Tennessee Titans backup running back Shonn Greene injured his knee in last week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Greene still stated that he didn’t expect to miss today’s game against the Houston Texans. Well, Greene hasn’t practiced all week, and now the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Shonn Greene is “very doubtful” for today’s game against the Texans.
Tennessee Titans running back Shonn Greene (23) warms up before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
If Greene does indeed miss today’s contest, then Jackie Battle will become the Tennessee Titans goal-line back. Chris Johnson received an awful lot of carries last week, and he’s going to get just as many this week against another tough defense in the Texans. Battle should still get some carries in, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he manages to come away with one rushing touchdown as a result of Greene’s injury. He did vulture one touchdown last week, and he does an excellent job of bulldozing through a crowd, creating a pile of dust, and coming away with the one or two yards that the team needs. Beyond that, Battle stinks, and he averaged just 2.6 yards per carry overall last week; he’s not useful outside of short-yardage situations, which he is quite good at.
I would be shocked if Greene plays based on Rapoport’s report, and there is no evidence pointing to Greene being ready to play. He hasn’t practiced all week, and he simply doesn’t seem ready to go out there. In four carries last week, Greene looked solid by averaging 4.5 yards per rush for a total of 18 yards.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe. Be sure to like us on Facebook here and follow our site on Twitter as well.