Teair Tart could give the Titans run defense a boost against the Ravens on Sunday in London
WATFORD, England (AP) — Titans defensive tackle Teair Tart could be back from a toe injury to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens a week after the Colts ran wild on Tennessee.
Tart returned to practice on Friday and was listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He missed last week when Zack Moss ran for 165 yards in Indianapolis' 23-16 win. The Colts rushed for 193 yards after the Titans had gone 10 straight games of not allowing an opposing offense to reach 100 yards.
Jackson leads quarterbacks with 265 rushing yards this season.
“It starts with Lamar Jackson,” safety Kevin Byard said after the Titans practiced on the grounds of The Grove, a resort hotel north of London. “They want to run the football. ... It’s going to be an intense game. Whoever’s the most physical team is going to win."
Tart was limited in practice. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jeffery Simmons (shoulder) was also limited but reported that he's “ready to go.”
Starting center Aaron Brewer (neck) was limited, as well, after missing practice on Thursday before the Titans (2-3) took an overnight flight to the British capital. He's questionable for Sunday.
WIDE AWAKE
The plan for teams arriving Friday morning is always to sleep as much as possible on the flight, stay awake all day, then go to bed around 9 p.m. local time.
“There was a little lull at the beginning of practice, which probably was expected,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “After we started stretching and moving around a little bit I thought it was exactly what we needed. Our players responded and I thought we had a good day.”
The Ravens (3-2) left on Monday in hopes of adjusting to the time change.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has played twice in London with the Miami Dolphins and both times they did the later arrival, he said.
“It’s the only way I know. Just based on how we responded today, the energy we had, the practice that we had ... executing the way we did, we’re going to be in a good position to play good football," he said.
Tannehill, who is 1-1 in London, said he didn't change his gameday routines because of the time difference.
“That energy and that excitement to go play the game for me is there even if your body clock is a little off,” he said. “I’m excited to get out there and go play no matter what time it is.”
GERMAN FLAVOR
The NFL is staging two games in Frankfurt next month so a German TV crew was on hand asking players for messages to German fans.
DeAndre Hopkins happily complied — in German. The Titans wide receiver looked into the camera and introduced himself and said he's from Clemson, South Carolina.
“Thank you, danke schön!” the surprised reporter said.
Hopkins said he studied German for three years in high school.
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