Titans' Week 3 hopes might rest on these advanced stat monsters

You can't go on social media without seeing the Tennessee Titans in the wrong quadrant of an advanced analytics chart, but in large part, those charts are all saying the same thing. When the pass protection doesn't hold up for a rookie quarterback, the offensive product is going to look bad for a while.

The chart of the day on Thursday was this one, showing how Brian Callahan's offense was actually well designed through two games, but dropped passes and missed protections have fans ready to riot against Callahan.

Until the wins start coming, the charts are going to continue to look bad. A few fewer DPI penalties in Week 1 and a few more completed passes in Week 2, and this season could feel a lot different. But it hasn't been all close calls and heartbreak; there are actually a few players who are dominating in the charts.

The Titans' Week 3 hopes rest with the following standout performers

Elic Ayomanor, WR

The Titans rookie receiver was strong in Week 1, but he really took off in Week 2, where he looked like the true number one receiver in Callahan's offense. The numbers back that up, with Ayomanor joining Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka (two first-round picks) as the lone rookie receivers who are being treated like foundational pieces of their offense.

The metric below shows the player's yards per route numbers and weighs them against how many routes the teams are using these players. (Look for Chimere Dike to shoot up this graph soon, here is why)

Jeffery Simmons, DT

If you haven't been impressed by Simmons this season, it's because you aren't watching. He is the most disruptive defensive player on the Titans roster (by far), and he is beating offensive linemen at an elite rate. Look no further than this chart, which shows that Simmons has a higher pass rush win rate (32%) than any other defensive tackle in the NFL.

Simmons' win-rate is more than twice that of other star tackles like DeForest Buckner, Chris Jones, Zach Allen, and Quinnen Williams. He has been elite in the most literal sense of the word, and he is doing it with his fellow defensive linemen doing almost nothing to help him.

Tony Pollard, RB

Pollard had a big game in Week 2, even though he fell short of the 100-yard mark. He looked like his old self, knifing through the line and making guys miss, and that isn't just something you can confirm with the eye test. It turns out that Pollard leads the NFL in forced missed tackles, nearly doubling the closest competitor. In fact, if you take away all the forced missed tackles he forced in Week 1, he would still be the NFL's leader in that category, according to Turron Davenport.

Pollard has a chance to be Cam Ward's best friend in this offense (especially if Calvin Ridley can't get it together soon), and he should be a huge focal point of the offense when the team hosts the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. His success could be the key to unlocking more play-action deep passes for the rookie, and everyone in this fan base is anxious to see Ward connect on some game-changing plays.