It seemed like an easy enough undertaking once the most recent offseason began. The Tennessee Titans were coming off of a 2020-2021 NFL season in which they never seemed to figure out how to prevent teams from throwing the ball all over the field on them. Part of the reason for that was another issue was exposed early, one they never figured out how to fix.
The plan was to add cover guys and pass rushers during the free-agency period and NFL Draft. They’ve done that, but so far, in 2021, it’s been more of the same from a defensive standpoint.
In 2020, the Titans never got to any of the opposing quarterbacks that they faced with any consistency. In all, they notched 19 sacks on the season, six fewer than they gave up to their opponents. Four games of 2021’s 17-game schedule are behind us, and the Titans are not the team that many of us thought that they would be.
This NFL Next Gen Stats clip won’t make Tennessee Titans fans feel better.
As the first month of the 2021-2022 NFL season wrapped, NFL Next Gen Stats dropped a clip of the top 10 connections by air distance after four games. Let’s just put it this way. This one doubles as a reminder of some of Tennessee’s worst performances of the season so far.
Tennessee’s defense pops up on three of the countdown’s ten highlights, including the top spot, Russell Wilson‘s dime to Tyler Lockett in Week 2. Their other two appearances are both pulled from the debacle that was Week 4. It’s embarrassing to watch, and that’s putting things nicely.
One of the most well-known values in football at any level is the pass rush and coverage work hand in hand. Guys in the secondary cover to allow their teammates along the defensive line to get to the quarterback. Defensive linemen try to get to the quarterback quickly so their teammates in the secondary don’t have to cover as long.
In 2020, none of that was working for the Tennessee Titans. Adjustments were made. Nothing seems to have changed. It’s going to be a long season if this doesn’t improve quickly.