Update: Chris Johnson finds missing burst for 190 yds in win

[Vin+ 3,121]

TIME: 01:00 P.M. EST

VENUE: LP Field

 

 

 

Matt Hasselbeck certainly has felt better than this at certain points in his long career, but he still feels good enough to try and keep the Tennessee Titans in the chase in the AFC South.

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to make the most of this opportunity or they could fall further back in the NFC South race.

 

Proving himself able to start after suffering an arm injury last week, Hasselbeck will try to rally the Titans on Sunday when the Buccaneers try to snap a four-game losing streak.

 

Trailing division-leading Houston by 1 1/2 games, Tennessee (5-5) lost more ground to the idle Texans and dropped into a pack of four .500 teams in the conference with Sunday's 23-17 loss at Atlanta.

 

With the Titans down 23-3 late in the third quarter, Hasselbeck left the game after banging his right elbow off a Falcons defender. While rookie and eighth overall pick Jake Locker played well - completing 9 of 19 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns - Hasselbeck told Titans coach Mike Munchak he was ready to play and proved it in a limited practice session Wednesday.

 

"We didn't ask him to throw a lot of deep balls today. He'll start doing that tomorrow, just want to be cautious there," Munchak said. "If it was up to us, we probably wouldn't have practiced him at all like we hadn't the last few weeks just to rest him in general and not necessarily because of the arm. He wanted obviously to be out here and get some throws and do some things.

 

"I think he feels good. It's all about confidence. I don't think he has an awful lot of soreness."

 

Hasselbeck did not address the media, but Nate Washington - coming off his best game as a pro with nine receptions for 115 yards and two TDs - said the veteran signal-caller looked fine.

 

"He did everything he was supposed to," Washington said. "Made the reads when he was supposed to make them, made the checks when he was supposed to make them. So he looked like Matt Hasselbeck to me."

 

Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris needs his team to be ready Sunday, and for each of the next six weeks. Tampa Bay (4-6) has dropped five of six and is three games behind South-leading New Orleans and two back of the Falcons.

 

"We've got six more (games)," Morris said after Sunday's 35-26 loss in Green Bay. . "... There's still time to get hot. We can still finish with the same record we had last year (10-6) if we get our minds right, go out and play hard, fast, physical and smart."

 

Third-year quarterback Josh Freeman hasn't had the most impressive season - he's already been picked off 15 times - but he threw for a career-best 342 yards Sunday with two fourth-quarter TD passes to help Tampa Bay rally from 14-0 down.

 

Freeman knows it's going to take more of these types of efforts for the Buccaneers to make a late-season push.

 

"You have to go out and approach every week from here on out as a much-win situation," he said. "You try to win them all, but right now it's very crucial that we go out and take advantage of every opportunity."

 

LeGarrette Blount has made the most of his chances since the Titans cut him last September, supplanting Cadillac Williams as Tampa Bay's starter and running for 1,548 yards in 21 games.

 

"It looks like he is doing a great job for them and it ended up being a great fit for him last year with them picking him up and getting a chance to play and he has taken full advantage of it," Munchak said of Blount, who had a 54-yard TD and 107 rushing yards Sunday.

 

Munchak wishes his backfield was that opportunistic. One of the main reasons the Titans are averaging a league-low 77.3 rushing yards is the play of Chris Johnson. The three-time Pro Bowler is running for a career-low 3.2 yards per carry after being held to 13 on 12 rushes Sunday.

 

"You go back to the last game (a 30-3 road win over Carolina on Nov. 13) and I got 130 (yards) and everything was good," Johnson said. "You come back to this game and nothing is working. It goes back to the offense not executing, not being consistent."

 

Munchak is looking for better offensive line play, but that unit could be without right tackle David Stewart after he suffered a calf injury Sunday.

 

Former Buccaneer Barrett Ruud has been ruled out of this game due to a groin injury. Titans rookie linebacker Colin McCarthy, who forced a fourth-quarter fumble against Atlanta, is expected to replace Ruud as the starter.

 

The last time these teams met, Tampa Bay won 13-10 on Oct. 10, 2007, to snap a five-game skid to the Titans franchise.

 

The Buccaneers have lost both games in Tennessee - 33-13 in their last visit on Dec. 23, 2003 - after going 0-4 when playing in Houston.

 

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.

Edited November 27, 2011 by BLUE

[RazorStar 4,025]

With Matt Hasslebeck and that defense, who needs to run the ball against the bucs?

 

23

20

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Someone other than Nate is gonna have to play well in the receiving corp. Dude's getting doubled and we have no other reliable receiver. Given CJ has no room to run behind this line, might as well just line him up in the slot all game.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

I was hoping Ruud would play against us. Oh well.

 

Blount's revenge game. Ya'll cut me, whats up now.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

I was hoping Ruud would play against us. Oh well.

 

Blount's revenge game. Ya'll cut me, whats up now.

 

It'll be fun watching Finnegan own him when he plays in run support.

[CARDINAL 205]

26

 

20

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Imma make a bold prediction and say CJ scores 2 TD's...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CJ fumbles 2 times and the Bucs take it back to the house for six

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Imma make a bold prediction and say CJ scores 2 TD's...

CJ fumbles 2 times and the Bucs take it back to the house for six

 

Michael Turner embarrassed the Titans enough last Sunday, the Falcons fans don't have to start as well

[KeVo 176]

Titans gonna be fired up after that ass whipping last week.

 

Titans: 28

Bucs: 17

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

I'm feeling good about this game. Unfortunately, I will be missing the 1st half because I will be on my way back up to school.

 

If we play like we did last week and the offense can keep it up, I really like our chances in this game. Was really hoping Ruud would play so Blount could truck his ass a few times.

[BucD+ 648]

Bucs have to win every game left on the schedule AND get losing help from the Lions and Bears.

 

We lose one game and the season is pretty much over...

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Bucs have to win every game left on the schedule AND get losing help from the Lions and Bears.

 

We lose one game and the season is pretty much over...

 

 

Which I highly doubt happens with the Titans, Falcons and Cowboys still left on our schedule, but with the way we played against the Packers, it gives me some hope. I still have faith in the team

[BucD+ 648]

 

Which I highly doubt happens with the Titans, Falcons and Cowboys still left on our schedule, but with the way we played against the Packers, it gives me some hope. I still have faith in the team

 

Most definitely.

 

If they show up and play like they did against the Pack in GB...we have a shot. BIG BIG "IF" though...

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

One game at a time boys.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

One game at a time boys.

And it starts by losing tomorrow

[Vin+ 3,121]

Bucs declared WR Micheal Spurlock, CB Anthony Gaitor, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, LB Zac Diles, DE Michael Bennett, G Derek Hardman, and T James Lee inactive for Week 12 against the Titans.

 

Da'Quan Bowers will replace Bennett as Tampa's starting left end. Otherwise, this is a mostly healthy roster without injury excuses.

 

 

 

Titans declared RT David Stewart (calf) inactive for Sunday's game against the Bucs.

 

Mike Otto draws the start at right tackle, downgrading Chris Johnson's chances of quality day on the ground. Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud (groin) is also out, leading to another start for impressive rookie Colin McCarthy.

 

The rest of the Titans' inactives: QB Rusty Smith, RB Jamie Harper, WR Donnie Avery, C/G Kevin Matthews and DT Zach Clayton.

[RazorStar 4,025]

We're tied, but Chris Johnson is looking good.

[KeVo 176]

BOOM! Titans had a solid game, and those numbers for CJ are GOLD.

[BucD+ 648]

More of the same from the Bucs.

 

I'm officially off the Raheem bandwagon. Time to move on. He OBVIOUSLY doesn't have what it takes to be a HC. More undisciplined football and poor poor tackling.

[Thanatos 2,847]

CJ is back, guise!

 

Elite runningbacks only get good YPC against teams with trash run defense.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Thanatos19

[BLUE 1,026]

Per Rotoworld.com:

 

Chris Johnson broke out for 190 yards on 23 carries and added one reception for three yards to lead the Titans to a 23-17 victory over the Bucs in Week 12.

The Bucs run defense is among the league's softest, but this was easily the best Johnson has looked all season. He was more decisive with a noticeable burst, only lacking the long speed from his 2009 form. Johnson had four rushes over 20 yards -- all coming in the second half -- while averaging a season 8.26 yards per carry. He's now up to 3.81 YPC on the season, with 130 yards in two of the past three games. Johnson draws the Bills' weak run defense in Week 13. Nov 27 - 5:22 PM

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

CJ shows again, so long as he doesn't get hit in the backfield on every single play(ala vs just about everyone this year), he'll make something out of it.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

So...it's a 2 horse race in the NFCS now...better luck next year Bucs....

[GA_Eagle 595]

CJ is back, guise!

 

Elite runningbacks only get good YPC against teams with trash run defense.

 

You mean like Cinci?

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Despite giving up 190 yards to CJ and blowing a 4th quarter lead, I'm okay with the defensive performance. They made a lot of big plays and were the only reason we had a chance. But it is obvious that the defense needs some talent, we've focused our drafts on DL only and the rest of the D has suffered.

 

As for the offense, another putrid day. This team's inability to score TDs is just sad. Freeman continues to have streaky accuracy and is making dumb throws after being so smart last year. Mike is still having some problems, THOUGH he is beginning to come around. It seems like the only times we can get Benn involved is through a screen, reverse or occasional deep ball. Winslow is a reliable target for the most part, but he just isn't capable of making big plays anymore and the rest of our TEs contribute nothing.

 

LeGarrette Blount is the only guy on our offense contributing at a high level. Fortunatly, our defense kept us in this game so we actually were able to get him 20+ touches for a change. If we had a solid defense with an efficient passing game like last year. We'd be solid. But the defense is playing bad and the passing game can't get anything going. The season is down the toliet and now we just need to focus on adding more talent and getting experience for next year. Next year is Raheem's make or break year, no more excuses, he has to make the playoffs next year.