Tony Pollard gave Nashville something to cheer about last Sunday, even in a loss. The Tennessee Titans running back ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries against Cleveland, and he topped the winners list from a 27-24 defeat.
“We just wanted to be physical coming out the gate, get some early runs in,” Pollard said after the game, per the team’s website.
Cincinnati is a much tougher test. The Bengals held Derrick Henry to 45 yards on 2.6 yards per carry in Baltimore last week, and Tennessee will be without Tyjae Spears (knee) and rookie receiver Carnell Tate (shoulder). Here’s what to expect from Pollard at Paycor Stadium.
Pollard gets 20-plus carries again
Pollard has 112 carries through seven games, an average of 16 per week, but his workload has climbed. He went from 14 carries against Houston to 19 in Indianapolis to 25 against the Browns. With Spears out, the rest of the room is Nicholas Singleton and Michael Carter, who have combined for 10 carries this season.
Brian Daboll’s offense leaned into it in Week 7, enough that we asked whether the Titans’ run game is finally real. Expect Tennessee to stay with it as long as the score allows.
Dexter Lawrence II makes the middle a grind
Lawrence owns an 87.6 overall grade at PFF, second among 126 interior defenders, and his 73.2 run-defense grade ranks eighth. Linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. is even better against the run, with a 79.2 run-defense grade that ranks seventh among 75 linebackers. “He requires a tremendous amount of double teams,” Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said of the former Giants star, per Local 12.
There are cracks, though. Opponents average 4.7 yards per carry against Cincinnati, according to ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado. Pollard has forced 18 missed tackles and has 11 runs of 10-plus yards, ninth in the league at PFF. Expect a few stuffs and at least one chunk run that gets outside.
He’s the Titans’ best bet near the goal line
Steve Roberts - Imagn Images
Tennessee has scored 10 touchdowns all season, third fewest in the league, per the team’s website. Pollard has four of them. Cam Ward hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass before the fourth quarter all season, which puts more on the run game when the field shrinks.
We asked why the Titans couldn’t score from the 1 after the Browns game. Pollard should get those chances again Sunday.
More targets come his way without Carnell Tate
Tate leads Tennessee with 51 targets, and his absence leaves Ward short on reliable options. Pollard has just 11 catches for 50 yards this season, and his 53.1 receiving grade at PFF ranks 34th among 44 backs, so this isn’t his strength.
The matchup still invites it. Cincinnati pressures quarterbacks on 39.1% of dropbacks, per the Bengals’ scouting report, and Knight’s 36.8 coverage grade ranks 72nd among 75 linebackers. Ward will need quick outlets against Boye Mafe and Lawrence, and Pollard is the obvious one. Expect three or four catches.
There’s one more subplot. With the Nov. 10 deadline approaching, a $2 million dead cap hit makes Pollard easy to move, and another big game on CBS wouldn’t hurt his value.
More on the Tennessee Titans
- Should You Start Wan’Dale Robinson Against the Bengals With Carnell Tate Out in Week 8?
- Zero NFL Experts Are Picking the Titans in Cincinnati, and Pete Prisco Sees a 26-Point Rout
- 3 Best Titans Player Prop Bets for Week 8 at Bengals: No Carnell Tate Means Fading Cam Ward
- Why Did the Titans Trade Jeffery Simmons? Answering 5 Questions Titans Fans Are Asking
