The Tennessee Titans are going to be plenty motivated in this game.  They need a win, a Bengals’ loss against the Ravens and a Jets win over the Dolphins to get into the playoffs.  All of those things could happen this Sunday.  The Titans will be looking for revenge against a Texans’ team that whacked them hard 41-7 in Nashville earlier this year.  The Texans are locked into the #3 seed in the AFC Playoffs, so it would be smart of them to limit the P.T. of their starting players in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to need balance offensively if they are going to win this game.  That means that RB Chris Johnson is going to have to pick up the pace this Sunday.  The Texans are only allowing 96.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so they can be run on.  The Texans are a heavy pass rushing team with 41 sacks and opposing QBs only have a 66.2 QB Rating against them this year, so Matt Hasselbeck is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly while also being careful.  To me that sounds like he will be throwing to his TEs and RBs a lot in this game.  TE Jared Cook and Chris Johnson could have big games for the Titans in the passing game.  WRs Nate Washington, Lavelle Hawkins and Damian Williams are going to have to catch short stuff and make plays after the catch.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Titans are going to have to stop the impressive RBs of the Texans if they are going to have any chance of winning this game.  That will be easier said than done as Arian Foster rushed for 115 yards and he also had 119 yards receiving in the first matchup between these two teams.  The Texans will probably limit Foster’s P.T., which should be a good thing for the Titans, but it won’t be.  That is because Ben Tate (855 yards rushing) could be the main man on the ground for most of this game for the Texans.  The Titans are going to have to get after rookie QB T.J. Yates as he will have WR Andre Johnson back for this game.  Johnson will likely only play a quarter or two, but he is going to help the Texans stretch the field.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 21, TEXANS 20

28-year old WR Nate Washington has turned in a very solid 2011 season for the Titans.  He has played in 15 games for the Titans so far and he has caught 70 passes for 931 yards (13.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Those are career high numbers in receptions and receiving yards for Washington.  He has also tied his career high in TD receptions so far this year with one game left to play.  Washington has been consistently good without really dominating as he only has eclipsed 100 yards receiving twice so far this year.  Washington has now played in 95 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 263 passes for 3,892 yards (14.8 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  He has definitely responded to the challenge of being the Titans’ #1 WR in 2011.

The Titans played a solid game as they held off the Jaguars last Saturday.  Matt Hasselbeck completed 24 of 40 passes for 350 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Chris Johnson led the way on the ground for the Titans with 56 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.7 ypc).  Jamie Harper pitched in with 4 carries for 6 yards (1.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 5 yards.  TE Jared Cook led the way for the Titans in this game with 8 grabs for 169 yards (21.1 avg) wiht 1 TD grab.  WR Damian Williams (8 rec, 83 yards) and Nate Washington (4 rec, 71 yards) also pitched in for the Titans in this game.  The Titans rushed for 65 yards on 25 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 342 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:59.

Defensively, the Titans were pretty solid.  DE Derrick Morgan (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Akeem Ayers (7 tackles) led the way for the Titans’ on D in this game.  Safety Michael Griffin pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception.  The Jaguars finished up with 113 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 42 passes (50%) for 187 yards.  The Titans are now 8-7 on the season and they still have a very slim chance at making the playoffs.

The Titans have lost two games in a row and this is a “must win game” if they are going to have any chance of making it to the playoffs this year.  They lost to the Jaguars in Jacksonville, 16-14 in the season opener.  The Jaguars have lost four of their last five games as they are not playing well right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are likely going to come out throwing the ball against the Jaguars tomorrow.  He should have time to throw the ball, as the Titans’ O-Line has really pass blocked well so far this year.  He will likely spread the ball around to Nate Washington, Jared Cook, Lavelle Hawkins and Damian Williams in this game.  Chris Johnson has been up and down so far this year, so it’s hard to know what to expect out of him.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Titans are going to have to gang up to stop RB Maurice Jones-Drew.  That isn’t going to be too easy as the Titans are giving up 127.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per cary so far this year.  The Titans aren’t too worried about QB Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars’ passing game.  That is because Gabbert doesn’t really have anyone to throw to.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 23, JAGUARS 13

The Tennessee Titans have claimed 25-year old fullback Quinn Johnson off waivers from the Denver Broncos.  Johnson played in 4 games earlier this year with the Titans and he didn’t carry the ball, but he did catch 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  He has now played in 24 games in his first three years in the NFL and he doesn’t have a carry yet, but, he has caught 8 passes for 60 yards (7.5 avg) and he has 4 tackles.

The Tennessee Titans got ambushed in Indianapolis today by an inspired Colts team.  Matt Hasselbeck had a rough day as he completed 27 of 40 passes for 223 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs (one of which was returned 32 yards for a TD by Colts’ CB Jacob Lacey).  Jake Locker tried to bring the Titans back, but to no avail.  He completed 11 of 16 passes for 108 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 9 yards.  Chris Johnson led the way on the ground for the Titans in this game with 55 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 8 passes for 54 yards (6.8 avg).  TE Jared Cook (9 rec, 103 yards), WR Lavelle Hawkins (8 rec, 88 yards) and WR Nate Washington (7 rec, 62 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game today.  The Titans finished up with 66 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 38 of 56 passes (67.9%) for 322 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:57.

The Titans got pushed around by the Colts, who ran the ball all over them today.  DE Dave Ball (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Colin McCarthy (6 tackles) led the way for the Titans on D in this game.  Safety Chris Hope pitched in with 2 tackles and 1 fumble recovery in this game for the Titans.  The Colts rushed for 205 yards on 34 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 17 passes (64.7%) for 82 yards.  The Titans are now 7-7 on the year, but this loss is going to sting for a while.

This is a big game for the Titans as they are still very alive in the playoff hunt.  They beat the Colts 27-10 in the first meeting between these two teams in Tennessee.  The Colts have played  a little better since their bye week, three weeks ago, but they still have not won a game this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are likely going to give the ball a lot to Chris Johnson in this game.  The Colts are giving up 144.3 yards rushing per game and they are allowing 4.1 yards per carry.  The QB situation is still up in the air as Matt Hasselbeck will start if he’s healthy, if not, Jake Locker will be making his first NFL start this weekend.  Either way, the Titans are likely go have a solid passing game this weekend.  Look for the Titans’ QB to spread the ball around to Nate Washington, Damian Williams, Lavelle Hawkins and TE Jared Cook against a Colts’ D that is giving up 240.5 yards passing per game so far this year.  Opposing QBs have a 108.7 Rating against the Colts so far this year.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to try to be balanced on offense in this game.  The Titans’ front seven should be able to handle stopping RBs Donald Brown, Joseph Addai and Delone Carter.  The Titans are going to have to get after Dan Orlovsky as the Colts’ offense has looked better with him under center.  Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne are solid WRs, who can get down the field, so the secondary is going to have to step up this Sunday…..and I think they will.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 24, COLTS 13

The Titans have lost 28-year old safety Anthony Smith for the rest of the season due to a groin injury as he has been placed on the Injured Reserve List.  Smith played in 13 games for the Titans last year and he had 11 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  He has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has 176 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 7 interceptions and 18 passes defensed.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Titans.

The Titans are playing the Indianapolis Colts on the road this weekend in a “must win” game.  Matt Hasselbeck injured his calf last weekend and rookie Jake Locker played most of the game.  This is a perfect spot to give Jake Locker his first NFL start, as long as Hasselbeck isn’t healthy enough to go.  Locker has played in 4 games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 23 of 50 passes (46%) for 434 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs (96.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 47 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Locker has a stronger arm and he’s a much better runner than Hasselbeck, but Hasselbeck still has the experience edge.  Hasselbeck has been solid this year.  The 36-year old QB has completed 246 of 403 passes (61%) for 2,701 yards with 15 TD passes and 10 INTs (82.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards (4.0 ypc) so far this year.  No matter which QB lines up under center this weekend, they will have a good matchup against the Colts.

The Titans have decided to place 28-year old LB Barrett Ruud on the Injured Reserve List due to a groin injury.  Ruud played in 9 games for the Titans this year and he had 57 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 104 games in his first seven years in the NFL and he has 642 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 23 passes defensed and 7 interceptions.  The Titans are going to let Ruud walk in free agency.