[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
The Tennessee Titans found some success moving the football on the ground in Week 11 against the Houston Texans, which was also the third game Tennessee didn’t have the services of Derrick Henry.
In the first two games, both of which came against top 10 run defenses in the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, the Titans averaged just 2.7 and 2.3 yards per carry, while also failing to surpass 70 yards in either contest.
The Titans averaged 4.1 yards per carry and crossed the century mark versus a Texans defense that ranked as the second-worst against the run going into the game.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was encouraged by what he saw in the run game.
“There were some good clips in the run game, and some good production,” Vrabel said, per John Glennon of Sports Illustrated. “Then with the way the game was going, it pretty much dictated, unfortunately, that you couldn’t stick with it. (But) I thought the run game was headed in the right direction.”
Going into the game, we expected D’Onta Foreman to lead the way in carries because he had been Tennessee’s best back the past two games, but that turned out not to be the case.
Instead, Adrian Peterson led in carries with nine, and had a team-high 40 rushing yards. Dontrell Hilliard had the most touches, seeing seven carries and a team-high eight receptions en route to finishing with 82 total yards.
Whether it was his work in the passing game or on the ground, Hilliard, who averaged a team-high 5.0 yards per carry as well, was Tennessee’s best back on Sunday.
Foreman, on the other hand, had less rushing yards (25) and yards per carry (3.6) than both Peterson and Hilliard. He was the Titans’ least-effective back.
Despite the overall success running the football, Vrabel says there are some things that need improvement.
“There are always going to be cuts we can (improve) and talk about split-second decisions that could have been better,” Vrabel admitted. “I really believe that it was on the right track and the game dictated that we couldn’t really run it more than we did.”
Jeremy McNichols, who sat out in Week 11 with a concussion, might make his return in Week 12. It’ll be interesting to see how the Titans handle that.
[lawrence-related id=78009,78004,77995]
[listicle id=77985]