Titans humiliate putrid Rams 47-7

Led by yet another great performance by Chris Johnson and an extremely opportunistic defense, the Tennessee Titans notched their sixth win in seven games as they blew out the overmatched St. Louis Rams 47-7. CJ accumulated 186 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns on the afternoon and the defense wreaked havoc on Rams’ rookie QB Keith Null by intercepting him five times. The only real negative that emerged from today’s dominating win was Vince Young’s first-half hamstring injury that kept him out for the remainder of the contest. More thoughts on today’s impressive Titan victory…up next. Every Coach’s Dream strikes again Singing the praises of Chris Johnson has become a weekly ritual here on Total Titans. Whether it’s as a result of his run towards the 2,000 rushing yard mark or turning a five-yard screen into a long gainer on a pass play, on a weekly basis, CJ gives us something to talk about. Against the Rams, CJ “only” accounted for 117 yards on the ground but he still ended up with two rushing touchdowns. Proving he’s capable of being a dual threat, Johnson also caught three passes out of the backfield for 69 yards, including a 66-yard score on a play where his remarkable patience and vision were on full display. There’s no question that Every Coach’s Dream has become every opposing defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare. Titan-ic mismatch Speaking of defensive coordinators, Chuck Cecil’s troops had to be licking their chops for this one. They were already facing one of the league’s worst offenses and to make matters worse for the Rams, rookie QB Keith Null was forced into action due to Kyle Boller being a late scratch just prior to the start of today’s contest. The Titan defense did their job well today, bottling up Steven Jackson and making life miserable for Null. On the afternoon, they only registered one sack but the Titan D was able to force Null into making countless mistakes. Defensive stalwarts Keith Bulluck and Cortland Finnegan each had two interceptions and Mr. Versatility a.k.a. Vincent Fuller returned an INT for a TD in the 4th quarter. Kudos go out to Cecil and the defense for today’s solid effort. Injury strikes VY once again After suffering a minor knee injury last week against the Colts, this time it was a hamstring that hamstrung Vince Young. Pulling up lame after a 44-yard scamper, VY was replaced for the remainder of the contest by Mr. Game Manager himself, Kerry Collins. KC did a solid job on the afternoon, completing 11 of his 19 throwing attempts for 154 yards and a TD. KC’s solid performance aside, VY still gives this Titan team the best chance to win and hopefully, he’ll be ready to lace them up in next week’s AFC Wildcard Race survival game against the Dolphins. Final Random Thoughts Besides VY’s injury, the only other negative on the afternoon was the performance of punt returner Alvin Pearman. AP averaged a paltry 6.3 yards per return while also coughing up the ball to the opposition on one occasion. Without a doubt, the Titans still miss Chris Carr. Kudos to Nate Washington for holding on to a sensational, diving 32-yard grab. Of course, we’re going to have to see that type of effort on a more consistent basis before we forget about his consistent drops. Nonetheless, certainly a step in the right direction for Nate. Good job by the tight ends today, as Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife combined for 8 grabs, 84 yards and a score. Speaking of Crumpler, he still looks like an offensive guard out there. He’s a big boy, folks. Speaking of offensive linemen, the Rams’ Richie Incognito was anything but discrete when he garnered the refs’ attention with his two personal foul penalties in the form of WWE-style head-butts. There’s no question that Richie is well-deserving of his status as one of the league’s dirtiest players. Poor Rams’ fans: The Greatest Show on Turf days seem so long ago. As Andrew mentioned in his preview, they used a fake FG to seal their first and only win of the season against Detroit. Today, only a fake punt prevented the Rams from being shut out by the Titans. What are your thoughts and impressions about today’s convincing Titan win?