Tennessee Titans: Midseason Grades By Position
By Ben Greene
Running Backs: D
Sep 29, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) carries the ball against the New York Jets during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Johnson, Jackie Battle, Shonn Greene and Darius Reynaud have combined this season for 156 carries, 512 yards and only one touchdown. That is a measly 3.28 yards per carry and 73 yards per game.
The only thing keeping that grade from an F is the fact that Tennessee’s running backs combined for more than 100 yards in each of the first three games. The rushing attack’s performance against San Diego was the best of the season, as Johnson picked up 90 yards on 19 carries (4.7 yards per carry) and Battle chipped in another 12 yards on 4 carries (3 ypc). Also, Chris Johnson’s work out of the backfield receiving this year shows that he still can hit the home run if he gets the ball in space.
With six games left on the schedule against the pitiful run defenses of St. Louis, Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville, I expect this position group to see some serious improvement by the end of the season.