Following an abysmal 0-2 start to the season, the Tennessee Titans have scratched and clawed their way back to a winning record.
The Titans enter their bye week at 3-2 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC South after grinding out three straight victories.
Now that we are officially at the quarter mark of the 2022 season, it’s time to reflect over the last five weeks and see where the Titans stack up in comparison to the rest of the league.
Similarly to what we’ve been doing all year long, I’m going to review the advanced metrics data from a variety of different platforms and I will pick a few takeaways to elaborate about.
This article in particular is going to mostly include the fantastic data over at Sports Info Solutions (SIS) unless otherwise noted.
There were some positives and obviously a few negatives that stood out, so let’s dive right into my main takeaways after the first five games of the season.
Titans’ passing attack ranks bottom 10 through five weeks
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Titans’ passing attack currently sits in the bottom 10 in nearly every significant category.
Tennessee ranks 30th in pass attempts (130) and catchable passes (99), 29th in completions (83), gross yards (971), net yards (877), and intended air yards (968), 28th in on-target passes (92) and 27th in air yards (514).
Even more stunning is how Tennessee doesn’t have a single pass-catcher who ranks in the top 20 of any significant category.
There’s obviously a ton of room for improvement in the passing game. In order for the Titans to maximize their offensive potential, they need this unit to at least get closer to the middle of the pack sooner rather than later.
Derrick Henry is slowly working his way to the top of the charts again
After a slow start in which people genuinely started to wonder if Derrick Henry was done being an elite back, the King has once again begun his ascension toward the top.
Septembers have historically been a ramp-up period for Henry, and this year seems to be no different.
Despite that, the Alabama product ranks in the top six in yards (408), yards after contact (318), touchdowns (five), broken tackles (14), and missed tackles (eight).
Most shocking is the fact that Henry is doing all this while leading the league in the number of times he’s been hit at the line of scrimmage (52).
In total, the Titans running back has carried the ball 104 times, meaning he’s been hit at (or before) the line of scrimmage on 50 percent of his carries (the highest percentage in the league).
Henry has been doing a better job at running through first contact as of late, but if he’s going to start hitting the home runs we’re accustomed to, the blocking has to start limiting how many times he’s slowed down by first contact at the line of scrimmage.
If that happens, the inevitable big runs are bound to happen and his rushing totals will start to jump closer to 150-plus.
Blown blocks continue to be a major problem
According to the SIS data, the Titans have accounted for the fifth-fewest amount of offensive snaps. Tennessee has only logged 276 snaps — 149 passing and 127 rushing.
Even with these limited snaps, the Titans are currently in the top eight for the most amount of blown blocks this season. Tennessee is guilty of allowing 25 blown blocks and two holds in pass protection (eighth-most), along with 21 blown blocks and four holds when running the ball (third-highest).
At the moment, the Titans have an overall blown block percentage of 2.813 percent, the third-highest in the NFL.
Needless to say, if this offense is ever going to take that next step forward, the blocking up front has to be better all around.
Autry, Simmons, Weaver are collectively dominating as pass-rushers
Through five weeks of football, Tennessee’s defensive line continues to be an obvious strength of this team. The Titans are the only defense in the NFL that possesses three different pass-rushers who each rank in the top 15 in both sacks and pressures.
Rashad Weaver and Denico Autry have already produced four sacks each, tied for fourth-most in the entire league. Weaver also ranks ninth in pressures (16), while Autry comes in tied for 13th with 14 pressures.
Then you have the true star of the entire defense: Jeffery Simmons.
Welcome to the party. Better late than never. https://t.co/AudxbovVhb
— The Titans Wire (@TheTitansWire) October 12, 2022
The Mississippi State product is the definition of a game-wrecker. Despite the fact that Simmons is constantly facing double teams, the Titans’ star is fifth amongst all defenders in quarterback pressures (21), while also being tied for sixth in sacks (3.5).
Best in the W̴e̴s̴t̴ League @49ers 🤷♂️@NextGenStats' full article: https://t.co/oyJMtrPiDq pic.twitter.com/AmpyxPrHWG
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) October 7, 2022
Next Gen Stats recently ranked the Titans as the third-best defensive line in the NFL going into Week 5, and it’s easy to understand why.
Bud Dupree and Teair Tart are two other defenders who are intricate pieces to the defensive front as well. This is a well-balanced group that finds ways to impact the game in a plethora of different ways.
However, it’s becoming glaringly clear that getting after the quarterback is becoming a special trait for this collective unit.
In total, Simmons, Weaver, and Autry have already combined for a whopping 51 pressures and 11.5 sacks in just five games. Barring something dramatic happening, it’s pretty safe to assume that the Titans’ defensive front will continue to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
