Yulee's Derrick Henry bulldozes the Jaguars once more, denies them the AFC South title

Derrick Henry delivered one more beat-down of a Jacksonville Jaguars defense — at least in a Tennessee Titans uniform.

The Yulee High graduate ran for a season-high 153 yards and a touchdown and set up another score with a long-distance run as the Titans beat the Jaguars 28-20 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday, denying the Jags (9-8) a spot in the AFC playoffs.

After the game, Henry sounded like it would be his swan song after eight seasons with the Titans (6-11). He becomes a free agent in March and signs are pointing to the Titans going younger at running back.

Henry, who turned 30 last week, was handed a microphone before leaving the field and thanked Titans fans “for the greatest eight years of my life.”

“Y’all have been there for everything, the adversity, watching me grow as a person and player, always supporting me ... hopefully I was an inspiration to all the young kids and everybody in the community. Thank y'all so much. God is good and Titan up.”

Titans coach Mike Vrabel said simply: “I’m proud to coach him. He’s a unique and special person.”

Playing in a Super Bowl is Henry's main goal

Henry gave a few more thank-yous after the game: his coaches, teammates, Titans equipment, security, communications, social media staff members ... even the team’s kitchen staff and someone named Bob, “who made sure I had avocados at breakfast.”

Henry didn’t give a hint about whether he would re-sign with the Titans or go elsewhere — only that he wanted to be with a contender.

“I ain’t getting no younger," he said. "I want to win a Super Bowl. I won championships in high school and college and a Super Bowl is definitely something I want to get. It’s been a great eight years. I’ve grown ... a lot has happened.”

Henry has feasted on the Jaguars

The Jaguars were a frequent foil for Henry during those eight seasons. He played 15 games against the Jags since 2016 — two short of an NFL season — and posted stats that would have gotten any running back named All-Pro:

• He has 1,564 yards, 16 touchdowns and a 5.4 per-carry average against the Jags.

• After failing to gain 100 yards against the Jaguars in his first five games against his hometown team, he had seven 100-yard games in his last 10, including two 200-yard games.

• Henry was especially brutal versus the Jags at home, gaining 866 yards and scoring eight times at Nissan Stadium. He averaged 144.3 yards against the Jaguars at home, with his signature game coming in 2018 when he ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns — one of them a 99-yard run in which he stiff-armed Jaguar defenders A.J. Bouye, Leon Jacobs and Myles Jack into oblivion.

Henry helped Titans take control early

Henry did exactly what was needed on Sunday to spark a Titans upset. He gained 70 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry in the first half to set the tone, and scored on an 18-yard run in the second quarter that erased the last Jaguars lead.

After the Jags cut the score to 21-13 at halftime, Henry burst free for a 69-yard gain to set up Ryan Tannehill’s 6-yard TD pass to D’Andre Hopkins and a 28-13 lead. It proved to be the decisive score.

Henry’s future will depend on his value on the open market. Running backs have the shortest shelf life in the NFL but Henry finished the season with 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns, his fifth 1,000-yard season and his sixth consecutive season with 10 or more touchdowns.

Henry has looked merely mortal at times this season and Sunday was only his fourth 100-yard game. He also gained only 173 yards on 64 carries (2.7 per attempt) in the previous four games.

But the sight of a Jaguars uniform always seems to rejuvenate him. It might be his last game for the Titans but who’s betting against him coming back to torture the Jags in the future?

Or, they could always bring him back home to the First Coast.

“When that [free agency] time comes, we’ll evaluate and see what makes sense,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Derrick Henry, in what may be his Nashville finale, rips the Jags again