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Titans look to end two-game skid against Bengals

Nov 25, 2007 - 11:29 AM Tennessee (6-4) at Cincinnati (3-7) 1:00 pm EST

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Once thought to be a shoo-in for a playoff berth, the Tennessee Titans have fallen back in the postseason chase.

Coming off two straight lopsided losses, the Titans visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

At one time, Tennessee was 6-2 and within a game of the Indianapolis Colts for the lead in the AFC South.

Two defeats later, the Titans are struggling for playoff survival in the tight AFC race.

An injury to behemoth defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has contributed to the recent slide for Tennessee, which gave up 344 total yards in Monday night's 34-20 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos punted only three times in the entire game, scoring on all but four possessions.

The Titans, who were allowing just 66 rushing yards through eight games this season, have surrendered an average of 157 yards over the last two weeks without Haynesworth in the lineup in losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Broncos, who rushed for 148 yards.

"Losing Albert is tough," Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said. "We still need to make plays but when you don't have a player of his ability, you can't easily replace him. We still needed to make plays."

Conversely, the Titans' running game has slowed considerable. LenDale White, after registering three straight 100-yard games, has been limited to 42 and 12 yards in the last two contests.

The one plus for Tennessee was the play of second-year quarterback Vince Young, who had his first 300-yard passing game Monday night.

The lost season continued for the Bengals in a 35-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.

Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 329 yards but was also picked off four times, two of which were returned by cornerback Antrel Rolle for touchdowns.

Rolle actually brought back a third interception for a TD, only to see it called back due to a penalty.

Cincinnati's defense, which has allowed more than 30 points five times this season, actually played fairly well against the Cardinals, limiting Edgerrin James to 52 yards rushing and Kurt Warner to 211 yards passing.

The running game continues to struggle. Rudi Johnson, who sat our three games due to injury, has just one 100-yard game this season and has managed just 82 yards in his last three games combined.

Wide receiver Chris Henry has provided a boost to the passing game, hauling in 12 receptions for 180 yards and a TD in the two games since returning from an eight-game suspension.