Tennessee Titans receivers were as reliable as it gets in 2019 when it came to catching the deep ball.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Titans were the only team in the NFL to not drop a single pass of 20-plus yards down the field.
Tennessee Titans: Only team to drop 0 passes on targets 20+ yards downfield 👐#Titanup pic.twitter.com/5YaRhsBSKf
— PFF TEN Titans (@PFF_Titans) July 5, 2020
Overall, the Titans’ receivers dropped 19 passes, the fourth-fewest.
Having sure-handed receivers obviously plays a huge role in that stat, but it’s also important to have a quarterback who can put the ball in the right place for his pass-catchers to make plays.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was ranked as the 13th-best deep ball passer in his first season in Nashville, per PFF, posting a completion rate of 37.8 percent and a passer rating of 112.7 on that type of throw.
Being able to dial up the deep ball added a new wrinkle to the Titans’ offense that had previously not been there in recent years, leading to what was one of the more explosive units from Week 7 on.
The Titans’ success down the field is yet another area in which running back Derrick Henry made an impact even when he didn’t touch the ball. The mere threat of his ability to run the rock led to a league-leading 188 eight-man boxes, which opened things for Tannehill and Co. in the first place.
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