The Titans’ Biggest X-Factor versus the Colts
The 4-7 Tennessee Titans are entering the biggest game of their turbulent season as they square off against a familiar, hated foe. Tennessee fell to the Colts in Indy earlier in the year but will now have a chance to erase their wrongs from Week Five. There are numerous X-Factors for the Titans in this matchup, but none greater than NT Teair Tart...
Tart missed Tennessee's Week Five matchup against Indy with a toe injury, and his absence was undoubtedly noticed. The Colts ran for a whopping 193 yards in that game, and Jonathan Taylor had just 18 of those yards. Zack Moss ran for a career-high 165 yards against the Titans in Week Five while also finding paydirt twice. With Tart out, Tennessee struggled mightily to stop the run and got punked in the trenches. That can't happen again if the Titans want to avenge their loss to the Colts in October, and it shouldn't with big Teair Tart back in the lineup...
Though his box score numbers aren't off the charts, Tart is one of the best players on the Titans' Defense. His impact in the run game is irreplaceable, and he's a significant reason why Tennessee has been one of the better run-stuffing teams in the league the past few seasons. Though this year has been a giant step back in the run defense department, Tennessee's stats against the run, when Tart is playing versus not playing, are eye-opening. In the two games Teair missed, the Titans allowed 332 rushing yards, 166 yards per game. In the nine games Teair has played, the Titans' Defense allowed a little over 100 rushing yards per game. That number is still down from previous years, but Tart's impact in the trenches is invaluable!
The Colts ran all over the Titans back in Week Five with Jonathan Taylor on the sideline for most of the afternoon. Zack Moss tore the Titans' Defense up and is licking his chops at another matchup with the Two-Tone Blue. But he doesn't realize that Mr. Teair Tart is back, and he won't allow Moss to find any daylight all day...
IMAGES FROM TITANS.COM, STATS FROM PFFR