The Achilles heel of the Tennessee Titans’ defense so far in 2021 has been the unit allowing big plays, something we saw once again during the Week 4 loss to the New York Jets.
The Titans gave up a handful of 20-plus-yard plays to Gang Green last Sunday, including two of 50 yards or more. It was the second time this season that an opponent has notched at least two 50-yard plays.
Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen isn’t laying the blame on just one part of the defense for this issue, though, according to Ben Arthur of The Tennessean.
“All 11 guys have to evaluate themselves: ‘How could I have made a difference on this play?’” Bowen said. “Whether it’s keeping the guy in the pocket, which happened a couple times the other day. Whether it’s staying deep when I’m a half(field) player. There’s a lot of different things that come into play in regard to that, and it’s not just one guy, right? It’s a unit thing. Everybody kind of factors in when those big plays are happening.”
Bowen isn’t wrong.
Yes, the secondary has no doubt struggled the most, but the pass-rush hasn’t helped all that much. The Titans simply haven’t been able to consistently finish when they get pressure, especially on more mobile quarterbacks.
And that failure to finish has allowed opposing signal-callers to extend plays and find their receivers down the field.
The Week 5 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars could present a similar problem, as rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence has the kind of mobility Tennessee has struggled to contain.
As far as the secondary is concerned, Bowen says the onus is on the players to decide when to play tight and when not to, which is an issue that has plagued this defense since 2020.
“They have to understand the situation of what’s going on with those kinds of stuff too,” Bowen said. “That’s a big part of it. Playing off when it’s third-and-five probably ain’t gonna do it.
“Ultimately, we have to have a plan for how we’re going to handle it. You can’t just line up against the man and play that man when they’re tight and bunched together or stacked together. You have to be able to play off each other, communicate defensively what we want to get done. That way, we can be a little bit tighter and just understand the situation of what’s going on.
“There’s a couple situations we do where we need to be tighter.”
These are issues the Titans must get fixed if they want to compete and make a deep run in the postseason. The next attempt to fix said issues will come on Sunday, but we’ll have to see it to believe it.
[lawrence-related id=73467,73291,73422]
[listicle id=73486]