Tennessee Titans Week 7 Pro Football Focus Grades

Notable Week 7 Pro Football Focus grades for the Tennessee Titans.

For some reason, I had a weird feeling similar to last year when I was at the Tennessee Titans-Cleveland Browns game. I never thought that this year it was going to be such a nail biter. As they say, a win is a win and the Week 8 bye was much needed for this team.

What really has been shocking is how the Titans continue to be inconsistent on offense this year. To me, it seems that the lack of execution in both the pass and run game is killing them, especially in the red zone where the Titans thrived just a year ago. It might be time for the Titans to start setting up the pass to open up the run later. Very quietly, the Titans defense continues to play well; over the last three games, the Titans defense has given up only one offensive touchdown. Yes, it might have been against terrible offenses, but it is a step in the right direction. The defense again shined against the Browns and it showed in the Pro Football Focus Week 7 grades.

Top 5 performances:

S Kevin Byard, 93.0 overall grade
ILB Avery Williamson, 91.2 overall grade
QB Marcus Mariota, 85.7 overall grade
S Da’Norris Searcy, 82.4 overall grade
OLB Brian Orakpo, 82.1 overall grade

Most Titans fans knew this day was coming, but we didn’t know exactly when. Kevin Byard has shown his range as both a dynamic run-stuffer and an over the top safety. Could there have been a bit of luck to some of the interceptions? Yes, maybe, but sometimes luck is what is needed. Coming up with three interceptions in a game is a great achievement for a young, talented player. Not only did Byard grade a 93.5 in pass defense, he also had an impressive run grade, recording an 86.5. Byard is continuing to play at a high level this year and will be a player that should continue to grow as the year progresses.

Another late round gem the Titans found a few years ago has continued to be the run stuffer that the Titans needed. Avery Williamson not only led the team in tackles, but also recorded a run stopping grade of 96.5, which has been the highest grade for any Titan thus far this season. Most Titans fans know that Williamson’s continuous struggles have been in pass coverage, but against the Browns he made steps in the right direction by recording a 74.9. If the Titans want to continue to have success, they will need Williamson to continue to not only stop the run but improve in coverage.

QB1 struggled on the stat sheet, which affected my fantasy lineup, by failing to throw a touchdown pass and throwing for just over 200 yards. What fans did see is continued improvement from the third-year man, as he never put the Titans at risk. His numbers might have improved if his wide receivers could catch the football. Four dropped passes in this game came from his wide receivers, but you can’t place all the blame on this receiving corps. Marcus Mariota did miss a wide open pass to Walker in the end zone, but it shows that he continues to grow as a quarterback in the NFL.

Da’Norris Searcy continues to impress as he fills in for the hurt Johnathan Cyprien. What stands out to me is his run-stopping ability, with which he recorded a 85.3 run stopping grade. The Titans will continue to rotate their safeties and I have no issue with this if Searcy continues to perform at a high level in the run game.

The Titans continue to get pressure on the quarterback, but it is not producing sacks. Even with the lack of sacks, Brian Orkapo continues to shine in the pass rush category. He recorded a 79.8 pass rush grade and recorded half of a sack against the Browns. What the Titans lack is a true third pass rusher they can rely on to help out Orkapo and Derrick Morgan. Even though the box score doesn’t show it, the Titans continue to impress in terms of getting pressure.

Week 7 Notable Performances

T Jack Conklin, 80.3 Overall Grade

Another great pass blocking game for the Titans right tackle, recording a grade of 82. Over the past few weeks, Conklin has continued to get back to All-Pro form. The Titans as a whole have protected Mariota well. What needs to improve is the Titans’ consistency in both the pass and run, if this occurs, the Titans offense can be dominant.

LB Jayon Brown, 77.7 Overall Grade

Brown has struggled most of the year, but in the last two games he has started to find his stride. As we know, Brown has the ability to cover, which the Titans lacked in the past. Brown had a good overall game, recording a 77 in pass coverage and a 75.8 in run defense. That right there shows me that Brown has the ability to be an every down linebacker for the Titans. He needs to continue to show this on a consistent basis, but I have high hopes for the rookie.

T Taylor Lewan, 72.6 Overall Grade

While the best tackle in the NFL left the game on Sunday (Joe Thomas), I think we saw another on the rise. Lewan continues to perform at a high level both in run blocking and pass protection. There was a lot of Myles Garrett hype the last few weeks, but Lewan shut it all down. Lewan did struggle in the run game, but as a whole the Titans run game struggled. If Lewan continues this streak, he might be known as the best young tackle in all of football.

CB Adoree’ Jackson, 71.4 Overall Grade

I continue to follow Jackson week to week and he continues to show me why the Titans selected the USC product 18th overall. He is an exciting player to watch and has the ability to be a very good corner in the NFL. He recorded a pass coverage grade of 70.6, but what I am seeing is growth each week, which is not something that shows up on the stat sheet. Ian Wharton did a rookie cornerback break down strictly based on man coverage and it showed that Jackson has been targeted most out of all the rookies at 36 through seven weeks. This is just a small sample size, but it shows you that Jackson is on par with other rookie corners. What we are seeing is promise from the young rookie.

LB Wesley Woodyard, 26.1 Overall Grade

Woodyard has been our best player on defense this year, but against the Browns he struggled. This has been the worst grade of any Titan though seven games. Where he struggled the most was in coverage, recording a 22.8. Again, we see the Titans linebackers struggle in pass coverage this year and I am glad the Titans drafted Brown to help alleviate this weakness. I think Woodyard will come back with a vengeance after the bye.

Since the Titans don’t have a game this week and there will not be any grades to evaluate, I will dig deeper on the Titans line ups for Week 9 and what matchups the Titans have the ability to exploit against a struggling Baltimore Ravens team. Stay tuned.

Next: Four Key Remaining Games for the Titans