by Sports Xchange

Jones had been trying to play through the injury since suffering it originally on Sept. 27 against the New York Jets, but had missed five games, including the past three in a row.

Jones is still tied for the team lead in sacks with four, despite playing in just seven games. The Titans have not yet decided what to do with the roster spot created by Jones' injury.

PLAYER NOTES

--RB Chris Johnson has rushed for 100 yards in seven consecutive games and is now 491 yards away from 2,000. He has his sights set on Eric Dickerson's league record of 2,105 and needs 596 to equal that.

--QB Vince Young continues to solidify his status as the team's quarterback of the future. Young has completed 107 of 175 passes for 1,251 yards this season with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

--WR Kenny Britt apparently will continue to start even after Justin Gage returns from injury this week. Britt has 567 receiving yards on 36 catches this season. Britt also had a 56-yard kickoff return and appears to be solidifying that job.

--WR Justin Gage is on track to return from a back injury this week. Gage suffered the injury Nov. 8 in San Francisco making a leaping catch.

--LB Colin Allred, a key special teams player, remains hobbled by a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's game at Indianapolis.

--P Brett Kern suffered his first loss of the season Sunday after being 11-0 between his time in Denver and Tennessee.

--CB Rod Hood has been inactive the past two weeks since Nick Harper returned from injury. Hood had three interceptions in three starts for the Titans.

GAME PLAN: The Titans will continue to do what they have tried to do every week since the 0-6 start. They will hand the ball to Chris Johnson and watch the results. Johnson leads the NFL with 1,509 yards and should be on track to pad that total against the woeful Rams, who are 28th in the league against the run.

With teams loading the box to stop Johnson, it should give Vince Young plenty of one-on-one matchups to try to exploit downfield.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Titans LT Michael Roos vs. Rams RDE Chris Long. Roos has been solid again this season, but hasn't gotten the notoriety he did last year when he was named to the Pro Bowl and to the All-Pro team. Long, a former first-round and second overall pick, is coming into his own this season and has four sacks.

Titans RDT Tony Brown vs. Rams LG Jacob Bell. The Titans are pleased with Brown's play this season in taking over at right defensive tackle for Albert Haynesworth. He will face an old friend in Bell, who left Tennessee as a free agent after the 2007 season.

INJURY IMPACT: WR Justin Gage has been cleared to return. The Titans sat RB Chris Johnson on Wednesday with a mild ankle injury, but Johnson will play as he pursues 2,000 yards rushing. DT Jason Jones' season is over after shoulder surgery, while TE Jared Cook could be out because of a concussion.