Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee Titans linebackers as the best in the league in Week 3.
If there was one positive from the Tennessee Titans’ Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it was the play of their inside linebackers.
Both linebackers Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans had great games on Thursday Night Football, and the numbers show it.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Connor Price, the performances of Evans and Brown led to the Titans earning the title of the NFL’s best linebacker unit in Week 3.
"In a Thursday Night Football bout that was dominated by the Gardner Minshew narrative, the Titans linebackers deserve recognition. Jayon Brown’s Week 3 resume was good enough to earn himself the best coverage grade among linebackers (90.0) and the only linebacker to earn elite status in said facet of the game. He also registered four defensive stops and six tackles without recording a whiff.Like his Tennessee counterpart, Rashaan Evans also excelled on Sunday, earning positive grades in run-defense, pass-rush and coverage."
While I don’t agree with some of PFF’s rankings — namely the offensive line ones that had the Titans as the No. 6 unit thus far in 2019 — this one is spot on.
Brown and Evans were sensational against the run in Jacksonville. Outside of a big 69-yard run late in the fourth quarter, running back Leonard Fournette was non-existent. If you take that run out, Fournette totaled -3 yards on 14 carries.
As evidenced by his elite 90.0 grade, Brown also dominated in pass coverage, and got some help from Evans there, also. Fournette totaled just six catches for 26 yards, and Jaguars tight ends combined for three catches for 26 yards.
Brown’s status as an elite pass coverage linebacker date back to last season, so it’s no surprise he’s picking up where he left off in that regard.
Safe to say Jayon Brown had a HUGE turnaround from Year 1 to Year 2 for the Titans. pic.twitter.com/vFBV2XuVGc
— PFF (@PFF) March 21, 2019
One of the issues for Tennessee in Week 3 was the pass-rush. The Titans failed to record even one sack and garnered just two QB hits. Evans was responsible for one of those, which is part of the reason he earned a positive pass-rush grade.
In reality, the Titans defense played well overall. If not for a botched Adoree’ Jackson punt return in the first quarter, the defense might have allowed just 13 points in total. And, Jackson can also be credited with an assist with the Indianapolis Colts’ first score in Week 2.
Prior to the start of the season, Brown and Evans were billed as one of the best inside linebacker combinations in the game, despite not having much of a resume to back that up. So far, we’re seeing that become a reality after the pair were nothing short of elite in Week 3.