NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 30: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles is sacked by Derrick Morgan #91 and Jayon Brown #55 of the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Tennessee Titans are top-5 defense in the only metrics that matter
The Tennessee Titans defense is putting in work.
The Tennessee Titans defense consistently makes plays when they need to, but it is more than that. This defense is a top-5 unit in the NFL.
If you have heard me on the Titan Sized podcast, you know that I believe that defense boils down to 3 stats:
1. Points allowed
2. Sacks
3. Turnovers
Points allowed because it is the only thing that really matters. At the end of the game, teams don’t count up yards and figure out who won that way. Nope, it is all points and while that is simplistic it is important to remember.
Sacks are important because it is the most consistent way to measure impact plays from a defense. Derrik Klassen once wrote this:
“939 out of 1,118 sacks (83.99%) last year resulted in a drive being killed. Conversely, just 179 out of 1,118 sacks (16.01%) resulted in the offense being able to bounce back and sustain their drive, even if just for one more set of downs. The difference is staggering. Defenses are almost 70% more likely to kill a drive after getting a sack than they are to surrender another set of downs. At first glance, the old adage that sacks kill drives holds true.”
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Sacks are the lifeblood of a good defense and there impact can’t be overstated.
The last stat is turnovers, this is easily the most volatile stat on the list. For example, the Titans have forced 5 fumbles this year and only one has been recovered so far. That ratio isn’t likely to continue over the season, but fumble recoveries are historically random.
Taking all of those stats into consideration, this is a composite ranking of the three stats.
| Team | Sacks | TOs | Points rank | Total (low is better) |
| Chicago Bears | 1 |
2
3
6
4
9
11
24
7
1
19
27
7
14
6
27
12
3
13
28
2
9
18
29
12
14
3
29
18
5
9
32
21
6
5
32
4
6
25
35
12
25
1
38
21
9
8
38
9
21
9
39
3
31
7
41
12
9
20
41
27
14
2
43
9
14
21
44
28
3
14
45
28
6
12
46
12
14
23
49
12
21
16
49
9
21
22
52
4
25
24
53
21
9
27
57
18
25
15
58
21
14
32
67
18
25
28
71
21
21
29
71
21
25
26
72
31
25
17
73
31
14
31
76
28
31
30
89
So effectively, your top 5 defenses through the first four weeks are:
1. Chicago Bears
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Tennessee Titans
5 . New York Jets
That isn’t what you would expect based off preseason narratives, but those are the teams playing the best on defense right now.
