26-year old RB Chris Johnson has been playing a lot better lately for the Titans.  In his last three games, Johnson has carried the ball 62 times for 333 yards (5.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 8 passes for 62 yards (7.8 avg) in those three games.  Johnson has now played in 11 games for the Titans this year and he has carried the ball 183 times for 699 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 39 passes for 268 yards (6.9 avg) without any TD catches this year.  Johnson has now played in 58 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 1,108 times for 5,297 yards (4.8 ypc) with 36 TD runs.  He has also caught 176 passes for 1,276 yards (7.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs so far in his career.  The Titans need Johnson to get back to the RB he was in his first three years with the team.  He is starting to show signs of breaking his year long funk, and it would be perfect timing as the Titans are trying to chase down the Texans in the AFC South.

The Tennessee Titans scored 13 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to beat the Bucs earlier today.  Matt Hasselbeck did not look good today as he completed 19 of 34 passes for 160 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (one of which was returned 27-yards for an interception by CB Aqib Talib of the Bucs).  Chris Johnson had a true breakout game for the Titans today with 190 yards rushing on 23 carries (8.3 ypc)!  WR Lavelle Hawkins (5 rec, 51 yards), TE Jared Cook (3 rec, 38 yards) and WR Damian Williams (3 rec, 33 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Titans today.  The Titans finished up with 202 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 34 passes (55.9%) for 150 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:23.

The Titans forced five turnovers today on D and it was a HUGE reason for the win.  LBs Colin McCarthy (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and Akeem Ayers (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Titans on D in this game.  DT Jurrell Casey (5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and DE Dave Ball (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 fumble recovery) also had solid games for the Titans today.  CBs Cortland Finnegan and Jason McCourty each pitched in with one fumble recovery apiece.  The Buccaneers finished up with 122 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 33 passes (54.5%) for 186 yards today.  The Titans are now 6-5 on the season.

The Tennessee Titans have alternated wins and losses the last five weeks.  If that holds true, they will win this game.  The Buccaneers have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 123-69!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  I think the Titans are going to come out throwing the ball against the Bucs.  The Bucs only have 15 sacks this year and they are giving up 265.4 yards passing per game this year, so Hasselbeck should have time to throw the ball and success when he does.  WRs Nate Washington, Damian Williams and TE Jared Cook could all be in line for big games this Sunday in the passing game.  The Titans would also like to get RB Chris Johnson going this weekend and the Bucs have a very weak front seven.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Titans need to focus on stopping RB LeGarrette Blount and force the Bucs to throw the ball.  Josh Freeman has 15 INTs to 11 TD passes, so the Titans’ secondary might have a big game.  The Bucs really don’t scare anyone with their set of TEs and WRs, so the Titans hope putting pressure on Freeman will force him into making some bad throws.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 27, BUCCANEERS 17

36-year old QB Matt Hasselbeck is a little banged up right now, but he will remain the starting QB for the Titans.  He has played in 10 games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 206 of 337 passes (61.1%) for 2,357 yards with 14 TD passes and 8 INTs (86.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 55 yards (5.5 ypc) so far this year.  With Matt Schaub going down with a season ending injury, the Titans think they might be vulnerable, which is a big reason for them to keep starting Hasselbeck.  23-year old rookie Jake Locker is getting close to ready to start in the NFL according to what I saw last Sunday against the Falcons.  He has played in 3 games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 10 of 21 passes (47.6%) for 152 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (103.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards so far this year.  He has a good arm and he’s a good runner too.  His future is very bright for the Titans, but he will have to wait a little while longer before he gets his shot.

The Titans looked like they were sleepwalking until Matt Hasselbeck injured his forearm.  Jake Locker revived the team and he almost brought them all the way back in this game.  Hasselbeck completed 13 of 25 passes for 124 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 17 yards in this game.  Jake Locker was sharp as he completed 9 of 19 passes for 140 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards in this game.  Chris Johnson had another rough game as he rushed for 13 yards on 12 carries (1.1 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg).  WR Nate Washington led the way in the passing game for the Titans with 9 grabs for 115 yards (12.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  TE Jared Cook pitched in with 5 grabs for 51 yards (10.2 avg) yesterday.  The Titans finished up with 41 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 44 passes (50%) for 257 yards as they had possession of the ball for 23:01.

The defense played pretty poor for the Titans yesterday.  LB Colin McCarthy (10 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss) and CB Jason McCourty (7 tackles) led the way for the defense yesterday.  LB Will Witherspoon pitched in with 2 tackles and a big fumble recovery in this game.  The Falcons finished up with 116 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 32 passes (68.8%) for 316 yards in this game.  The Titans are now 5-5 on the year.

Both of these teams really need this football game and they are pretty evenly matched.  The Titans are coming off a 30-3 victory over the Panthers in Carolina last weekend.  The Falcons lost 26-23 in O.T. last week at home against the Saints.  The Titans are 2-2 on the road this year and the Falcons are 2-2 at home this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  Chris Johnson woke up last weekend and it made the Titans very hard to stop.  This week he’s going to have to work harder against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 90.3 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  The Titans’ O-Line has done a great job of pass blocking and the Falcons don’t have much of a pass rush, so Matt Hasselbeck should have time to throw the ball.  Damian Williams and Lavelle Hawkins have really stepped up lately and they should be able to get open against a Falcons’ secondary that is giving up 253.8 yards passing per game this year.  WR Nate Washington and TE Jared Cook are also nice targets in the passing game for the Titans.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are probably going to be balanced offensively in this game as they are a good running and passing team.  They will probably start with RB Michael Turner taking on the front seven of the Titans.  The Titans need to stop him in order to make the Falcons’ offense one dimensional, but that probably isn’t going to work.  The Titans are going to have to get after Matt Ryan because he has some pretty good weapons to throw to in Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas and maybe Julio Jones (if he’s healthy enough to play).

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 26, TITANS 23

24-year old cornerback Jason McCourty is the leading tackler for the Titans so far this year as he is really stepping up.  McCourty has played in 9 games for the Titans so far this year and he has 74 tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack.  He has now played in 36 games in his first three years with the Titans and he has 150 tackles, 4 interceptions, 16 passes defensed, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 2 tackles for a loss.  McCourty keeps getting better and that gets the Titans excited.

The Titans got things started right away yesterday as Marc Mariani returned a punt 79 yards for a TD early in the first quarter and that set the tone for them, as they never looked back.  Matt Hasselbeck was effective as he completed 15 of 27 passes for 219 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 21 yards in this game.  Chris Johnson came back to life yesterday in a big way as he rushed for 130 yards on 27 carries (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 44 yards (11.0 avg) in this game.  Javon Ringer pitched in with 19 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.2 ypc) in this game.  Rookie WR Damian Williams enjoyed a true breakout game for the Titans with 5 grabs for 107 yards (21.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Nate Washington pitched in with 3 grabs for 40 yards (13.3 avg) in this game.  The Titans finished up with 172 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 211 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:36.

The defense was very solid for the Titans as they sacked Cam Newton five times yesterday.  LBs Colin McCarthy (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) and Akeem Ayers (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Titans’ D in this game.  CB Jason McCourty (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Chris Hope (interception) also had a big impact for the D yesterday.  The Panthers finished up with 113 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 166 yards in this game.  The Titans are now 5-4 on the season.

The Titans are only 1-2 on the road this year and they have lost three of their last four games, so they need a win this weekend to get things going back in the right direction.  The Panthers have played better at home this year, where they are 2-3 on the season and they are going to be well rested coming off of their bye week.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans will likely try to be more balanced than usual in this game.  They are going to try to get Chris Johnson going against a Panthers’ D that is giving up 133.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  If they are successful running the ball, it will set up things pretty good for QB Matt Hasselbeck.  The Titans hope to have Nate Washington ready to go in this game as he has a hip injury.  Young WRs Damian Williams & Lavelle Hawkins are starting to step up, and I look for that to continue this weekend against the Panthers.  TE Jared Cook will also likely give the Panthers problems this Sunday.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are a pass first team and that will continue this weekend against the Titans, who are giving up 225.5 yards passing per game this year.  The Titans must get a good pass rush on Cam Newton, while containing him in the pocket, and that is not going to be easy.  The Titans will have to give safety help over the top to whoever is guarding Steve Smith, as he is having an awesome year for the Panthers.  He also likes throwing the ball a lot to TEs Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, which will also challenge the safeties of the Titans.  The Titans can’t go all out to stop the pass though, as Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are both outstanding RBs.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 27, TITANS 23

51-year old head coach Mike Munchak is doing a solid job as the Titans are playing better than most “experts” thought they would.  He has also set up a perfect mentoring system at QB as Matt Hasselbeck is showing rookie QB Jake Locker the right way to do things.  I am a tad surprised that Munchak has not got his offensive line blocking well in the running game, as he was a awesome lineman in his playing days.  The Titans are only averaging 70.0 yards rushing per game and only 3.1 yards per carry, and that is pathetic.  It will be interesting to see how well the Titans play in the second half of the season under Munchak.