In what was supposed to be a heavyweight bout pitting the NFL's top two rushers, Tennessee's Chris Johnson won a lopsided decision. But to be fair, the Rams' Steven Jackson wasn't in fighting shape. Playing for the third consecutive Sunday despite not practicing during the week because of a back injury that a source close to the situation said is a herniated disc, Jackson finally ran out of juice. He gutted out 89 yards two weeks ago against Seattle, followed by 112 last week at Chicago. But against the Titans' eighth-ranked run defense, Jackson was limited to 47 yards on 19 carries, a meager 2.5 yards per attempt. He caught two passes for 6 yards, finishing with a total of 53 yards from scrimmage. Johnson carried 28 times for 117 yards and latched on to three passes for 69 yards. That adds up to 186 yards of total offense. Johnson also scored three touchdowns, on runs of 39 and 3 yards, and a screen pass with which he dashed 66 yards, zigzagging between defenders to the end zone. Johnson, a second-year pro out of East Carolina, is an unusual blend of power, quickness and raw speed.Johnson boosted his league-leading rushing total to 1,626 yards, a pace that would put him at just over 2,000 for the season. The NFL record is 2,105, set by Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. "Gaining 2,000 yards and breaking the record, it's not going to be easy," Johnson said. "It's a tough job, so I don't expect to go out there and have it be easy for me."
No comments:
Post a Comment