Tag: Amani Hooker

Titans with the rare pick-two against Colts

Amani Hooker intercepted a two-point conversion attempt and turned it into Titans points

The Indianapolis Colts had moved ahead of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in the final minute of the third quarter when Grant Stuard recovered a blocked punt for a TD.

Up 22-17, the analytics said to go for two.

So, Indy did just that and wound up with a three-point lead.

Why? Because Amani Hooker picked off the Gardner Minshew pass on the two-point conversion attempt and returned it for the score.

The infrequent two-point score.

Titans injury updates: Peter Skoronski, Kristian Fulton, Amani Hooker

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel provided good news on Kristian Fulton and Amani Hooker, but not Peter Skoronski.

The Tennessee Titans were without three starters in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. On Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel provided updates for the trio.

Left guard Peter Skoronski missed the Week 2 game after undergoing an appendectomy that can sideline a player anywhere from one to four weeks depending on what type.

The secondary was without two players in cornerback Kristian Fulton and safety Amani Hooker, who were dealing with a hamstring injury and a concussion, respectively.

We received good news from Vrabel on Fulton and Hooker, both of whom are expected to practice on Wednesday. Hooker has yet to fully clear the concussion protocol, though.

Meanwhile, it was the opposite for Skoronski, as Vrabel revealed he is unlikely to play in Week 3 as he continues to recover from the procedure.

Xavier Newman got the start in Skoronski’s place in Week 2, but he was pulled for Dillon Radunz after struggling mightily early on. Radunz went on to allow three pressures but no sacks. He figures to get the nod in Week 3.

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Titans’ safety duo adds impressive notch to its belt

Amani Hooker’s Week 1 interception put the Titans’ safety duo in an exclusive club.

Tennessee Titans safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker are in an exclusive club since the start of 2020 when it comes to nabbing interceptions.

Over that span, Byard leads the team with 10 picks, while Hooker ranks second with seven. As a result, the Titans are one of two teams in the NFL to see two of their safeties record at least seven interceptions since 2020.

The other pair is Buffalo Bills safeties Jordan Poyer (11) and Taylor Rapp, but bear in mind Rapp just joined the Bills in free agency this year. Buffalo’s other starter, Micah Hyde, has notched six interceptions since 2020.

The Titans duo joined this exclusive club last Sunday when Hooker recorded his first interception of 2023 against the New Orleans Saints.

Hooker was also just the sixth NFL player over a five-year span (2019-2023) to record an interception, a forced fumble (defense or special teams) and a fumble recovery (defense or special teams) in the same game.

Sadly, the Iowa product, who has been plagued by injuries in general during his career, left the game prematurely due to suffering his second concussion in two years. For both the team’s and his personal sake, let’s hope Hooker’s concussion issues cease to exist after this latest one.

Nonetheless, there’s no denying that a healthy Byard and Hooker defending the backend of Tennessee’s secondary makes the entire defense better.

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Titans vs. Chargers Week 2 injury report: Thursday

Treylon Burks returned to practice on Thursday but Amani Hooker and DeAndre Hopkins remained out.

The Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers have released their second injury reports of the week ahead of their Week 2 matchup on Sunday.

For the Titans, wide receiver Treylon Burks returned to practice after missing yesterday’s session with a personal matter. Unfortunately, safety Amani Hooker and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins remained sidelined.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Teair Tart saw no change in their respective participation levels, while running back Tyjae Spears was upgraded to a full session.

For the Chargers, edge rusher Joey Bosa and running back Austin Ekeler were both absent from practice once again.

Now, a look at Tennessee’s full report from Thursday.

Ranking safeties in the AFC South entering 2023

Here’s how the safeties rank across the AFC South.

The AFC South features a quality stable of starting safeties.

Overall, the division has one of the best at the position along with proven veterans and young players that have the ability to make a name for themselves this season.

For this list, I took the starting safeties from each team. Let’s take a look at how they rank:

Iowa Hawkeyes’ top-10 Madden NFL 24 grades unveiled

The grades are in! In a show of black and gold strength, the Hawkeyes are well represented in Madden NFL 24. Here’s the top-10 rated Hawks.

It’s that time of year again! July is wrapping up and people are mad online. Yup, it’s definitely Madden season.

EA Sports has started its annual tradition of angering sports fans all over the country with the release of its new Madden ratings. Your favorite $70 roster update and cause of broken controllers is set to release on Aug. 15. Hopefully, the game survives in a non-broken state this year by the playoffs! Hey, maybe things will be different this year.

What certainly won’t be is the time-honored tradition of former Iowa Hawkeyes being some of the best players you can add to your team in Madden. We all know about that black and gold pipeline to the NFL, and there are few better feelings than playing with some of your favorite former Hawkeyes on Madden.

You have no shortage of great Iowa players to pick from when building your team in Madden 24. These are the top 10 ranked Hawkeyes in the newest game.

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Madden NFL 24 ratings for Titans receivers, safeties

A look at how Titans safeties and wide receivers were rated in “Madden NFL 24”.

The “Madden NFL 24” video game, which is set to release on August 15, has begun rolling out player ratings for certain positions, giving us an early look at how Tennessee Titans players fared.

Thus far, the video game has revealed ratings for receivers and safeties, with two Titans being ranked among the highest-rated players at their respective positions.

Those two players are wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, whose 93 overall rating ranked seventh at the position, and safety Kevin Byard, whose 92 ranked tied for third at his position.

It’s always great to see Titans players getting some respect, especially Byard, who is often overlooked as one of the very best at his position in the NFL.

But how did the rest of the Titans’ safeties and wide receivers fare? We take a look at that now, although we’ve only included the most notable receivers on the Titans’ current roster.

You can check out full ratings for all players around the NFL right here.

Titans offseason preview at DB: A lot to prove in 2023

In our second-to-last offseason preview, we take a look at the Titans’ cornerbacks and safeties.

In our latest offseason preview for the Tennessee Titans, we’re taking a look at the team’s situation at both cornerback and safety with free agency rapidly approaching

The defensive backs group wasn’t immune to the plethora of injuries the Titans suffered in 2022, with starters like Kristian Fulton (six games) and Amani Hooker (eight games) both missing time due to injury.

The Titans didn’t get anything out of Elijah Molden and Caleb Farley as a result of injury, also. Farley in particular wasn’t good in his limited opportunities, either.

Roger McCreary found himself in a significant role in Year 1 after beating out Farley for the starting job, and while he no doubt flashed, the rookie saw his fair share of struggles, also.

The rock, of course, was safety Kevin Byard, who played at a high level despite players dropping like flies around him.

The result of all that was the Titans finishing with the worst pass defense in the NFL in 2022. The good news is, there is nowhere to go but up for Tennessee’s group of defensive backs.

Now, a look at who’s under contract, who’s a pending free agent, and what the Titans might do at both positions this offseason.

Titans to be short-handed vs. Chargers

The Titans are missing a handful of starters.

The Chargers have had their fair share of injuries to key players this season.

The Titans are currently dealing with their own and will be short-handed when they come to town this Sunday as a result.

Defensive tackle Denico Autry, cornerback Kristian Fulton, safety Amani Hooker and wide receiver Treylon Burks were ruled out on Friday.

Tennessee is already without offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, edge defender Harold Landry, linebacker David Long Jr. and cornerback Elijah Molden, who are on injured reserve.

The Titans have lost their last three games, and the primary reason why they have struggled to pick up a win is because of their pass defense.

Tennessee is allowing the second-most passing yards per game (283.7) and has not produced a turnover in that span.

Not having Autry on the field has been the difference-maker, as he leads the team in sacks (seven). His partner-in-crime, Jeffery Simmons, has played, but an ankle issue has still hampered him.

Because of the lack of pass rush and vulnerable secondary, quarterback Justin Herbert could be in for a field, especially since he has wideouts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at his disposal again.

Allen and Williams combined for 18 catches on 20 targets for 208 yards and a touchdown in Week 14.

Burks, the Titans’ 2022 first-round pick, has shown great flashes. He has 25 receptions for 359 yards and a touchdown in eight games this season. But he remains in concussion protocol.

Eagles’ PFF grades: Best and worst performers from 35-10 win over Titans

Here are the Best and worst PFF grades from the Philadelphia Eagles’ 35-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 13

The Eagles moved to 11-1 on the season after dominating the usually dominant Tennessee Titans on Sunday, 35-10 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Jalen Hurts threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns, while A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both amassed over 100 yards and scores on the day.

Philadelphia’s defense sacked Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill six times while holding running back Derrick Henry to under 40 yards and no touchdowns.

With the team preparing for a matchup against the Giants in Week 14, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday per PFF.