, no player in NFL history had scored at least two rushing touchdowns or recorded at least 150 rushing yards in four consecutive games against the same opponent. Henry achieved both those feats in the Titans’ 17-10 victory, and he didn’t stop at 150 yards. Henry recorded his fourth consecutive game with at least 200 rushing yards against the Texans as he ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries and caught a 9-yard pass.

“I think we’ve come to expect that from him,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “He puts so much on himself. … Derrick, he expects more of himself than anybody on this football team or any coaching member would. I’m glad we have him.”

A broken foot caused Henry to miss both of Tennessee’s games against the Texans in 2021, and Houston counted one of those contests among its four victories last season.

In his three games against the Texans before the injury, Henry ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in a 35-14 victory on Dec. 29, 2019, 212 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in a 42-36 victory on Oct 18, 2020, and 250 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries in a 41-38 victory on Jan. 3, 2021.

“It’s something about it,” Henry said. “When we come here, it’s a different juice.”

Henry is now tied with O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson for the most games with at least 200 rushing yards in NFL history with six.

Henry had at least two rushing touchdowns in each of those games. No other player in NFL history has more than three games with at least 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in each. Henry has more than that many in his past four games against the Texans.

Almost as a footnote, Henry also became the franchise’s career touchdown leader. Henry entered the game tied with Earl Campbell for second in Oilers/Titans history with 73 touchdowns. Henry scored on a 29-yard run with 4:20 left in the first half as Tennessee took a 7-3 lead and on a 1-yard run with 6:31 left in the third quarter as the Titans went up 14-3 to pass franchise leader Eddie George, who had 74 career touchdowns.

“God is good,” Henry said. “I’m blessed to play for this organization, the teammates that I have, the sacrifices that they make for me to have success, the coaching staff putting me in positions to have success. A kid from Yulee with a dream to do something special and be great, and, like, Earl Campbell, Eddie George, watching and seeing highlights of them as a kid, it’s just a surreal moment, and I’m just thankful.

“But it wasn’t all me. It was all my teammates throughout the years, and I’m just happy we got this win today.”

Henry said he hoped the Titans’ offensive linemen enjoyed the records.

“They were the ones that made it happen,” Henry said, “so I would hope that they take pride in that because without them, I wouldn’t have had the success that I’ve had.”

Henry was among the 45 former Alabama players who got on the field on the eighth Sunday of the NFL’s 103rd season.

Five other former Alabama players were involved in the Tennessee-Houston game:

· Titans defensive back Shyheim Carter is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Titans defensive end Da’Shawn Hand is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Christian Harris started at linebacker for the Texans. Harris led Houston with seven tackles in his first NFL start and second NFL game.

· O.J. Howard (Autauga Academy) started at tight end for the Texans. Howard caught two passes for 24 yards.

· Texans wide receiver John Metchie III is on reserve/non-football injury and not eligible to play.

In the other Sunday games:

Denver Broncos 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

· Broncos linebacker Christopher Allen is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Kareem Jackson started at strong safety for the Broncos. Jackson made eight tackles.

· Jerry Jeudy started at wide receiver for the Broncos. Jeudy caught six passes for 63 yards and one touchdown. Jeudy’s 6-yard touchdown for Denver’s first points of the game came with 2:44 left in the first half and was more a run than a reception. Quarterback Russell Wilson took a shotgun snap and flipped the football a few inches to Jeudy, who was crossing the backfield in front of him, and the wide receiver swept right end into the end zone.

· Cam Robinson started at left offensive tackle for the Jaguars.

· Patrick Surtain II started at left cornerback for the Broncos. Surtain made five tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.

· Jaguars safety Deionte Thompson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Atlanta Falcons 37, Carolina Panthers 34 (OT)

· Bradley Bozeman (Handley) started at center for the Panthers. Bozeman made his second straight start. In those two games, the Panthers have posted their two highest rushing totals even after trading former All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey in the week before Bozeman entered the lineup.

· Panthers guard Deonte Brown (Austin) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Rashaan Evans (Auburn High) started at inside linebacker for the Titans. Evans made nine tackles, recorded one sack and registered one tackle for loss. The sack was Evans’ first of the 2022 season, and his first full sack since the 2019 campaign.

· Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley is suspended by the commissioner and not eligible to play.

Dallas Cowboys 49, Chicago Bears 29

· Trevon Diggs started at cornerback for the Cowboys. Diggs tied for the team lead with eight tackles and broke up a pass. Diggs’ fourth interception of the season was wiped out by a penalty. Diggs picked off Chicago QB Justin Fields in the final minute of the first half and had a 34-yard return to the Dallas 45-yard line. But a roughing-the-passer penalty nullified the turnover, and the Bears scored a touchdown on the next snap with 40 seconds left in the first half.

· Eddie Jackson started at safety for the Bears. Jackson led Chicago and tied his career high with his fourth 11-tackle game. Jackson also registered his fourth interception of the season and 14th of his career. Jackson picked off Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, and his 21-yard return put the Bears on the Dallas 24-yard line with 28 seconds left in the first half. Chicago turned the takeaway into a field goal to cut the Cowboys’ lead to 28-17 at halftime.

· Bears offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood dressed for the game but did not play. Leatherwood was activated on Saturday after missing six games because of mononucleosis.

Miami Dolphins 31, Detroit Lions 27

· Isaiah Buggs started at defensive tackle for the Lions. Buggs made two tackles.

· Raekwon Davis started at nose tackle for the Dolphins. Davis made three tackles.

· Lions center Ross Pierschbacher is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Lions cornerback Saivion Smith is on the practice squad injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Dolphins. Tagovailoa completed 29-of-36 passes for 382 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Tagovailoa posted the best passing-efficiency rating at 138.7 and the second-highest yardage total of his NFL career. He had a 124.1 rating when he passed for 469 yards in Miami’s 42-38 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 18. After the Dolphins fell behind 14-0 in Detroit, Tagovailoa threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle with 50 seconds left in the first quarter, a 29-yard touchdown pass to Waddle with 11:30 left in the first half and an 11-yard pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds left in the third quarter. The final TD pass came with Miami trailing by three points and set the final score.

· Jaylen Waddle started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Waddle caught eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Waddle recorded the fourth 100-yard performance in his past seven games and had the third game of his career with two touchdown receptions. Waddle caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds left in the first quarter to cut Detroit’s lead to 14-7 and a 29-yard touchdown pass with 11:30 left in the first half to cut the Lions’ lead to 21-14.

· Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is on reserve/non-football injury and not eligible to play.

Minnesota Vikings 34, Arizona Cardinals 26

· Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. caught four passes for 28 yards.

· Dalvin Tomlinson started at defensive end for the Vikings. Tomlinson made three tackles.

New Orleans Saints 24, Las Vegas Raiders 0

· Anthony Averett started at free safety for the Raiders. Averett reached a career high with eight tackles. He had three games last season with seven tackles.

· Raiders guard Lester Cotton (Central-Tuscaloosa) dressed for the game but did not play.

· Mark Ingram started at running back for the Saints. Ingram caught a 2-yard pass before leaving because of a knee injury.

· Josh Jacobs started at running back for the Raiders. Jacobs ran for 43 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for 11 yards. Over the previous three games, Jacobs had run for 441 yards and six touchdowns on 69 carries.

New England Patriots 22, New York Jets 17

· Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Barmore sidelined for the second straight game.

· Damien Harris started at running back for the Patriots. Harris ran for 37 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 15 yards.

· Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) played but did not record any stats.

· Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 24-of-35 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown and one interception, ran for 19 yards on seven carries and was sacked six times. Jones suffered an ankle injury on Sept. 25 that caused him to miss three games, and he played only three series in his return on Monday night in a 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears. New England fell behind 10-3 on Sunday, but Jones stayed in the game and guided the Patriots to the next 19 points. He threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers as New England took a 13-10 lead with 12:07 left in the third quarter. Jones’ interception came on a fluttering football in the first half when his arm was hit while throwing. He also had a pick-six wiped out in the second quarter by a roughing-the-passer penalty.

· C.J. Mosley (Theodore) started at linebacker for the Jets. Mosley led New York with 13 tackles. He also recorded a tackle for loss and broke up a pass.

· Patriots defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) is on the practice squad injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made five tackles, recorded one sack, had one tackle for loss and registered three quarterback hits. Williams has six sacks this season.

· Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery) made three tackles.

Philadelphia Eagles 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

· Steelers outside linebacker Ryan Anderson (Daphne) played but did not record any stats.

· Landon Dickerson started at left guard for the Eagles.

· Minkah Fitzpatrick started at free safety for the Steelers. Fitzpatrick led Pittsburgh with six tackles and broke up a pass.

· Najee Harris started at running back for the Steelers. Harris ran for 32 yards on eight carries, caught six passes for 26 yards and completed a 4-yard pass. The pass was the first for Harris in his NFL career.

· Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer played but did not record any stats.

· Jalen Hurts started at quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 19-of-28 passes for 285 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and ran twice for 10 yards. Hurts’ passing-efficiency rating of 140.6 was the best of his career. In the first half, Hurts connected with wide receiver A.J. Brown on touchdown passes of 39, 27 and 29 yards, then had a 34-yard touchdown throw to tight end Zach Pascal in the third quarter. Hurts’ performance was the 41st in NFL history in which a player has thrown at least four touchdown passes of 25 or more yards in a game. It was the first for a Philadelphia QB since 1969.

· Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe was designated as a game-day inactive.

· DeVonta Smith started at wide receiver for the Eagles. Smith caught five passes for 23 yards.

· Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury kept Wallace from practicing last week.

Washington Commanders 17, Indianapolis Colts 16

· Jonathan Allen started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Allen tied for the team lead with eight tackles and recorded two tackles for loss.

· Colts cornerback Tony Brown played but did not record any stats.

· Ryan Kelly started at center for the Colts.

· Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made five tackles, recorded one sack, had a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble. Payne recovered a fumble by Indianapolis quarterback Sam Ehlinger at the Washington 22-yard line with 2:35 left in the first half. Payne has 4.5 sacks this season.

· Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) ran for 20 yards on eight carries.

· Cam Sims started at wide receiver for the Commanders. Sims caught a 21-yard pass.

San Francisco 49ers 31, Los Angeles Rams 14

· Rams outside linebacker Terrell Lewis made one tackle.

· A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive end for the Rams. Robinson made three tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.

Seattle Seahawks 27, New York Giants 13

· Giants safety Landon Collins played but did not record any stats. New York elevated Collins from its practice squad to make him eligible to play on Sunday.

· Giants wide receiver Robert Foster is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Xavier McKinney started at free safety for the Giants. McKinney made two tackles and recorded one sack. The sack was the first of McKinney’s NFL career.

· Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury prevented Neal from practicing last week.

· Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Seahawks long snapper Carson Tinker handled the snaps on six punts, three extra points and two field goals.

Buffalo Bills 27, Green Bay Packers 17

· Bills safety Jared Mayden is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Packers defensive tackle Jarran Reed made three tackles and registered two quarterback hits.

Week 8 started on Thursday night, when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-22. Ravens running back Kenyan Drake and Buccaneers wide receiver Julio Jones caught a touchdown pass apiece.

Week 8 concludes on Monday, when the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will televise the game.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.