The Tennessee Titans had a pretty average two weeks so far in the 2021 season. First, they fell to a far superior Arizona Cardinals team, but in Week 2, they bounced back to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in an OT thriller.
We think that places Tennessee right around the middle of the pack with a C+ average grade.
As for individual Titans players, PFF recently released their team-specific ratings for who shined on offense and defense.
Per @PFF, #Titans' top 5 Off. grades:
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) September 20, 2021
--Tannehill (92.6)
--Henry (85.2)
--Quessenberry (79.5)
--J. Jones (74.9)
--Pruitt (72.5)
The first two names on that list shouldn’t surprise anyone. Ryan Tannehill won’t Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes his way into winning a game (yes, we used football players’ names as verbs), but he also won’t let Tennessee down, either.
In two games, Tannehill threw for 559 yards and one touchdown while also recording one interception. If Tennessee can keep their quarterback upright, he should be a consistent top performer in the Titans’ offense this season.
As for Derrick Henry, well, enough said. Moving on.
David Quessenberry appears to have won the right tackle position for now, and he’s been playing well despite the Titans’ O-line allowing nine sacks on Tannehill through two games.
Julio Jones has yet to get his first score for Tennessee, but Week 2’s performance gave everybody (especially his fantasy football managers) hope that he wouldn’t fizzle out this year.
These are Tennessee Titans’ top-ranked players through Week 2, according to PFF
And MyCole Pruitt was just recently promoted to the active roster, but he made a case for himself as a bonafide starter against the Seahawks. We hope he continues to impress.
Per @PFF, #Titans' top 5 Def. grades:
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) September 20, 2021
(at least 10 snaps)
--Tart (77.3)
--C. Jackson (75.2)
--Byard (73.6)
--Cruikshank (67.9)
--Autry (67.8)
The Titans’ defensive side, as you can see, struggled to make it to the 70s in their ratings.
Teair Tart, Chris Jackson, and Kevin Byard got the highest marks with the rookie impressing the most thus far. Tart has quickly grown to become a fan favorite and many have touted his blooming potential as Tennessee’s young and talented defensive tackle.
Still, no Titans defender scored above 80 in PFF’s rankings, and Shane Bowen still has plenty of work to do to improve a Titans team that allowed 68 points in two games.
The good news is the Tennessee Titans still have a lead over division rivals Indianapolis Colts in the AFC East, and their matchup in Week 3 will be must-see TV.
The Titans had better upgrade their offensive tactics in time for this rivalry (and buy Derrick Henry a back massager) since he simply can’t be expected to realistically carry the team all the way to the playoffs.
As the season progress, we want to see new names, young faces, and surprising underdogs make PFF’s top-graded list. Tannehill and Henry still remain the faces of the franchise, but they can’t do everything.