Tennessee Titans are top-5 defense in the only metrics that matter
By Will Lomas
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
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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
Green Bay Packers4
9
11
24
Cleveland Browns7
1
19
27
Tennessee Titans7
14
6
27
New York Jets12
3
13
28
Indianapolis Colts2
9
18
29
Baltimore Ravens12
14
3
29
Seattle Seahawks18
5
9
32
LA Rams21
6
5
32
Pittsburgh Steelers4
6
25
35
Jacksonville Jaguars12
25
1
38
Carolina Panthers21
9
8
38
Philadelphia Eagles9
21
9
39
Dallas Cowboys3
31
7
41
Buffalo Bills12
9
20
41
Washington Redskins27
14
2
43
Houston Texans9
14
21
44
Miami Dolphins28
3
14
45
New England Patriots28
6
12
46
Cincinnati Bengals12
14
23
49
Arizona Cardinals12
21
16
49
Minnesota Vikings9
21
22
52
Detroit Lions4
25
24
53
LA Chargers21
9
27
57
Denver Broncos18
25
15
58
Tampa Bay Buccaneers21
14
32
67
New Orleans Saints18
25
28
71
Atlanta Falcons21
21
29
71
San Francisco 49ers21
25
26
72
New York Giants31
25
17
73
Oakland Raiders31
14
31
76
Kansas City Chiefs28
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.