Chris Johnson: Can the Titans Running Back Reach At Least 1,500 Yards?

This season hasn't exactly gone according to plan for Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.

Sure, by normal standards Johnson has had a respectable season rushing the ball. If you caught any of the publicity leading into this season that Johnson created, then you know where I'm going with this.

Johnson basically stated heading into this season that his goal was 2,500 yards and caught a lot of media attention after expressing his desire to be one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

Fast forward to just before the Colts game less than two weeks ago, Johnson stated that the offense was stopping themselves.

"When you only have 20 carries in two weeks, that just speaks to your own offense, that’s your offense stopping itself," Johnson told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.

It is true that Johnson needs all the carries he can get, but it doesn't help when the Titans are constantly playing from behind.

At times Johnson has looked like just another ordinary running back, while other times he's shown glimpses of how dangerous he really can be.

Obviously, Johnson has no chance at reaching his previously stated goal of 2,500 rushing yards, but can he at least save face by reaching the impressive 1,500-yard level?

Heading into this week's game Johnson has 1,137 yards, meaning he would have to average 121 yards over his last three games.

That's definitely possible, and by doing that it would maximize the Titans' slim playoffs hopes.

The Titans need to win out and hope Jacksonville loses all three of their final games to make the playoffs.

Johnson will get the opportunity to easily add to those rushing numbers when he faces Indianapolis in the season finale, whose rush defense ranks 29th.

However, it won't be an easy task this coming up week as the Titans face the NFL's sixth-ranked rush defense in Houston.

Kansas City is the other remaining team, which ranks in the middle of the pack in rush defenses.

Normally 1,500 yards is nothing to hang your head on, but I'm sure Johnson is disappointed in not reaching the 2,000-yard milestone for a second-straight season.