Tony Pollard – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Titans’ Tony Pollard didn’t face a single stacked box in Week 7

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard was solid against the Buffalo Bills, but he could have been better based on what the defense did.

There have been many topics swirling around the 1-5 Tennessee Titans this week after suffering through a miserable afternoon against the Buffalo Bills, and for good reason.

The Titans again failed to hold a halftime lead and the offense struggled mightily with Mason Rudolph at the helm. On top of that, their number-one-ranked defense could not hold up and the team gave up 34 straight points.

Offensively, the passing game was pedestrian at best, and the running game was nowhere near as effective or dynamic as it has been in previous games. Somewhat of a surprise considering the defense they were facing.

The only RB in the NFL to not face a single stacked box this week (min. 10 carries) was #Titans Tony Pollard who rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries, -4 Rushing Yards Over Expected (RYOE) per @NextGenStats via @ZebraSports #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/g3UFOIZpWp

— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 🅓. ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕞𝕖𝕤 (@TravisDHolmes) October 22, 2024

Not only has Buffalo struggled to stop the run in 2024, but according to NextGen Stats, Tony Pollard did not face a stacked box at all in the game — the only running back in the NFL that can make that claim in Week 7.

Pollard did rush for 61 yards on 16 carries, but that wasn’t enough to force the Bills’ defense to change their plan.

This speaks volumes about where the Titans’ offense sits in 2024. They lack an identity and almost seem to refuse to focus on their running game, even though it has been somewhat successful throughout the season. With the right tackle position being a liability in the passing game, focusing on the running game should be an easy decision.

Yes, Tyjae Spears was out in this game. But Pollard has been dynamic and has already demonstrated the ability to carry the offense. Before the game, this was set up as the perfect match-up for the Titans to take advantage of, yet, even being up at halftime they did not change their approach.

Many things have gone wrong this season for the Titans, and they have a lot to fix moving forward. Tony Pollard has not been one of those and they should feed him the ball as much as possible. Tune in Sunday when the Titans face the Detroit Lions to see if they learned from any of their miscues.

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Causes for concern as the Bills face the Titans in Week 7

The Buffalo Bills will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 at Highmark Stadium.

The Bills (4-2) and Titans (1-4) have largely trended in different directions in the first six weeks of the NFL season.

The Bills are favored by nearly double digits (-9.5) but the Titans shouldn’t be taken lightly. Anyone can beat anyone in the NFL. And, the Titans currently have the league’s number one defense. The Titans haven’t had to face a contender on the road so it will be a big test for first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

Still, the Bills need to execute to come away with the win. To improve to 5-2 on the year, they will need to be wary of these three things from the Titans on Sunday:

Interior defensive line

The Titans’ defensive tackles are nothing to mess with. Jeffery Simmons is a veteran who has caused havoc in the middle of the trenches over his six-year career. And, rookie T’Vondre Sweat is following in his footsteps at 366 pounds.

They are disruptive in the middle, and both have a top-25 PFF defensive grade among NFL interior defensive linemen. Simmons grades as the 23rd-best while Sweat grades as the 19th-best just six weeks into his career. The Bills would be wise to find ways to either combo-block these guys or attempt to avoid them.

Titans running game

While the Titans’ passing game has struggled to find its rhythm so far in 2024, the running game is averaging over 118 yards per game. With Tyjae Spears ruled out with injury, the backfield will be led by Tony Pollard who has averaged 90.5 rushing yards in his last two outings. On the flip side, the Bills have struggled at defending the run. They give up over 140 yards per game.

When Pollard runs for over 60 yards, the Titans have either lost by one score or won the game. In the one game he was shut down, the Green Bay Packers beat them by 16.

Titans still have playmakers

Despite being ranked second-to-last in the NFL in pass yards per game, the Titans still have excellent skill players. They can make a chunk play at any given moment. Things haven’t connected between quarterback Will Levis and first-year offensive coordinator Nick Holz. If things do click, they have the pieces around Levis to do something.

Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd are one of the better receiving trios in the league. Tight end Chig Okonkwo, along with Pollard in the run game, have the talent to make a big play or two. Bills have to be disciplined or these guys can make you pay. That’s if Levis can get the ball to them.

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3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Titans in Week 7

The Buffalo Bills will host the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium in Week 7.

The Bills (4-2) are coming off a crucial divisional win over the New York Jets in Week 6 and lead the AFC East. The Titans (1-4) stand toward the bottom of the AFC under first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

The Bills have an enticing new weapon on offense after trading for Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. Even before Cooper’s arrival, the Bills rank third in the NFL in offensive DVOA through six weeks.

On the other hand, the Titans have been a disaster on offense. They are turning the ball over and they have struggled to pass consistently. The Titans do, however, boast the league’s top defense in yards allowed per game.

The Bills are favored by 9.5 points on Sunday but every week is a challenge in the NFL. They’ll need to execute the game plan to gain their fifth win of the year.

Here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 7:

Win the turnover battle

When it comes to turning the ball over in 2024, the Bills and the Titans are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Bills are ranked second in the NFL with a turnover differential of +8, while the Titans are ranked second-to-last with a turnover differential of -7. Will Levis leads the NFL in interceptions with seven. On the flip side, Buffalo’s Josh Allen has not thrown one.

The Bills need to do what they have been for much of the season, and that is win the turnover battle. The Bills are favored by nearly double digits in this one, but a couple of turnovers could shift the momentum quickly.

Get the receivers involved

It’s not just newcomer Amari Cooper that has to get going in the Bills offense, it’s many of the other wide receivers who are still new to Allen. Among the WRs, only Khalil Shakir had played a game with Allen before the year. And it has shown through six weeks. Shakir has been the only consistent receiver (when healthy). He leads the Bills in receiving while ranking just 55th in the NFL in receiving yards.

The Titans have a stingy defense, but they haven’t seen an offense like the Bills’ this year, especially on the road. If the Bills can get Cooper going, it should open up opportunities for others. Perhaps Cooper is the missing ingredient that will have everybody eating again.

Limit the run

It’s no secret that the Titans’ passing game has struggled this year, but one constant for them has been the play of running back Tony Pollard. He’s coming off games of 88 and 93 rushing yards, respectively. He’s averaging over four yards per carry and is 18th in the NFL in rushing yards despite already having a bye week. The team will be without RB Tyjae Spears due to injury, so it should be the Pollard show.

If the Bills can limit the Titans’ ground game, it should force Levis into uncomfortable third-and-longs. The idea of playing against a young QB who is turnover prone should have Bobby Babich’s defense foaming at the mouth.

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Titans vs. Bills: 3 causes for concern in Week 7

The Tennessee Titans head to upstate New York to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and here are three causes for concern heading into Week 7.

The Tennessee Titans head north on Sunday to face the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have a solid hold on the AFC East and have consistently made the playoffs since Josh Allen was drafted in 2018, winning the AFC East the last four seasons. They have yet to win a Super Bowl, though, and desperately want to get that ring.

The Titans are struggling mightily this season. Offensively anyway. Defensively, the Titans have a solid unit and rank in the top 10 in both the pass and run game. Still, their depth on defense is thin, and they haven’t faced the likes of the Bills yet.

All of that said, there are several causes for concern in Tennessee right now, but for this week, we’ve narrowed it down to three.

Secondary woes rearing up

Last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans allowed Joe Flacco to throw for 189 yards, but it was more the two touchdowns that hurt. The one pictured above happened the play after Quandre Diggs went to the blue tent and Flacco saw the mismatch with linebacker Harold Landry III on the outside. It wasn’t hard to exploit, Landry isn’t used to being out there. Even with Diggs’ return to the field, the Titans never recovered after that.

Against the Bills, the Titans cannot let mismatches like this happen. Even if a player goes down with an injury, whoever steps into their position has to be ready to do the job. When you’re facing a quarterback like Josh Allen, even with the number one pass defense in the league, you can’t afford mistakes.

Teams should be forced to run against the Titans, and so far, the Titans have held opposing quarterbacks to under 200 yards per game. That will likely change on Sunday when they face Allen.

Will Levis is still the quarterback

There’s not much more to say that hasn’t already been said. Levis isn’t hacking it in the NFL, and Brian Callahan is too stubborn to bench him. The Bills pass defense ranks in the middle of the pack, but the run defense is ranked fourth. This will force Callahan to call more pass plays, which provides more opportunity for interceptions to be thrown.

As long as Levis remains under center and the Titans continue to lose, having him as quarterback is always a cause for concern.

The Bills’ run defense

The Titans want to run their offense through Tony Pollard. It’s safe, it ensures the ball stays with the offense, and he moves the ball down the field better than anyone else. It would be helpful if Tyjae Spears could suit up, but we likely won’t know his status until Sunday. In his absence, Pollard will have Julius Chestnut to help with the ground game.

However, as mentioned above, the Bills have the fourth-ranked run defense in the NFL this year. The offensive line has to be up to the task for Pollard on Sunday, he needs room to run, and bouncing to the edge isn’t always an option. The Titans’ offensive line has allowed 16 sacks in six games. They have to do better on Sunday if the Titans want any shot at putting points on the board.

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Titans vs. Colts Player of the Game: Tony Pollard

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 20-17, in Week 6 and running back Tony Pollard is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans returned from their early bye week to host the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t supposed to be a huge test for the Titans, the Colts are pretty banged up and it seemed like the Titans were poised to get their second win of the season.

That didn’t happen, however, as the Titans lost 20-17, bringing their record to 1-4, and falling to third in the AFC East.

Still, it wasn’t all bad. Despite Will Levis throwing yet another interception, he looked better this week. Brian Callahan kept it conservative, relying heavily on running back Tony Pollard, who is this week’s Player of the Game.

Pollard rushed 17 times for 93 yards and a touchdown, an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Multiple times throughout the game, Pollard was responsible for moving the ball down the field to put the Titans in scoring position.

His touchdown run came on a crucial play midway through the third quarter. It was third-and-19 and Levis handed the ball off to Pollard. From the couch, it seemed a terrible play call, until Pollard ran through the slalom of players and into the end zone with seeming ease.

That play gave the Titans the lead until midway through the fourth quarter when the Colts went up 20-17 and that’s where the score stayed.

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Titans vs. Jets: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 2

The Tennessee Titans take on the New York Jets in Week 2 and here are three reasons for optimism in Nashville.

The Tennessee Titans open their 2024 home schedule on Sunday when they take on the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium.

The Titans (0-1) proved they will be competitive on the field against the Chicago Bears, and now they will look to put together an entire 60 minutes to get Brian Callahan his first win.

The Jets (0-1) are also coming off a disappointing loss in Week 1 and will be looking to get into the win column.

There is a lot on the line and this should be an interesting game. The Titans have three reasons to be optimistic that they can bring this one home.

The defense is as advertised

The Titans’ defense answered a lot of questions Sunday against the Bears, but this week they will have a tougher task against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

The Titans’ defense is ranked first in total defense after Week 1 and should present a challenge to the Jets. With veteran talent at every level, the defense should give the Titans a chance in every game.

Strong ground game

When the Titans looked their best on Sunday, it was when Tony Pollard was the driving force on offense. The Jets defense looked vulnerable against the run against the 49ers.

Between Pollard and Tyjae Spears, the Titans have a dynamic tandem that should be the focus on offense while Levis is trying to establish himself in the passing game. The Jets gave up 180 yards rushing against the 49ers, which is a big reason why they opened the season with a loss.

Harold Landry and the pass rush

Aaron Rodgers is not Caleb Williams, but the same gameplan should be utilized. No quarterback enjoys pressure and Rodgers is no different, especially as he continues to knock off the rust after missing 2023 with an Achilles injury.

The Titans invested heavily in their secondary, and they should trust that unit to hold up until the rush gets home. This could be another big game for Harold Landry, as he has a favorable match-up with tackle Morgan Moses.

The Titans have many reasons to be optimistic, but we will have to wait until Sunday to find out if that optimism was warranted.

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Titans-Bears Week 1: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The Tennessee Titans lost their Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The Tennessee Titans watched a fourth quarter lead completely evaporate on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bears, ultimately snapping defeat from the jaws of victory.

A Will Levis pick-6 effectively sealed the loss — something he later called a “boneheaded play.

Following the loss, the Titans will head back to the drawing board as they prepare for a Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets.

Now let’s take a closer look at the snap counts that contributed to the Titans’ Week 1 defeat.

Offensive snaps: 64
Defensive snaps: 56
Special teams snaps: 29

The injured DeAndre Hopkins (knee) took just 17 snaps and was largely ineffective. It will likely be several weeks before he’s able to take a full snap share.

At running back, it’s evident that Tony Pollard will handle the early-down snaps while Tyjae Spears receives a secondary share. The split won’t be even but it will be balanced.

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Titans vs. Bears Player of the Game: Tony Pollard

The Tennessee Titans lost to the Chicago Bears, 24-17, on Sunday and RB Tony Pollard is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans opened their season on the road against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Titans came out strong and looked good in the first half, taking a 17-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Unfortunately, the Bears came out of the locker room with more fire than the Titans and scored 21 unanswered points to win the game 24-17.

Despite the Titans’ loss, one player stood out above the rest to earn this week’s Player of the Game: Tony Pollard.

Pollard rushed 16 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, plus added three receptions for 12 yards. He was responsible for the second-most yards on the team, behind only Will Levis.

This was Pollard’s debut game with the Titans. He had spent the last five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, where he recorded 3,621 yards on 762 carries, ran for 23 touchdowns, and fumbled only twice. Pollard joined the Titans during free agency as part of their effort to bring in veteran weapons to support Levis in his second season, and he was instrumental in the Titans’ offensive efforts today.

As a veteran dual-threat running back, Pollard is a reliable option for Levis on almost every play. As long as he can get Pollard the ball without turning it over.

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On paper, Titans’ offseason ‘spending spree’ pays off

The Tennessee Titans made a rash of moves during the offseason. Now it is time to see how this $228.2 Million spending spree pays off.

After the Tennessee Titans’ 2024 offseason began, general manager Ran Carthon set out with a vision to improve the team after a dismal 6-11 performance in 2023. Now, after a complete overhaul of the coaching staff and spending a reported $228.2 million to retool the roster, it’s time to see the results.

https://twitter.com/tdavenport_nfl/status/1830586600247722071?s=46&t=SeOZebZdMRZIJ99t7aMgTQ

On paper, the Titans appear to be in a good place. Offensively, they built around second-year quarterback Will Levis, using both free agency and the draft to bolster the unit.

After signing center Lloyd Cushenberry III to a four-year, $50 million contract, the team selected offensive tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 selection in the NFL draft. Infusing talent into a unit that struggled mightily in 2023.

With Levis being the key to the offense, the Titans added to their skill positions with moves that added talented playmakers to the roster. Running back Tony Pollard, wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd came aboard to assist Levis, hold-overs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Tyjae Spears to potentially create one of the most dynamic Titans’ offenses in recent memory.

Carthon didn’t stop there. Turning to the defensive side of the ball, they added an array of veterans to bolster the aggressive style that the Titans want to employ. Free agent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, and inside linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. were brought in. He also hit the trade market, securing cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and, most recently, linebacker Ernest Jones IV in different transactions.

With pre-season in the books, there is good reason to be optimistic about the Titans’ potential. In less than a week, fans will see how well this spending spree translates into the regular season when the Titans open up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 7.

A bold prediction for new Titans running back in 2024

Don’t be surprised if…….

There is some mystery surrounding the 2024 Tennessee Titans. That’s what happens when you have a coaching change.

Brian Callahan is in as the new head coach. Callahan spent the past few seasons as Joe Burrow’s offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. Callahan was brought in to mentor Tennessee’s young quarterback, Will Levis.

This offseason, the Titans revamped the entire team, signing free-agent wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, running back Tony Pollard, center Lloyd Cushenberry and spending a first-round pick on left tackle JC Latham.

Callahan stated that Pollard will split time at running back with Tennessee’s 2023 third-round pick, Tyjae Spears. Spears looked phenomenal at times during training camp and the preseason.

However, one NFL insider believes the 2024 season could be big for Pollard.

In his annual surprise predictions for all 32 NFL teams in 2024, ESPN’s Dan Graziano said not to be surprised if Pollard has a bounce-back season.

Don’t be surprised if … Tony Pollard has a bounce-back season.

What I’m hearing: Pollard is one year further removed from his 2022 season-ending ankle injury, which can only help. The Titans signed him on the first day of free agency to a fairly substantial contract (for a running back, anyway) at three years and $24 million. Yes, they have Tyjae Spears in the backfield as well, but I’m not sure they view Spears as ready to take over the lead role all by himself.

I doubt Pollard ends up with twice as many touches as Spears, the way Derrick Henry did last season. But I also expect this team to lean fairly heavily on the backs as both runners and pass catchers while it brings Will Levis along at quarterback. And Tennessee seems to view Pollard’s experience as a differentiating factor between him and Spears, who is in Year 2. Pollard — who went over 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight year last season — is my bet to be the lead back in Tennessee.

The Titans have a good running back situation. Spears and Pollard have similar styles, and both can impact the passing game. It’s definitely a new day in Tennessee, with franchise legend Derrick Henry no longer leading the Titans’ backfield.