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.

The Titans blew a 17-7 lead at the half as the Bengals pushed them around in the 3rd and 4th quarters yesterday.  Matt Hasselbeck was solid as he completed 24 of 41 passes for 272 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Chris Johnson pitched in with 64 yards rushing on 14 carries (4.6 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 46 yards (11.5 avg).  WR Lavelle Hawkins (5 rec, 63 yards, TD), TE Jared Cook (4 rec, 47 yards) and WR Damian Williams (4 rec, 34 yards, TD) led the way for the Titans in the passing game.  The Titans finished up with 78 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes (58.5%) for 250 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:05.

The defense was so-so for the Titans yesterday.  Safety Jordan Babineaux (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed), CB Jason McCourty (8 tackles) and CB Alterraun Verner (7 tackles) led the way for the Titans’ D in this game.  The Bengals finished up with 109 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 39 passes (56.4%) for 210 yards.  The Titans are now 4-4 on the season.

The Tennessee Titans got back on the right track last weekend at home against the Colts, by winning 27-10.  The Titans are now 3-1 at home on the season.  The Bengals have won four games in a row now and they are 3-1 on the year on the road.  However, the combined record of the teams that the Bengals have beaten this year is 12-25 and they have only beaten one team (Buffalo) with a winning record.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans would love to get Chris Johnson or Javon Ringer going in this game, but it isn’t going to be easy.  The Bengals are only giving up 85.4 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year.  If the O-Line gives Matt Hasselbeck time to throw the ball (he has only been sacked 9 times this year), he is going to have success against a Bengals’ D that is giving up 212.0 yards passing per game (they only have 3 interceptions this year!).  Look for Hasselbeck to spread the ball around in the passing game to keep everyone happy.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to attack the Titans with Cedric Benson tomorrow.  The Titans need to stop Benson on the way to QB Andy Dalton.  Dalton has been solid so far this year and he does have good guys to throw to.  The corners are going to be challenged by Bengals’ WRs A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson, as they love to run deep patterns.  Dalton likes going to Andre Caldwell and the TE (Donald Lee this week) on the short stuff.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 21, BENGALS 20

24-year old WR Marc Mariani has only caught 4 passes for 18 yards (4.5 avg) so far this year (the only catches of his NFL career), but that is not where he excels.  The is an outstanding return man for the Titans.  He has returned 10 kickoffs for 244 yards (24.4 avg) and 15 punts for 144 yards (9.6 avg) so far this year.  Teams have been kicking away from him a lot this year, which is smart and understandable as he was a gamebreaker in his rookie years in 2010 for the Titans.  Mariani has now played in 23 games in his first two years with the Titans and he has returned 70 kickoffs for 1,774 yards (25.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  He has also returned 42 punts for 473 yards (11.3 avg) with 1 TD return so far in his career with the Titans.  Mariani is a big time asset for the Titans as he usually gives the offense good starting position.

The Tennessee Titans dominated the Colts yesterday, plain and simple.  Matt Hasselbeck was very efficient yesterday as he completed 23 of 33 passes for 224 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Javon Ringer led the way on the ground for the Titans in this game with 60 yards rushing on 14 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg).  Chris Johnson had another rough game as he only carried the ball 14 times for 34 yards (2.4 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg).  WR Damian Williams (4 rec, 60 yards) and TE Jared Cook (2 rec, 40 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Titans yesterday.  Nate Washington caught 4 passes for 34 yards (8.5 avg) and he also ran the ball 1 time for 3 yards for a TD in this game.  The Titans finished up with 96 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 215 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:28.

The defense gave up a lot yards yesterday, but not many points….and that’s what really counts.  CB Jason McCourty led the way for the D yesterday with 8 tackles, 1 pass defensed and he recovered a blocked punt for a TD!  CB Cortland Finnegan (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Jordan Babineaux (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed) also had solid games yesterday for the Titans.  LB Barrett Ruud and safety Michael Griffin pitched in with 1 interception apiece in this game.  The Colts finished up with 158 yards rushing on 26 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 49 passes (53.1%) for 241 yards in this game.  The Titans are now 4-3 on the season.

The Tennessee Titans are going to be looking to really kick someone’s butt after losing by a combined score of 79-24 in their last two games.  The Colts got ripped 62-7 last weekend in New Orleans by the Saints last weekend, so they can’t be thinking too well about themselves either.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to look to get Chris Johnson going this weekend against a Colts’ D that is allowing 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  If Johnson doesn’t get going in this game, it might be time to start to panic about the running game.  The Titans’ O-Line has blocked really well for Matt Hasselbeck so far this year, as Titans’ QBs have only been sacked 9 times this year.  That being said, Colts’ DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are still elite pass rushers.  If Hasselbeck has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game against the Colts’, as opposing QBs have a stunning 113.0 QB Rating against them!

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts have been throwing the ball like they still think they have Peyton Manning at QB.  Curtis Painter is no Peyton Manning.  Painter puts the ball on the ground as he has lost 3 fumbles already this year.  The Colts are only going to have one of their usual starting O-Linemen playing in this game (center Jeff Saturday), so look for the Titans to blitz a lot more than usual tomorrow.  The Titans are going to have to give safety help over the top for whichever corner is covering Pierre Garcon, who has emerged as Painter’s favorite target.  The front seven will likely have to deal with stopping RBs Joseph Addai, Delone Carter and Donald Brown in this game.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 31, COLTS  13

With #1 WR Kenny Britt out for the year, the Titans are going to need some of their younger WRs to step up.  Nate Washington is the current #1 WR for the Titans and he has caught 29 passes for 399 yards (13.8 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in 2011.  The Titans really need Lavelle Hawkins and Damian Williams to step up this year.  Hawkins has caught 14 passes for 133 yards (9.5 avg) so far this year.  Williams has caught 10 passes for 99 yards (9.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year and he has a much higher upside than Hawkins does.  Marc Mariani gets most of his work on special teams for the Titans as he has only caught 4 passes for 18 yards (4.5 avg) so far in 2011.  The Titans need the WRs to step up to help the offense stay semi-balanced the rest of the year.

The Titans didn’t show up yesterday for their biggest game of the year, showing an utter lack of heart….and it showed on the scoreboard.  Matt Hasselbeck was awful in this game as he completed 14 of 30 passes for 104 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (Texans’ CB Brice McCain returned one of the INTs 38 yards for a TD).  Jake Locker made a brief appearance in which he completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 12 yards.  Javon Ringer led the way on the ground for the Titans in this game with 3 carries for 31 yards (10.3 ypc).  Chris Johnson had another rough game as he rushed for 18 yards on 10 carries (1.8 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 27 yards (4.5 avg) in this game.  WR Lavelle Hawkins (3 rec, 24 yards) and TE Jared Cook (2 rec, 22 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Titans yesterday.  The Titans finished up with 53 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 31 passes (48.4%) for 95 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 22:02.

The Titans were awful on D in this game.  CB Jason McCourty (12 tackles), safety Jordan Babineaux (11 tackles), LB Barrett Ruud (10 tackles) and safety Michael Griffin (9 tackles) led the way for the Titans on D in this game.  The Texans finished up with 222 yards rushing on 47 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 23 passes (78.3%) for 296 yards.  The Titans are now 3-3 on the year.

The Titans have had two weeks to get ready for the Texans.  They are also catching the Texans at the right time as they have lost two games in a row and they will be without WR Andre Johnson once again.  This is a HUGE game for both teams as either the Titans or Texans are going to win the AFC South this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to try to get Chris Johnson going this weekend.  The Texans are giving up 107.0 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, so this could be Johnson’s chance for a breakout game to kickstart his season.  The O-Line is going to have to be ready for a challenge this weekend as the Texans already have 17 sacks so far this year, but, Matt Hasselbeck has only been sacked 7 times.  If the Titans give Hasselbeck time to throw the ball, he could have success down the field.  Nate Washington is likely going to be covered by CB Jonathan Joseph, so Hasselbeck will have to be careful when throwing the ball to him.  TE Jared Cook, TE Craig Stevens, WR Damian Williams and WR Lavelle Hawkins are going to need to step up in this game.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Titans are going to have to focus on stopping RB Arian Foster as both a runner and a receiver out of the backfield in this game.  The Titans are going to have to get a good pass rush on Matt Schaub, as he still has very capable WRs, TEs and RBs to throw to even with Andre Johnson out of action.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 23, TEXANS 17

The Tennessee Titans are averaging a pitiful 66.6 rushing yards per game so far this year and 3.0 yards per carry.  The Titans hope the return of blow-up, blocking fullback Ahmard Hall will help kickstart the Titans’ running game.  Chris Johnson held out after the lockout and it’s showing in his play so far this year.  Johnson has played in all five games for the Titans so far this year and he has carried the ball 83 times for 250 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 18 passes for 116 yards (6.4 avg) so far this year.  That just isn’t going to get it done!  Javon Ringer hasn’t had much success running the ball either, to say the least.  Ringer has played in four games for the Titans so far this year and he has carried the ball 18 times for 31 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 10 passes for 63 yards (6.3 avg) so far this year.  The Titans would like to give the ball to Ringer more, but he has to earn those touches.  Rookie Jamie Harper has played in four games for the Titans so far in 2011 and he has carried the ball 4 times for 12 yards (3.0 ypc).  He has also caught 1 pass for 21 yards this year.  The Titans need the RBs to pick up the pace starting tomorrow against the Texans.