Nobody expects the Tennessee Titans to field a stellar pass rush this season. In Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos, it was basically Jeffery Simmons and friends. Simmons recorded the Titans’ lone sack, a strip-sack of Bo Nix that was recovered by Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Simmons totaled a healthy seven pressures in that game, according to Pro Football Focus. No other Titan defender had more than two, and that was rookie Femi Oladejo, who had two schemed-up, uncovered pressures. Joseph-Day, Arden
Key, and Jihad Ward had one pressure apiece. T’Vondre Sweat (on a snap count) and Dre’Mont Jones had zero.
The Titans defense ranks 31st in pressure rate after Week 1. Zach Lyons brought that stat to the timeline courtesy of both Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Reference. Expectations are low for the Titans’ pass-rushing unit outside of Simmons, and Sunday’s debut performance was in-line with that.
If the Titans are going to upset the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and avoid the ever-dreaded 0-2 start, they’ll need Simmons to be dominant. Remember Simmons’ three-sack display on Sunday Night Football versus the Rams during the 2021 campaign? A repeat showing would be welcome.
Luckily for Simmons and the Titans, the Rams are dealing with a pair of eyebrow-raising injuries. Both starting guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila exited Sunday’s Week 1 opener with injuries. Dotson is one of the better guards in football, and Avila is an ascending blocker who’s getting better.
Head coach Sean McVay called them “week-to-week,” though they haven’t been officially ruled out for Sunday yet (it’s early). If Dotson and Avila can’t play, Beaux Limmer and Justin Dedich are the backup guards. That would be an extremely advantageous matchup for Simmons, and a healthier Sweat could thrive too. Furthermore, Rams starting center Coleman Shelton is league-average at best, probably even a tier below league average.
The Rams’ roster is better than the Titans’ rebuilding iteration. The Titans don’t possess many mismatch opportunities on paper heading into Week 2. They do have a potentially massive advantage in Simmons versus a pair of reserve guards, though, and must find ways to maximize that opportunity.
