Packers, Browns, Broncos boast scariest pass rushers on Titans schedule

2. Za’Darius Smith, Green Bay Packers

Matchup: Week 16 @ Green Bay

What Nick Shook had to say:

"Smith was the face of a turnaround for the Packers defense, providing immediate returns on the lucrative free-agent deal he inked last offseason. He was a menace, pressuring the QB on 19.4 percent of pass rushes when aligned on the interior. That rate was the highest among all defenders rushing from the interior (minimum 100 interior pass rushes), leading second-place finisher Stephon Tuitt (14.1 percent) by more than 5 percentage points. Smith was second in overall pressure percentage at 14.8 percent, trailing only Garrett. He and Packers DT Kenny Clark combined for 120 QB pressures last season, the most by any teammate duo in the NFL."

The Packers’ defense is uniquely terrifying in that they have Smith as the “face of the turnaround” but he is also flanked by Kenny Clark and Preston Smith who are outstanding players in their own right.

What intimidates me the most about this group is that Clark and Smith can get pressure on the interior and there is a good chance that the weakest position group on the Titans roster is going to be right guard and right tackle if Tennessee forces Isaiah Wilson onto the field.

That means that you could see any combination of Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Kenny Clark line up on that side and just tee off on Nate Davis and whoever starts at right tackle.

Maybe the best news for the Titans is that they play this group so late in the season that pass rush might be a non-factor. Tennessee loves to run the ball in December and basically reduce any importance that those EDGEs might have on the game, combine that with the general wear and tear of the seasons lowing everyone down and there is a good chance that timing is everything here.