Top Two Rushers Meet As Tennessee Titans Host St. Louis Rams

NFL News - December 8th, 2009 - Written by John

So, gone is any hope of Chris Johnson's assertion that the Tennessee Titans could go 10-0 with Vince Young at quarterback, and sneak into the playoffs with an improbably wild card berth. But the potential for 6-1 is still in play when Tennessee gets the St. Louis Rams at home on Sunday.

The Titans have the second-biggest spread, according to BetUS, which show the NFL Betting Line with Titans giving up 13 with an over/under of 46.

In a week with two recent Super Bowl rematches, this one looks to be far less competitive than New England/Carolina. Tennessee has only faced the Rams once since Super Bowl -- in 2000, a 31-37 St. Louis win in 2005

At 5-7, the Titans did well to dig out of a tremendous hole to start the season, winning five in a row with Young as the starter. He 628 yards over his last two games, including a career-high 387 in a dramatic win over the Arizona Cardinals. But last week, the delicious potential of winning ten-straight was extinguished by the top team in the AFC when Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to it's 12th win this season.

Tennessee may not having the best quarterback in the league, but it certainly has the top tailback to hand it to. Nobody has more yards than Johnson (1,509) to this point, and his 6.2 yards per carry has the potential to be the most by any running back this decade. His 19 rushes of 20 yards or more is tops, and his three touchdown runs of 85+ is more than all other running backs combined.

He will be across the field from the running back nipping at his heels, though. St. Louis' Steven Jackson has 1,232 yards and four touchdowns to highlight an otherwise forgettable year for the St. Louis Rams. He and Johnson are the only running backs in the league with more than 100 yards per game, though Johnson grades out with an average of 20 yards more.

Kyle Boller remains the team's quarterback despite a rating of 48.1 in last week's loss to the Chicago Bears. He has 876 yards in five starts and has been picked off
twice as many times as he's thrown touchdowns (6 to 3).

It will likely come down to rush defense and the Titans have a big edge on paper. St. Louis is 28th, and has allowed the second-most touchdowns on the ground (17), just behind the Oakland Raiders. Tennessee is eighth, not allowing a 100-yard rusher since Nov. 1.