The Tennessee Titans had a masterful game plan against the Cleveland Browns in Sunday's 31-29 Week 14 win. With superstar EDGE Myles Garrett chasing the single-season sack record, the Titans consistently shifted protection his way as the right defensive end. That meant sophomore blocker JC Latham had to survive on an island at right tackle.
Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. earned the Garrett assignment. Udoh entered the lineup momentarily when Moore left hurt for a handful of snaps. Left guard Peter Skoronski and center Corey Levin often helped triple-team Garrett, who was limited to just one sack and the second-lowest pass rush win rate (4%) of his career, per Pro Football Focus.
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward was sacked just once. The gameplan doesn't function if the right side of the Titans' offensive line doesn't handle their one-on-one assignments. That's precisely what Latham helped do, and he deserves significantly more appreciation from the fanbase than he's currently getting.
Titans OT JC Latham is being underappreciated after near-flawess Week 14 showing
Portions of the Titans fanbase have furiously debated Latham's outlook via social media in recent weeks. The issue is evident. Latham is probably averaging 1-3 "bad" snaps per week, and they've been glaring enough to be overblown online.
For example, the former Alabama standout was whistled for two penalties on Sunday, bringing his total penalty count to 10 this season. Latham's penalties have been mostly mental errors. One of Sunday's infractions was a false start while Ward was barking out instructions and nowhere near being ready to snap the ball. Frustrating? Absolutely.
Those unnecessary errors are leading to debate. But Latham also scored a 79.0 in pass protection versus the Browns, per PFF, his highest pass-pro grade of the season. He was credited with allowing one pressure, the Garrett sack that felt more like a collective issue than an individual loss.
Latham is playing quality football for the Titans. A weekly mental error is being blown out of proportion. Latham is performing better than advertised, and the fanbase needs to fully realize his worth to Ward and the rebuilding roster.