The Tennessee Titans nearly pulled off a massive upset victory of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, something their defensive front had a lot to do with.
Tennessee’s group upfront was able to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes for much of the game, which helped limit an elite offense to just 20 points in a contest that went into overtime.
As impressive as this showing from the Titans’ defense was, it was even more impressive against the Chiefs in 2021, a game that saw Tennessee limit Mahomes and Co. to just three points.
As a result, Mahomes knew full well what he was up against, and so did head coach Andy Reid, who praised the Titans’ elite group after the game on Sunday night.
“That defensive front is something, that’s a special group and [Titans Head Coach Mike] Vrabel knows how to use them,” Reid said. “That’s a dream for a defensive coordinator when you got a bunch like that — and really, they’re two-deep there. So, they can roll eight of them out there and keep them fresh.”
Tennessee wasn’t even at full strength, either. Bud Dupree was knocked out of the game early due to a hip injury, which no doubt impact Tennessee’s defense as the game progressed, Jeffery Simmons wasn’t playing at 100 percent, and Harold Landry is out for the season with a torn ACL.
The best individual performance came from Denico Autry, who led the team with a pair of sacks, 3 QB hits, and both he and Mario Edwards had a team-high eight pressures. Edwards tallied a sack, as did DeMarcus Walker.
Reid went on to praise Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, saying the defense is a reflection of him.
“He’s got tough guys,” Reid said. “Some of his toughness is, obviously, been put into his schemes and been put into, incorporated into his players. So, I think he does a heck of a job. [He’s a] good football coach.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[lawrence-related id=101771,101766,101736]