Coming into Week 6, the Tennessee Titans defense was much better than it was given credit for. Unfortunately, that is the penalty for being a winless team with a fan base that has been hurt too many times recently.
However, Sunday's win against the Indianapolis Colts gives everyone a chance to appreciate just how good this defense is, including, but not limited to, Jeffery Simmons.
The name of the game is points allowed because no matter how many sacks and turnovers you create, if you don't keep the opposing team from scoring, none of it matters. Despite the offense and special teams turning the ball over at an alarming rate, the Titans are the 13th-best defense when it comes to points allowed per game.
Robert Saleh is already improving this Titans defense
That stat isn't smoke and mirrors either, because you can see where the Titans are doing a good job when you dive further into the statistics. The run defense is tied for ninth in the NFL with 3.8 yards per carry allowed, including a great performance against Derrick Henry. Similarly, the pass rush has generated 16 sacks, which is tied for ninth in the league.
While it has been very good, it hasn't been perfect. Two problems the Titans have run into are their third-down defense and the one long drive that seemingly happens every game, flipping the time of possession while placing immense pressure on the offense.
The truth is, the Titans actually aren't "bad" on third downs. In fact, they are right in the middle of the pack, allowing 40% of third downs to be converted, which is 16th-best. The problem is that when they get their stops, they don't do enough with it on offense, and they have been giving the ball right back to the opposing offense. The stops really don't mean as much as they should.
As for the long drives, that is a mixture of things, and everyone is to blame. However, the plays that usually are the back-breakers are the passes along the sidelines to convert third-and-longs. The reality is that those situations are just times when a player has to make a play, and Titans fans got to see some of that in Sunday's win when Amani Hooker and Cor'Dale Flott both picked off passes along the sideline.
This team has barely had a chance to attack on defense because they have had to spend most of their reps on the back foot, trying to recover from a miscue by the offense or special teams. If this team can start to play with a lead more often, this defense could take over and become a nationally recognized unit.
Will that happen? Time will tell, but so far they are doing a very good job even though they haven't had any breaks go their way to make that job easier.
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