Over the past five seasons, Tennessee fans have become accustomed to a running back carrying a heavy load, as the Titans’ Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts four times.
They could see it again on Sunday. But with Henry now playing for the Baltimore Ravens, an opposing ball carrier could become the workhorse when the Green Bay Packers travel to Tennessee.
In the Packers’ 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts last week, Josh Jacobs rushed for 151 yards on 32 carries. And he’s ready to do it again.
“If we need it,” Jacobs said Friday. “Like I said, I feel good. I’ve been taking care of my body a lot this week, so I think I can handle it.”
Only once at Nissan Stadium has an opposing player recorded at least 32 rushing attempts in a game. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell gained 204 yards on 33 attempts in a 27-24 win over the Titans on November 17, 2014.
During the NFL’s AFC/NFC era, there were 21 instances where a player had at least 32 rushing attempts in two consecutive games and one instance where it was three in a row – Cleveland’s Jerome Harrison in the final three games of the 2009 regular season. In the previous 10 seasons, a player had at least 32 rushing attempts in two consecutive games once – Bell in 2017.
“Whatever it takes to win, to get a win, I’m happy with that,” Jacobs said of his carry count for Sunday.
Green Bay gained 261 yards on 53 carries against Indianapolis. The Packers hadn’t run that many times in a non-overtime game since Sept. 3, 1978, when Green Bay gained 181 yards on 55 carries in a 13-7 win over the Detroit Lions. Only once in the previous five seasons did a team have at least 53 carries, with the Ravens running 54 times for 404 yards in a 38-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 3, 2021.
After two games of the season, the Titans defense has allowed the fewest yards in the NFL despite the team’s 0-2 record, and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said this week, “At the end of the day, since I’ve been here in Tennessee – and I’ve been preaching this since I’ve been here because that’s what I’ve kind of heard – nobody on the Tennessee Titans defense has allowed a run ball. So I think our mindset and one of our defensive goals this week is to stop the run.”
Jacobs said Sunday would tell.
“I mean, I personally heard the comment,” Jacobs said. “A lot of people sent it to me, and I have no feelings about it at all. I think if I was on defense, I would say the same thing. And when I’m running the ball or on offense, I feel like no defense can stop that, so I would have said the same thing.”
“But I mean, they obviously have a good defense. The guys in the back line have played a lot of football. They’re a physical team, so we’ll see.”
Green Bay relied on a run-heavy offense, with Malik Willis making his first start at quarterback for the Packers. Green Bay acquired him in a trade with the Titans after the preseason. So when QB1 Jordan Love went down with six seconds left in the season’s opening game, the Packers had a new starting signal-caller despite having only completed a handful of practices in their system.
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“I actually talked to Malik when he was in college,” Jacobs said of Willis, who was at Auburn during Jacobs’ final two seasons at Alabama. “We talked a little bit, and when he got here, obviously I just showed him my love. But the one thing I told him was, ‘Man, you got here by doing what you do and just be confident in what you do. We know you’ve only been here a couple weeks. We know you’ve got all the cards against you. Just go out and play.’ And that’s basically what I told him: Just go out and play.”
Love practiced only on a limited basis this week, but Green Bay plans to keep its decision on the starting quarterback until the last minute on Sunday. On Saturday, however, the Packers promoted quarterback Sean Clifford from the practice squad to have him available as a backup if Willis returns.
The Packers and Titans will meet at noon CDT on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff temperatures are expected to be in the 90s.
“I’ve been preparing for this all week, starting yesterday actually,” Jacobs said Friday. “I’m just making sure my body is ready for it. My family will be there, so I’m more sorry for them to be in there. But it’s going to be fun.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
