The Titans biggest issue.
The Tennessee Titans are now 10-5, and with one game left, have some things to fix before the playoffs start.
It’s snowy, everywhere, and in fact, cold. You could argue that the Titans lost the game against the Green Bay Packers before it started, mainly due to the advantage Green Bay had at home in their natural habitat. Head coach Mike Vrabel will tell you their lousy play had nothing to do with the weather, but the eye test insisted differently.
There were several missed tackles in that game, maybe due to the wet, slippery ground. However, that argument doesn’t hold up as well when you look at the other 14 games the Titans played this season and you see the same thing without a layer of snow on the ground.
Let’s not forget the numerous times Adoree Jackson- who has played 92 total snaps this season- was matched up with one of the league’s best in DeVante Adams.
With a critical Week 17 coming up tomorrow, the Titans can lock up the fourth seed with a win over Houston. If they lose and the Colts win, they could potentially fall into the wildcard spot, or worse.
While the tackling and the coverage have been issues, I think we all know the real issue here…
Pass Rush
Have you ever finished dead last in something, something that is very important? Imagine being so far behind the rest of your competition that you are historically bad. That is where the Tennessee Titans stand in one of the most important categories in the NFL: sacks.
With 15 sacks total, Tennessee is tied in sacks with Aaron Donald. Yes, you read that right, one player has as many sacks as an entire team, which precisely depicts how bad the Titans are at generating pressure.
This team has to generate some sort of pressure on the quarterback, as every other problem on this defense comes back to that. With no pressure, the opposing team’s quarterback has more time to find his receivers.
During the quarantine mess of an offseason, the Titans spent a lot of money on two individual players to see if they could help this pass rush. The most significant move being the Jadeveon Clowney signing, which basically was for nothing as he didn’t do much on the field and definitely isn’t now with an injury. Vic Beasley was the other signing, who was trouble before the season even started. He was let go by the team for also not producing.
This week, the Titans have a ton to fix before the playoffs start. Of course, they must first make the postseason for it to matter. The pass rush is just one of the many things that will definitely be addressed this postseason. If they cannot find a way to get better, they won’t make it back to the AFC championship like last season.