Titans RB Tyjae Spears ran for a team-high 59 yards and Tennessee's lone ground score in Sunday's loss to the Colts. He added 3 receptions for 23 yards among three targets, also beating RB Tony Pollard in each of those categories. Spears accounted for a lot of those yards on just two plays: a 41-yard run in the second quarter and a 17-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. But he also beat Pollard in total snaps and pass routes for the game, and trailed Pollard by only two carries.
Spears' TD didn't come until garbage time, late in the fourth quarter, but he nearly scored much earlier in the game. His aforementioned 41-yard run took Tennessee down to the 1-yard line.
The two RBs appeared to basically alternate possessions, though the Titans went long stretches without running the ball at various points.
We might be seeing Tennessee favor Spears near the goal line. The Titans only got inside the 10-yard line on three possessions Sunday. Pollard replaced Spears for first-and-goal from the 1 right after Spears' long run to get the team there, but Tennessee ran him in motion and threw a TD pass to TE Gunnar Helm.
Pollard opened the next drive that made it down there -- early in the fourth quarter -- and handled all four of the backfield opportunities before Tennessee got inside the 10. That included a 9-yard run on third-and-2 to set up a first-and-goal.
But then Spears entered and took a direct snap on the next play. (He lost a yard, and then Cam Ward tossed an incomplete pass, took a sack, and flung an INT to end the drive.)
Spears later got his score from 3 yards out, but he was the only Tennessee back to play that final possession for the team.
Overall, Spears trails Pollard 41-23 in total carries since returning in Week 5. But the split is 4-3 (for Pollard) on red-zone carries and 1-1 on carries inside the 5.
Pollard's one goal-line carry in that frame was a 1-yard TD in Week 5, Spears' return game. Pollard played about three times as much as Spears in that contest.
That gap has closed ...
| Pollard | Snaps | routes | Carries | Targets |
| Week 5 | 49 | 29 | 14 | 3 |
| Week 6 | 26 |
13 | 10 | 2 |
| Week 7 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 6 |
| Week 8 | 33 | 17 | 11 | 2 |
| Spears | Snaps | routes | Carries | Targets |
| Week 5 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Week 6 | 36 |
26 | 5 | 4 |
| Week 7 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| Week 8 | 37 | 20 | 9 | 3 |
The past three weeks have seen Spears lead twice in snaps, twice in routes, and twice in targets. That's getting close to being enough to signaling Spears as the favored receiver, which wouldn't be a shock.
The goal-line and red-zone stuff doesn't yet present a large enough sample to reveal a trend. But we'll keep watching.
Ultimately, this looks like another even split that limits the fantasy utility of both RBs -- especially because the offense continues to stink.
Both certainly belong on rosters, though, and are usable if needed.
Tennessee's best remaining matchup by our adjusted fantasy points allowed comes in a Week 9 home date with the Chargers.
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