New York Giants Week 1: First Look at Titans’ Defense

Brandon Olsen has all the details on what makes the Tennessee Titans so hard to play against.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Sep 8, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

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Opening week is here, and the New York Giants first test under new head coach Brian Daboll is difficult as they'll face the Tennessee Titans on the road. The Titans have consistently been one of the better defensive teams in the NFL, still abiding by the “old school” mentality of running the football successfully while playing sound defense.

What is it about the Titans defense that makes them so good?

Personnel

Fortunately for the Giants, the Titans are missing a major part of their front seven for this week’s game as Harold Landry III will miss the season after tearing his ACL last week. Looking to replace Landry III will be a combination of Bud Dupree, Olasunkanmi (Ola) Adeniyi, Rashad Weaver, and Derrek Tuszka.

In his second year as a Titan, Dupree will be relied upon more than any other edge defender in Tennessee. Dupree’s first year was underwhelming, but it was also his first coming back from a torn ACL. Now in the second year of his five-year, $82.5 million deal, it’s time for him to live up to the contract.

While Landry III is gone, the Titans still have an incredibly talented defensive line. Jeffery Simmons is arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL not named Aaron Donald, although he’s shown the ability to dominate the game similarly. Simmons had four games in 2021 with two or more sacks, six games with five or more pressures, and six games with four or more run stops.

The Titans had another interior defensive lineman that was nothing short of a pressure machine in Denico Autry, who finished 2021 with one less pressure than Simmons had with 61. Autry played a rotational role early in 2021 before solidifying himself as a versatile pass-rusher.

In the off-ball linebacker spot, the player to watch is David Long, the undersized backer who dealt with injuries in 2021 but is a chess piece on this defense. In 2021 alone, Long lined up as an edge rusher, inside linebacker, cornerback, and deep safety. Entering a contract year, expect to see Long look to get off to a hot start in his campaign for a contract extension.

Zach Cunningham was only a Titan for four games last season through the regular season and playoffs following his release from the Houston Texans, but he found plenty of success in that time. As a run defender, Cunningham excelled, but he was still a complete liability in coverage at times.

In the secondary, the Titans have one of the best safety duos in the NFL in Kevin Byard, the seventh-year man out of Middle Tennessee State, and Amani Hooker, who’s starting his fourth NFL season out of Iowa. Byard has repeatedly proven to be the most versatile safety in the NFL, excelling as both a run defender and cover man.

In 2021, Byard had 16 run stops for a gain of three yards or less while also allowing just 340 yards in the air and picking up five interceptions. Hooker is known more for his ability to run the alley and stop plays in their tracks, picking up 13 run stops despite missing five games.

In coverage, Hooker is still very good at finishing plays but has allowed almost 80 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed in two straight seasons. That could partially be attributed to his aggressiveness, allowing two touchdowns and picking up five interceptions.

At cornerback, the Titans are incredibly young and talented. Third-year cornerback Kristian Fulton headlines the group this year after allowing a 48.4 percent completion percentage and 69.6 passer rating in 2021. Fulton had 11 pass breakups and two interceptions as well.

The starting cornerback spot opposite Fulton will be held down by second-year corner Caleb Farley and rookie second-round pick Roger McCreary. Given his lack of elite size, McCreary will likely slide into the nickel spot.

In 2021, Farley played in just three games while dealing with injuries, which he also dealt with before making the jump to the NFL. McCreary was a dominant cornerback in college that was always incredibly physical at the line of scrimmage and was often a targeted defender because of his size, but he won more often than not.

McCreary’s performance in the Iron Bowl against Alabama in 2021 was one of the best showings you could find for a cornerback, where he was targeted 18 times, allowing seven completions and breaking up four passes against an elite Alabama receiver room.

Scheme

Giants fans should be prepared to see a Titans defense that generates a lot of pressure but rarely blitzes. The Titans had such a dominant defensive front that they often wouldn’t need to send more than four rushers, but there are also some ways in which Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen schemes pressure.

First, the Titans utilize what has become one of my favorite defensive concepts: creepers. Creepers is the affectionate name given to a replacement “blitz” that’s becoming increasingly more common as the run-pass option becomes more prominent, and it’s a strong way to negate the RPO.

In creepers, the defense doesn’t show that they are bringing a blitz because they technically aren’t. The Titans will still rush four defenders, but one of the traditional rushers will drop into coverage while a non-traditional rusher replaces him and rushes. The only player that isn’t a threat to rush the passer in creepers is the field-side, or far, cornerback.

The Titans also tend to run stunts or double stunts, allowing them to create chaos in more ways while only rushing four players. In a stunt, one rusher will attack an offensive lineman to occupy them, while another rusher loops around that initial defender, leaving the offensive lineman in an almost impossible position.

Expect to see the Titans run Cover-1 on third and fourth downs. Cover-1 has one deep safety over the middle, with man coverage underneath, leaving another defender for the Titans to use in an underneath zone, as a blitzer, or to bracket an opposing receiver.

What This Means for the Giants

The Giants will have their hands full on the offensive line, not just with the talent on this Titans defensive front but also the creativity of the rush. The Giants' offensive line is relatively young and will be facing stunts, double stunts, and replacement blitzes designed to make the offense think more than they are used to.

Expect the right side of the offensive line to be targeted on these, particularly Evan Neal, who is making his NFL regular-season debut.

The Giants' offensive line is made up of almost completely new starters means that this Titans game will be a true test of how well they work together and communicate once the Titans start sending these creative rushes.

With Mike Kafka calling the plays, the Giants will be using pre-snap motion, allowing them to potentially disrupt the Titans' play call if they were expecting a certain look. If the Giants can consistently force the Titans to make adjustments, they increase the chance of a defensive miscommunication and an explosive offensive play.

The Giants should try to work counter into their offensive gameplan, not just because it’s one of the most explosive rushing concepts in football, but also because if there is a replacement blitz in that direction, you increase your chances of picking up a chunk play with a defender dropping back.

On early downs, the Titans will be in zone coverage a good amount, so getting Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney, and Wan’Dale Robinson involved in the passing game should be key. Whether the screen game is the vehicle to do that or just working underneath, getting the ball in the hands of playmakers has to be a focal point.

Daniel Jones needs to have the green light to scramble on third and medium or third and long. With the Titans likely going in Cover-1 in that situation, the room will likely be there for Jones to pick up yardage on the ground as the Titans defenders will likely have their backs turned in man coverage.

Final Thoughts

Earlier in this article, I asked, “What is it about the Titans defense that makes them so good?”

The answer: everything.

Personnel-wise, this is one of the most talented defensive groups in the NFL. The injury to Landry certainly hurts them, and the freshness of the injury means they haven’t been able to practice much with any replacements.

Schematically, the Titans are creative, effective, and modern, but there are some holes that the Giants could attack.

Overall this is just a game in which the Giants will have a very difficult time winning on the offensive side of the ball. The Titans have a fantastic defense and are strong in most areas where the Giants still need help.