Offensive Line continues to have major issues
The Titans have had their fair share of offensive line problems over the last couple of years. However, you can make a legitimate argument that this is the worst that this unit has ever looked. They are consistently losing one-on-one’s, failing in the screen game, and saying they’re struggling in pass protection would be putting it nicely.
In 2016, the Titans allowed 28 sacks over the entire season. They have already allowed 22 sacks through five games in 2019. The offensive line is consistently getting beat and seems overwhelmed more often than not.
Left guard Rodger Saffold signed a massive contract back in March in hopes of helping fix these problems. However, five games into the season and Saffold has instead become a major part of the problem.
The former Los Angeles Ram allowed two sacks on Sunday and is at a whopping five sacks in five games for the season. Definitely not the production they expected when they gave the former All-Pro guard $44 million over four years.
.@PFF directly attributed 3 of the 5 sacks on Mariota:
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) October 7, 2019
-2 to Saffold
-1 to N. Davis
-That's 5 sacks allowed by Safford in 5 games, more than he allowed the last two seasons combined (4).
The return of Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan did little to help improve the unit in his first week back from suspension. Hopefully that is more of a rust issue than anything, as he was part of the unit’s struggles on Sunday afternoon. Lewan was consistently allowing pressure when he wasn’t getting called for penalties.
Lewan is the captain of this unit and needs to be the anchor for them if they’re going to get this fixed. The unit is on pace to allow around 70 sacks in 2019 if they stay on the pace they are on — an absolutely absurd total.
Offensive line coach Keith Carter needs to figure out a way to clean this up or his job may be in jeopardy in the near future.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota is starting to slowly but surely look like himself again, but there is only so much he can do when his protection is non-existent. The rest of this season severely depends on on the offensive line development — or lack thereof.