Titans at Bills
THE STORY: With apologies to Stevie Johnson, the Buffalo Bills appeared to have shot themselves in the foot in their latest effort of joining the AFC playoff picture. Leading the New York Jets in a crucial contest last week, Johnson’s end zone celebration – when he mocked Plaxico Burress’ shooting incident – backfired on Buffalo. Johnson was hit with a penalty and the inspired Jets rallied for the victory. The loss was the fourth straight for the Bills, whose playoff life is hanging by a thread as it prepares to face a desperate Tennessee squad on Sunday. The Titans finally got a vintage performance from Chris Johnson last week in a 23-17 win over Tampa Bay.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Bills -1, O/U 43
ABOUT THE TITANS (6-5): Johnson rushed for 190 yards on 23 carries last week and the Titans scored the final 13 points of the game, all in the fourth quarter, to rally for the win. It was CJ2K’s best game of the season and gives him a paltry 699 yards rushing on the year. Tennessee trails Houston by two games in the AFC South but with the Texans’ issues at quarterback, the Titans feel they have a realistic chance at catching them. Tennessee has won six of the last seven games in this series. It scored 24 unanswered points in the final period in a 41-17 home win Nov. 15, 2009, in the last matchup between the teams.
ABOUT THE BILLS (5-6): Johnson’s end zone celebrations were a fixture on ESPN highlights during the week and earned the wide receiver a $10,000 fine. Johnson apologized to Burress but should have saved the condolences for his teammates after dropping a pass that would have given the Bills the lead in the final minute of the game. Buffalo has to play the rest of the season without all-purpose back Fred Jackson (knee), and got little from his replacement C.J. Spiller last week. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, however, was sharp in throwing three touchdown passes and looked like the stud he was when Buffalo raced out to a 5-2 start on the season. But the Bills lost again and are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for their 12th straight season.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Despite coverage by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, Stevie Johnson caught a season-high eight passes last week.
2. Chris Johnson combined for 232 yards in his last matchup against the Bills.
3. Buffalo is 4-1 at home on the season.