A Show of Hands

NASHVILLE – With seconds remaining in Sunday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders, quarterback Carson Wentz dropped back to pass, needing just a 2-yard completion for a game-winning touchdown.

Wentz thought he’d found running back J.D. McKissic at the goal line on second down only to be foiled when Titans nose tackle Teair Tart – all 6-foot-2, 304 pounds of him – dropped into coverage and tipped the pass away at the last instant.

One play later, linebacker David Long clinched the Titans’ 21-17 win with an interception.

The sight of Tart deflecting passes has become a surprisingly common one this season. He now has a team-best five pass breakups through five games. Only one Titans defensive back – safety Amani Hooker – has as many as two.

Maybe even more impressively, Tart’s five pass breakups rank tied for 10th in the NFL. He’s one of just three defensive linemen – along with Carolina’s Derrick Brown (six) and Arizona’s Zach Allen (five) – among the top 20.

A rundown of the Tennessee Titans' leaders in pass breakups (through Week 5):

Player	Position	PBUs
Teair Tart	Defensive line	5
Jeffery Simmons	Defensive line	3
David Long	Inside linebacker	2
Amani Hooker	Safety	2
Five others tied	––	1

“It’s impressive, but it’s funny because when you watch the game from our point of view as coaches, every time they throw the ball, these guys’ hands are up,” Tennessee's defensive line coach, Terrell Williams, said Monday. “It’s just a matter of whether they can get it or not. But he’s been impressive as far as getting his hands on these balls.”

So impressive, in fact, that the personable Tart hasn’t hesitated to share his totals with coaches and teammates.

Who can blame a nose tackle for wanting to attract a little attention?

“Oh yeah, he talks about it,” Williams said with a smile. “Trust me, everybody knows. You may see him with a shirt on saying, `I got five PBUs.’”

Tart’s big play in the closing seconds against Washington marked his second memorable moment in as many games.

One week earlier against the Colts, he knocked a Matt Ryan pass into the air and then made an athletic, diving move to haul in the first interception of his career.

“When the ball (tipped) up, I knew he was going to get it because he had actually mentioned to me, `I’m close to intercepting the ball. I’m going to knock one in the air,’” Williams said. “It’s like, `Okay, alright,’ and then he did it.”

But as flashy as Tart has been at times this year, Titans coaches have been at least as appreciative of the anonymous work the third-year player has been doing on the interior of the team’s defensive line.

Tart is part of the reason the defense has held the last two opponents – the Colts and Commanders – to 78 rushing yards on 40 carries, an average of just 1.95 yards per attempt.

“The things that I’m most proud of for him don’t show up in the stats – of how he’s taken up these (double-teams) and is doing a good job of letting these linebackers run free to make tackles,” Williams said. “We’ve played really good in the run game the last few weeks and he’s a big part of it.”

The more the Titans stifle the run, the more Tart can concentrate on his newfound specialty – popping pigskins out of the air.

His five pass breakups this year are four more than he produced in his first two seasons combined, and his total is just four short of the Titans’ single-season record (nine) by a defensive lineman, set by Jevon “The Freak” Kearse in 1999.

Might Tart start attracting the attention of Titans cornerbacks coach Anthony Midget at this rate?

“Not yet,” Williams said. “We ain’t letting him go that easy.”