The Tennessee Titans (7-8) are disappointed they are missing the playoffs this year after going 13-3 last year, but after an 0-6 start they should be proud of the way they fought their way back into contention.  An 8-8 season looks much better than 7-9, so the Titans should come out and try and crush the Seattle Seahawks (5-10) on Sunday.  There is a lot the Titans can be proud about, including Chris Johnson’s monster season of1,872 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.  Vince Young’s resurgence gives Titans’ fans a lot of hope for next season, but he still has not solidified his spot for next season.  Another strong game this season would go a long way for his season next year.

The Seahawks are not particularly good at stopping the run, so the Titans should give the ball to Chris Johnson as much as they can and let him run into the record books.  Young can provide some support in the passing game, as well as with his own legs.  Johnson is the key to the Titans success though, so he should get a ton of carries.  Seattle gives up 110 rushing yards per game, but I expect the Titans to run up a lot more yardage than that.  If the Titans come out ready to play, they should get a convincing win.

PREDICTION:  Tennessee Titans 28, Seattle Seahawks 20

The Titans have placed 35-year old CB Nick Harper on the Injured Reserve List with a fractured forearm ending his season.  Harper played in 11 games for the Titans this season and he made 81 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, defensed 6 passes and he has 1 interception.  28-year old Rod Hood will replace Harper in the starting line-up this weekend against the Seahawks.  Hood has played in 5 games for the Titans this season and he has made 12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 3 passes and he has 3 interceptions.  Hood should do a decent job against the Seahawks.

24-year old RB Chris Johnson has been selected to the Pro Bowl for the Titans.  He has played in 15 games this season for the Titans and he has carried the ball 322 times for 1,872 yards (5.8 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  Johnson has also caught 47 passes for 483 yards (10.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs this year.  Johnson is only 75 yards away from breaking Marshall Faulk’s all-time record for total yards from scrimmage (2,429) in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams.  Johnson is a longshot to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing record of 2,105 set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Titans picked the wrong time to lay an egg last night as the Chargers crushed them and ended their playoff hopes.  Vince Young played his worst game of the year last night as he completed 8 of 21 passes for 89 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 40 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Chris Johnson had another great game with 21 carries for 142 yards (6.8 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 37 yards (12.3 avg).  Nate Washington led the way in the passing game for the Titans last night with 4 grabs for 39 yards (9.8 avg).  The Titans finished up with only 270 total yards on offense (182 rushing, 88 passing) as they only had possession of the ball for 20:53.

The injuries on defense caught up with the Titans last night as they looked hopeless against the Chargers.  Linebacker Stephen Tulloch led the way for the Titans with 10 tackles last night.  LBs Gerald McRath, Colin Allred and safety Chris Hope each had 8 tackles apiece last night.  The Chargers finished up with 425 total yards in this game on offense (166 rushing, 259 passing).  The Titans are now 7-8 on the year.

This is a tough match-up for the Titans but they must win it if they want to have a chance of making the playoffs.  It will not be easy.  The Titans must control the clock to protect their defense which means that Chris Johnson will likely have a heavy workload on Christmas Night.  The Titans should have success on the ground as the Chargers are allowing 116.9 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry this year.  The Titans will also probably use a lot of ball control passing to the TEs and RBs in an effort to keep the clock running and the Chargers’ offense off the field.

The Titans’ defense is crippled right now due to injury as linebackers Keith Bulluck and David Thornton have been lost for the year.  The Titans must blitz more than usual because if Philip Rivers has time to throw the football the Titans will be in big trouble.  The Chargers have a lot of big, physical receivers in Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates who will all tower over the Titans’ DBs.  The Titans must also keep an eye on the slowing LaDainian Tomlinson and the speedy Darren Sproles because of the weakness they now have in the front seven.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 31, TITANS 23