PFF Grades: Pass Rush Piles Up Pressures

Denver's Russell Wilson had a clean pocket on fewer than 20 percent of his dropbacks. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Josh Kalu and Dennis Daley had good days.

NASHVILLE – Even without injured Bud Dupree or Jeffery Simmons in the lineup, the Tennessee Titans’ pass rush was still the story of Sunday's victory over the Denver Broncos.

Playing against a banged-up Broncos offensive line, the Titans pressured quarterback Russell Wilson on 40 of his 49 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.

The Titans recorded 18 quarterback hits and six sacks – 1.5 sacks from Rashad Weaver and DeMarcus Walker, and one each from Dylan Cole, Mario Edwards and Naquan Jones.

Here’s a look at some of the Pro Football Focus highlights/lowlights from Sunday’s game:

• Top Five Offensive Grades – Wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who had five catches for a career-best 119 yards and two touchdowns, led the way at 86.1, followed by tight end Chig Okonkwo (83.1), left tackle Dennis Daley (73.7), tight end Austin Hooper (71.9) and center Ben Jones (64.8).

• Tannehill Beats the Blitz – Quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn’t necessarily shred the Broncos’ blitz on Sunday, but he burned it for a pair of touchdowns. Tannehill finished 6-16 for 99 yards and the two scores when blitzed, posting an NFL quarterback rating of 98.7. When he was not blitzed, Tannehill was 13-for-20 for 156 yards and an 88.8 rating.

• Three Dropped Passes – The passing game numbers would have been noticeably better had it not been for three dropped passes. Tight end Geoff Swaim, running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver Robert Woods all posted drops. It appeared that Swaim and Woods were set for gains of double-digit yards if they’d made receptions on their drops.

• Henry’s Off Day – Henry carried 19 times, and the results – 53 yards and a 2.79 yards-per-carry average – were both his lowest since the Week 2 loss in Buffalo. He had one run of 10-plus yards, also his lowest total since the Buffalo contest. Henry’s overall offensive grade of 50.5 was his lowest of the season.

• Daley Delivers – The good news for the Titans’ offensive line was that Daley, who’s come under plenty of criticism, had his best pass-blocking grade of the season at 72.4. The bad news was that the pass-blocking grades for the other four starters on the offensive line were well below Daley’s. Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was at 52.2, followed by right guard Nate Davis (46.8), center Ben Jones (41.3) and left guard Aaron Brewer (28.3).

• Top Five Defensive Grades – Safety Josh Kalu, who had three passes defensed, had the top overall defensive Pro Football Focus grade at 92.3, followed by defensive lineman Denico Autry (78.3), linebacker David Long (75.3), safety Andrew Adams (72.0) and defensive lineman Teair Tart (71.2).

• Harassing Wilson – As referenced above, the Titans made Wilson’s afternoon nightmarish with 40 pressures. Autry led the way with 10 of those pressures, followed by Weaver (eight), Edwards (six) and Walker (five).

• Molden’s Impact – Playing in his first game of the season after returning from injured reserve, cornerback Elijah Molden allowed just one completion (on four targets) for nine yards. The sad news, of course, is that Molden – who played 56 snaps – had to leave the game after aggravating the same groin injury that had kept him out all season.

• Touchdown Responsibility – Per PFF, cornerback Terrance Mitchell was the guilty party on the Broncos’ 66-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Virgil. Molden appeared to have early coverage on Virgil, but looked as if he was expecting help as Virgil ran past him.