Chris Johnson: Success or Failure of Tennessee Titans Revolves Around Johnson

There may have been some light shown at the end of the tunnel of Chris Johnson's 2011 struggles after rushing for 64 yards in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this past week.

Johnson showed glimpses of his pre-holdout self by breaking tackles and faking out defenders, but it's important not to get too ahead of ourselves here.

Even though Johnson finished with his highest yards-per-carry average of the season at 4.6, he would've finished with yet another below-average performance if not for a 20-yard run early in the first quarter.

It may have seemed that Johnson turned a corner against the Bengals, when in all reality he made very little progress at all.

Johnson seemed to wear down and become a complete non-factor when the game mattered most, and the Tennessee Titans as a result lost another disappointing game they clearly should've won.

Unlike the majority of the season, this time it wasn't Johnson's fault that he didn't produce in the fourth quarter because he simply didn't get the touches to do so.

Johnson did not get a single rushing attempt in the fourth quarter, but also didn't help his cause by getting little to no gain on nearly all of his rushing attempts in the third quarter.

The Titans completely abandoned the run game int he fourth quarter as if they were trailing by three scores when in reality it was a four-point game.

Does this mean Mike Munchak has lost complete confidence in Johnson at just the halfway point of his first season with a new contract?

If so, then the Titans will be lucky to win another game this season.

The truth is that the Titans cannot survive any longer without a reliable running game. The teeth of the schedule still remains with the Saints, Falcons, Texans, Bills and Buccaneers still remaining.

That's not even including the Panthers, who are still completely dangerous with Cam Newton leading them.

Coming into this season, the run game was supposed to be the one thing the Titans could stand on.

Now Matt Hasselbeck is being forced to rely on inexperienced wide receivers that simply aren't talented enough in their youth to carry the Titans on offense. Potent offenses like the Saints and the Patriots can get away with it, but not the Titans.

After the Titans lost Kenny Britt for the season, it magnified Johnson's importance to enormous levels.

The Titans have gotten a little creative with Johnson by using him more than ever in the passing game, and there has been mild success in doing that. Johnson was recruited as a wide receiver when he went to East Carolina, so Johnson can be a valuable asset in that regard.

The winning formula for the Titans rests directly on Johnson's shoulders, and he asked for this with his offseason claims of deserving top playmaker money.

There's still time for Johnson to erase the memory of the first half of the season by making dramatic improvements and helping the Titans make a run at a playoff spot.

The AFC is still wide open, but it won't matter for the Titans if Johnson continues to struggle.

Johnson will have another chance to turn the corner when the Titans take on the 26th-ranked rushing defense in the Panthers this Sunday.