Part of Week 17 will be the New Orleans Saints at the Tennessee Titans. The Saints come in at 5-10 but winners of three in a row. A 3-12 Titans squad has quietly won two of their last three games. This will also be a matchup of two prized rookie quarterbacks in Cam Ward of Tennessee, the first overall pick, and 40th overall choice Tyler Shough of the Saints.

An optimum way to protect a rookie quarterback and provide faster development is to run the ball. Neither of these teams have done that well. The Titans have the league’s 31st ranked offense in total yardage, leading to the firing of coach Brian Callahan before mid-season. New Orleans counters with a defense that ranks 9th overall, but can still struggle against the run. Here’s a closer look at that aspect of Sunday’s matchup.

Titans Running Game93.6 yards per game (29th)4.2 per carry (19th)8 touchdowns (27th)

Tennessee has improved in rushing production since interim coach Mike McCoy took over for Callahan, especially in their last three games. In the first 12 contests, Tennessee averaged a laughable 76.7 yards per game on the ground. Over their last three outings, the Titans have averaged over 161 rushing yards. Part of Tennessee’s problem is that they’ve fallen behind quickly and therefore relied more on the pass. The Titans rank just 30th in rushing attempts.

Tony Pollard leads the Titans in rushing with 949 yards, averaging 4.5 per attempt and scoring 5 touchdowns. Pollard is closing in on his fourth straight 1,000-yard season and second with Tennessee. After a very slow start, he has three straight 100-yard outings and can pick up yards between the tackles as well as rip off big gains. Former Tulane standout Tyjae Spears is second on the team with 263 yards on the ground. Spears runs with a low center of gravity and powers through tacklers.

Quarterback Cam Ward is a fine athlete capable of beating teams with his legs. However, Ward moves around more to buy time as a passer rather than taking off as a runner. He has 138 rushing yards, still good for third on the team.

Saints Run Defense126.2 yards per game (22nd)4.1 per carry (9th)12 touchdowns (11th)

New Orleans has given up yardage on the ground to most opponents, but the improvement of this year’s run defense from the last two seasons is still evident. The Saints have held just six teams under 100 rushing yards, but are coming off holding the Jets to a season-low 64 yards and the yards per carry against them is vastly improved. Where the Saints are clearly better is in short yardage situations, when they’ve come up with several monumental stops.

Defensive end Bryan Bresee will probably miss this week with a knee injury. Bresee has been a key run defender, but his place will be taken by a combination of Jonathan Bullard, Jonah Williams, and John Ridgeway. All three have been factors against the run at times. Ridgeway will also rotate with Davon Godchaux in the middle, an improved area over the second half of the year. Nathan Shepherd has been extremely disruptive at the other end spot.

On the edge, Cameron Jordan and Chase Young have been formidable against the run. This isn’t new for Jordan, a stout all-around defender throughout his career, but Young is playing better than he ever has. Carl Granderson has also gotten into the mix with some big run stops from the outside. Safeties Justin Reid and Jonas Sanker are both strong in run support, as is Alontae Taylor, the most physical member of the secondary.

Linebacker Demario Davis is the key to the defense. Even at 36, Davis is fast enough to run down plays in support. However, it’s his elite combination of instincts, anticipation, and ferocity that has allowed him to compile a team-best 131 tackles, just six short of a career high. Pete Werner is a good run defender in the tackle box but a liability in space. Second-year linebacker Isaiah Stalbird and rookie fourth round choice Danny Stutsman are earning more snaps in base defensive alignments, with each showing they can be playmakers.