Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton has some lofty goals for his defense this Sunday. Said goal? To hold Jamaal Charles under 100 yards rushing.
Horton wants to hold Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles to less than 100 yards rushing #Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 4, 2014
In last season’s Titans game, Charles rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, adding a 37 yards on five catches. If you remember last year’s game, the Chiefs had few issues driving against Tennessee as much as they did executing in the end zone. Kansas City was left to kick field goals from 29, 24, and 33 yards out in that game which kept the Titans in it late. Fortunately Charles lone touchdown run and Marcus Cooper’s fumble recovery in the end zone kept the Chiefs out of danger.
Holding Charles to under 100 yards rushing is probably likely on Sunday, but that number is the wrong one for the Titans to be focused. In 16 games last season – including the playoffs – Charles rushed for 100 or more yards only four times, with one of those being against the Titans.
Where Charles kills you in Andy Reid’s offense is in multipurpose yards. In 15 regular season games Charles had 100 or more total yards in 13 of them, and scored at least one touchdown in 12 games. His versatility and ability to get to the edge in so many different ways is what makes him one of the most dangerous players in football.
Kansas City will also be attacking with more weapons this time around. That game featured Sean McGrath as the primary tight end and Chad Hall received far too many snaps for anyone’s liking. Kansas City now has Anthony Fasano, Travis Kelce, and De’Anthony Thomas available for this game, as well as a more experienced Knile Davis.
It will be interesting to see how this ‘hold Charles under 100 yards rushing’ thing turns out.