Tennessee Titans: The 3 Biggest Improvements the Titans Have Made Since Loss to Jets
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Within just six days, the Tennessee Titans mounted impressive victories over two strong teams with All-Pro caliber quarterbacks last week. Tennessee's performances in those two games were a stark contrast to what the team delivered two weeks prior in an embarrassing road loss to the New York Jets, who were 0-3 heading […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Within just six days, the Tennessee Titans mounted impressive victories over two strong teams with All-Pro caliber quarterbacks last week.
Tennessee's performances in those two games were a stark contrast to what the team delivered two weeks prior in an embarrassing road loss to the New York Jets, who were 0-3 heading into the game.
How did the Titans manage to go from losing to an NFL bottomfeeder to taking down QBs Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes?
Significant improvement in three major areas led to the team's reversal of course.
1. Turning pressure to sacks
First, the Titans' defensive front stepped up and began converting more pressures to sacks.
Over the first few weeks of the 2021 season, Tennessee managed to affect quarterbacks and get pressure on them, but those pressures rarely led to sacks.
Against the Jets, the Titans recorded just one sack. When they faced Buffalo and Kansas City, though, it was a different story.
The likes of Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, Bud Dupree and Denico Autry made life miserable for Allen and Mahomes.
Those players frequently collapsed the pocket and, most importantly, brought down the quarterback for big losses.
"We've been coordinated with our rushes," DL Jeffery Simmons said.
"The best thing about this team and this defense is no one's selfish. Everyone's so happy for each other when someone makes a play. If someone makes a play, you see everyone celebrating their success⏤that's where it started."
The uptick in production for the Titans' front seven has not only put opposing offenses behind the chains⏤it's also made life easier for the team's banged-up secondary.
The Titans have been hit especially hard with the injury bug on the backend of their defense; they lost CB Caleb Farley for the season, and both S Amani Hooker and CB Kristian Fulton have each missed multiple games.
Against the Chiefs, though, the players Tennessee did have available rose to the occasion, thanks in no small part to the pass rush.
"We didn't have to cover that long," CB Elijah Molden said.
"I love it, personally. I think it's a DB's dream."
2. Protecting Tannehill
The Titans have also been exponentially better at protecting QB Ryan Tannehill, which has led to improvement across the board on offense.
The Jets sacked Tannehill a whopping seven times and, heading into their Week Six matchup with Buffalo, the Titans had allowed 20 sacks in 2021.
To put that total in perspective, Tennessee allowed 25 sacks during the entire 2020 season.
In each of their last two games, though, the Titans gave Tannehill plenty of comfortable pockets to work from. As a result, he took just one combined sack against Buffalo and Kansas City.
What led to such a drastic change?
"We are playing better football," Tannehill said. "As the season goes on, you look at lessons learned. Being efficient, getting the ball out, not being in long-yardage situations and trying to help your O-line out.
"They are obviously blocking them whenever we do drop back. It all works together, and I am glad it is working that way."
For a while, it looked like Tannehill wouldn't be able to finish the season given the number of vicious hits he was taking.
He'll be just fine, though, if the Titans can continue keeping him upright as they have lately.
3. Striking a Balance on Offense
The final ingredient in the Titans' course reversal has been a more balanced offensive attack.
Over the first five weeks of the season, particularly against the Jets, the Titans were entirely one-dimensional, offensively. The team worked RB Derrick Henry practically to death and got very little production out of the passing game.
Starting in the second half of the Buffalo game, the Titans began to find a rhythm through the air on offense. That success carried over to the Kansas City game, which Tannehill began by throwing 11 straight completions.
That balance will be critical throughout the remainder of the 2021 season if the Titans want to continue scoring points at a high rate and avoid running Henry into the ground.
“That’s all you want as an offense—everybody getting opportunities and taking advantage of them,” Henry said.
Cover image: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today
