The Tennessee Titans defense is figuring it out just in time

Context

Might as well throw some cold water now, before the hype train truly starts to pick up steam.

But one game does not make the Titans defense elite. One strong showing against one of the worst offenses in the NFL doesn’t mean the Titans’ problems are fixed. One reprieve, however satisfying, from the Titans everpresent third-down woes, doesn’t mean those problems are gone.

I’m reminded of time after time where the Tennessee Titans offense finally, finally, looked good– only to come out and lay an egg the following week. There was that two-game stretch in 2018, after wins against the Cowboys and Patriots, where it all looked effortless on offense. That, followed up with a 38-10 loss to the Colts. Or the Browns game to start last season, hanging 43 points on the road, only to come back home and lose 19-17 to the Colts (why is it always the Colts?)

The Tennessee Titans have made a habit over the years of being the football equivalent to Forrest Gump’s ‘Box of Chocolates’ analogy. And there’s no guarantee that after what happened last week, this game against the Colts will go the way the defense wants it to. Especially considering that it took a game against statistically one of the worst offenses in the NFL for the Titans to look good again on defense.

The Chicago Bears kind of look like, well, like Titans teams of past years. A group that, no matter how bad a team’s defense had played the previous week, they could always look good against Tennessee. As it stands now, Chicago ranks 29th in yards per game, 29th in yards per play, 28th in Offensive DVOA, and 31st in yards per play.

And that’s while playing at full strength. The Bears came into the game without the help of three of their regular starters on the offensive line– and the inexperience showed throughout the contest.

So yes, last week’s performance against Chicago should be taken with a grain of salt… that said…