What did Ryan Tannehill tell Derrick Henry on the field? It wasn't what you think | Estes

Savor the mental photos. Enjoy it while you still can. We’d witnessed this scene plenty of times at Nissan Stadium. What made this time special was that we can’t know if we’ll ever see it again.

First-and-goal at the 2-yard line, final minutes of a close game. Ryan Tannehill has directed a late march, and he’s behind center as the fans start a slow, familiar chant:

Hen-ry. Hen-ry. Hen-ry.

They know who’s getting it. Everyone knows who’s getting it. He gets it anyway.

Touchdown, Tennessee Titans. Touchdown, Derrick Henry.

“Kind of reminded me of rookie year a little bit, watching those guys,” Tennessee Titans safety Elijah Molden said. “ . . . We’ve been in those situations in the past, and we’ve come out on the winning side.”

He’s right. Had this been 2019 or 2020 or 2021, Henry’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 remaining against the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve likely would have held up as the game-winning score in an important victory at a pivotal time of the season.

But this is 2023. And in 2023, the Titans find ways to lose these games.

In this instance, it was by allowing the Seahawks to answer with a 75-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead and claim a 20-17 victory when the Titans' offense couldn't answer in the final minute.

Just the latest dose of late-game misery for the Titans (5-10), whose most recent three defeats at home, including Sunday's, all have been by three points.

“We were battling. We were competing,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “Sometimes, that’s just not enough.”

It hasn’t been enough for most of this disappointing season, which will be remembered largely as a transitional year for these Titans. This was the year they moved away from Tannehill to rookie Will Levis at quarterback. Tannehill has two games remaining in Tennessee, and if Levis is healthy, he'll be out there. If he's not healthy, it'll be Tannehill. But after that, Tannehill will be somewhere else.

Henry, too, might have only two games left as a Titans player. It’s possible — more possible than with Tannehill — that he’ll be back. But Henry’s contract is expiring, too. That leaves no guarantees.

When asked about it after last week's Houston game, Henry was surprisingly reflective, saying, "I'll just try to give my all these last three games and leave it all on the field." Some took his answer to mean Henry was acknowledging that he wouldn't be back — and that wasn't the case.

Nonetheless, the expiration date is approaching quickly on a successful Titans era that'll be relived largely through the efforts of Tannehill and Henry.

For those sentimental about such things, Sunday's Seattle game was enduring. Levis’ ankle injury meant Tannehill started for the first time since the Titans were in London on Oct. 15.

He admitted that he was a little rusty. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 152 yards despite being sacked six times (that, too, is a recurring theme of 2023).

Vintage Tannehill didn't show up until the fourth quarter. Trailing 13-10, the Titans moved 75 yards in 15 plays. So often a clutch quarterback during his Titans heyday, Tannehill was 5-for-5 on this drive for 47 yards. Henry ran six times for 18 yards, continuing an 88-yard afternoon in which he looked more like the old Henry than he has in recent weeks.

And when the drive ended with Henry’s 2-yard touchdown, the Titans’ veteran quarterback and running back embraced briefly on the field and shared a few words.

What was that about? Some dramatic, cinema-worthy line?

Nah.

Tannehill said he warned Henry to be ready for another snap, just because he thought his knee might have been down short of the goal line.

“It wasn’t a nostalgic moment at all,” Tannehill said with a smile.

“Enjoy, obviously, every time I get to share the field with Derrick,” he added. “We have a lot of fun together. Made a lot of plays and won a lot of games.”

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Was this one last time for Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill on Titans?