Despite a 3-14 finish to their regular season last year, the Tennessee Titans' defense was among the best in the NFL. They finished second in the league in yards allowed per game with an average of 311.2 yards allowed, only trailing the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' (278.4).
So why was there such a huge gap between the best and worst teams in the NFL? While the Titans had an overall good defense, they missed the mark on some of the biggest categories, including sacks and turnovers forced. Their offense took a lot of heat for their 26th ranking in yards per game and tied for league leading in giveaways (34), but the defense didn't excel in the takeaways department, either.
The Titans finished in the middle of the NFL with 18 takeaways from their defense and tied for 29th in turnover differential (-16) last season. Following their week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Titans find themselves tied for second in the NFL in turnover differential (+2) and first in turnovers forced (+4).
The Titans displayed takeaway potential in their season opener
The defense was responsible for three of those takeaways, with cornerback Roger McCreary and safety Xavier Woods responsible for their two interceptions, and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons responsible for their fumble forced and recovered by fellow defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Despite that impressive display from the defense, the Titans were unable to come away with a victory due to a lackluster offensive performance. The defense made it a priority this offseason to enforce more turnovers to make their unit complete, and the early results are promising to elevate their unit to elite status.
More often than not, forcing that many turnovers and doubling up the opponent in turnover differential will result in a victory. The Titans' defense is already holding up its end of the bargain to become a better team; the offense needs to follow suit to ensure the team is better than they were last season.