After a strong start to the 2019 season that saw the Tennessee Titans sport one of the best defenses in the NFL, the team’s unit began to waver a bit as the season progressed.
Through the first six games, the Titans allowed an average of just 15.3 points per contest, but over the last 10 that average went up to 22.9 per game. Thankfully for Tennessee, the offense began to fire on all cylinders after Week 6 or else that kind of increase could have sunk the team’s season.
After all, the Titans were scoring just 16.3 points per contest through Week 6 and it was the defense’s sensational effort that kept them in games when Marcus Mariota and the offense were struggling.
Ultimately, the Titans finished with the No. 12 defense in the league in 2019 after allowing a total of 20.7 points per game, which is still impressive considering the amount of injuries the team had to deal with.
At one point in the second half of the campaign, the Titans were without both starting corners in Adoree’ Jackson and Malcolm Butler, and one of their best pass-rushers in Cameron Wake. It’s also important to note that Jayon Brown battled a groin injury for multiple weeks.
One can only imagine how much better Tennessee’s defense could have been if it were able to remain healthy for a full 16-game slate.
With an eye on 2020, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar ranked all 32 NFL defenses from worst to first, and the Titans landed at No. 17 on the list.
There are two primary questions for the Titans’ defense as it heads into the 2020 season: Will the retirement of brilliant defensive coordinator Dean Pees take a toll, and where will the pass rush come from? End Harold Landry is a rising star and led the team with nine sacks last season, but multi-gap lineman Jurrell Casey is now in Denver, and he’ll also be tough to replace. Underrated situational rusher Kamalei Correa will continue to factor in, and 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons started to show his potential in the defensive interior at the end of the season, but there are a lot of questions for a team that expects to compete for a division title at the very least.
That ranking seems a bit low considering the Titans have been 12th or better in each of the past two seasons. Simply having better health could have made Tennessee’s defense a top-10 unit in 2019.
But the Titans’ ability to improve their defense in 2020 is more than just about health.
Tennessee no doubt saw a better pass-rush in 2019 than it did in 2018, but it certainly wasn’t by leaps and bounds. The Titans totaled just four more sacks when compared to the season prior.
While the Titans were able to navigate the season lacking a consistent pass-rush, Tennessee must improve in that area if it wants to compete for a Super Bowl.
The Titans were badly exposed in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Facing next to no pressure, Patrick Mahomes carved up Tennessee’s secondary and looked unstoppable.
Granted, some of that is on the secondary, but speed and good coverage can only take you so far, as even the best corners can only cover for so long.
For now the Titans are banking on free-agent acquisition Vic Beasley to add some juice off the edge, to go along with returning outside linebackers Harold Landry and Kamalei Correa.
The Titans also need to see more pressure from their defensive line, which totaled just 9.5 sacks last season — and five of those are now gone after Jurrell Casey was traded to the Denver Broncos this offseason.
Jeffery Simmons will be tasked with taking the torch from one of the great defenders in team history, but who exactly is going to help him out on the inside?
Perhaps most importantly, the Titans didn’t name a defensive coordinator after Dean Pees retired, so there are still questions about who will run the defense and what form it will take.
And if it is head coach Mike Vrabel, will he be able to balance being a defensive coordinator with the rest of his head coaching duties?
The Titans no doubt have the potential to be an elite defense in 2020, but plenty of important questions linger that won’t be answered until the start of the season.
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