Tennessee Titans star safety Kevin Byard is off to a fantastic start to the 2021 campaign — there is no way to deny it. No matter how you like to measure a player’s success, Byard checks all the boxes.
Often there are three categories you hear people use the most in their defense or criticisms of players: eye test, numbers and film. When you use that criteria, Byard’s play says “check, check, check.”
Byard had his best game of the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. He made plays all over the field, and in the biggest moments.
The versatility and playmaking were on full display. He made some good stops in the run game, got an interception, and, of course, got the first defensive touchdown of his career.
Anyone watching the game could see that Byard was a major playmaker for the Titans’ defense. Byard would have passed a blind man’s eye test.
If you want to pull out your proverbial calculators, Byard is still dominating when you crunch the numbers. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), out of safeties with a minimum of 76 snaps(Byard has played 208 snaps), he is the highest-graded safety in the league with an overall grade of 85.1.
He is also the top safety in coverage grade at 81.3. Byard leads the team with two interceptions, is tied for first in pass break-ups with six, and is second on the Titans in tackles with 27 (Harold Landry has 28). Byard will tape up his glass and check the nerd box all day; take that for data!
Which brings us to the final box, and back to Week 5. The eye in the sky don’t lie and the film confirms what the eye test and the numbers are saying: Byard is balling out.
At times, Byard singlehandedly took over the game — well, most of the time he used two hands, but I digress… Let’s check the third box and dive into the tape to see just how great Byard was on Sunday.