Titans need to account for these Colts.
The Tennessee Titans have had a great season so far this year, but they need to clean some things up. Tennessee is playing an outstanding defensive team in the Colts this Thursday, which means their offense will need to be nearly perfect.
The Colts are one of the top run defenses in the league, allowing just 82 rushing yards a game. In contrast, the Titans run for 147 yards a game.
Speaking of defense, this Colts team has some outstanding defenders on their squad this year. Players like Darius Leonard and Deforest Buckner are names most NFL fans know, but we will go a bit deeper than that.
The Colts offense has not been too impressive this year, as they have also struggled with some injuries. Paris Campbell was supposed to have a breakout year this season but unfortunately ended his season early in just his second game.
Much like the defense, the offense has some big names as well. Everyone knows who Philip Rivers is and his hilarious trash talking. As well as the former two-time Big Ten running back of the year in Johnathan Taylor, who is also very popular for the average fan. I’m going to tell you, four key players, you may or may not know that the Titans will need to know for this Thursday.
Jordan Wilkins, RB
Jordan Wilkins is someone who many fans may not know. Yes, he is the backup to Johnathan Taylor. So why should the Titans be worried about him?
The last two games speak for themselves and are very useful when analyzing the Colts running back group.
In the last two games combined, starting running back, Johnathan Taylor has 17 carries. For a starting running back, that is not a lot. The game share is beginning to trend towards Wilkins, and it’s very noticeable.
For Jordan in the last two games, he has 31 attempts, 128 yards, and a touchdown. In just eight games, Wilkins has 222 yards on 60 rush attempts.
Wilkins is a key player because he has gotten “RB1” treatment from the Colts in the last two games. The Titans are also 17th in the league at stopping the run, allowing 117 rush yards a game. If Tennessee wants to win, they have to contain the ground game.
Marcus Johnson, WR
Marcus Johnson doesn’t have much tape to go off of, even in four NFL seasons. However, I think the issue is more of him not getting opportunities.
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Marcus Johnson didn’t have the most significant game last week, but he also played an outstanding secondary in Baltimore. This week, Johnson will be playing a struggling secondary in the Titans.
The last team Marcus played with a weak secondary was Cincinnati in week six, where he went off for 108 yards on five catches.
The 26-year-old receiver has had great production this year in little time. His season stats show just 13 receptions, which is shocking going into the tenth week of the season. However, Marcus has 241 yards on the season, with an 18.5 yard average per catch.
It just goes to show that when he gets touches, he can be a playmaker. Marcus Johnson is an unknown name who could light up the Titans secondary this week.
Bobby Okereke, LB
Bobby is a second-year linebacker who is making huge strides this season. He is becoming a premier run stopper and a tackling machine. With a teacher and leader like Darius Leonard, Okereke will be a star in no time.
Bobby Okereke has been excellent this year at stopping the run while also racking up the tackles with 49 so far and a missed tackle percentage of below five percent. Just to put it into perspective how good he has been at stopping the run, Bobby Okereke has been called to blitz 20 times this season. To make it even better, his star teammate Darius Leonard has only blitzed one less time than him this season.
Getting called to blitz can mean several things, one of them being that the coach would like to use you to stop the run on a crucial down.
One thing that the sophomore linebacker can work on would take his game to the next level. His pass coverage is abysmal and could be an advantage for the Titans.
Okereke has been targeted in pass coverage 34 times this year and allowed 29 catches. He also has given up 241 yards and a touchdown.
Khari Willis, S
Willis is a second-year stud from Michigan State University, where he was one of their best players. Khari is already on the team’s radar as a great defender, and he has the stats to back it up. While the sophomore safety is excellent, most people do not know about him.
The 5’11” safety is a force in pass coverage, allowing one of the lowest completion percentages in the league. At 47 completion percentage allowed, Khari has been targeted 19 times and given up just nine catches. Some people may say, “Well, that isn’t a large sample size.” and it is not. However, it is a good thing that he does not get targeted often. Khari has played 99% of all defensive snaps this season, which means that quarterbacks are not throwing near him.
Khari can also get it done in the open field, with a missed tackling percentage of zero percent. That’s 46 tackles without a miss, which is very good.
Khari Willis will easily be a key player on the Colts defense, especially since the Titans will throw a lot of play action passes. This Thursday Corey Davis and A.J. Brown will have a matchup that will be tough, but the Two-Toned blue should be able to walk out of Nissan Stadium with a win.