The Tennessee Titans' defensive tackle duo of T'Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons combine to make one of the best interior defensive lines in the NFL. The Titans will unfortunately be without Sweat on Sunday, but Simmons has the chance to remind everyone just how devastating he can be when the Titans host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon.
For three-and-a-half quarters, the Titans' defense destroyed the Denver Broncos, putting Bo Nix in a blender and stifling the running game. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't keep up, and the defense's efforts were wasted in a loss on the road.
Dennard Wilson's group thrived by moving the defensive line around pre- and post-snap, and by keeping Nix contained with coordinated rushes (where the EDGEs set hard edges on the outside of the pocket and the pressure comes from the interior).
Titans need Jeffery Simmons to be a game-wrecker vs. LA Rams in Week 2
However, Tennessee's defensive line will face a new challenge when they square off with one of the NFL's most well-coached offenses in Sean McVay's Rams. That means that the defense is going to need new wrinkles and new tendencies. Specifically, focusing on trying to disrupt the pocket quickly is a must-achieve against Matthew Stafford.
Considering the team's lack of talent at EDGE, all eyes will be on the defensive tackles to see if Simmons, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and even James Lynch can win their matchups and create disruption. According to rumblings and confirmed by the injury report, the Rams starting left guard, right guard, and right tackle are all dealing with ankle injuries, leading to speculation that one or two of them could miss Sunday's game. It would be a surprise if all of them played, so they'll at least be a little shorthanded.
If any combination of those three misses the Titans game, Wilson needs to use a formation that the team used a few times against the Broncos.
In that formation, Sweat lined up as a shade on the center, and the defensive tackles lined up as 3-techniques. Sweat isn't playing, but perhaps Lynch can play that role. By aligning like that against this banged-up Rams, a backup guard will be forced to step inside hard to help double team the interior.
That leaves a one-on-one situation for one defensive tackle against a tackle, and a double-team matchup with a defensive tackle against at least one backup offensive lineman on the other side.
That would put a lot of stress on the Rams.
With that formation advantage and a (hopefully) loud home crowd, the Titans defense has a chance to make its presence felt in this game. That would be a big help while the offense finds its footing.