Tennessee Titans: Defense was exposed vs. Steelers

The Tennessee Titans suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in that loss, the defense was exposed.

The Tennessee Titans’ defense has struggled over the past couple of weeks, and for the first time this season, the Titans lost because of it. The main issue with the defense has been the secondary, but on Sunday, the struggles were beyond the secondary and flooded into the front seven.

One of the big statistics coming out of the Steelers loss is the amount of converted third downs that the Steelers had against the Steelers. Pittsburgh went 13-for-18 on third downs on Sunday. That’s nothing new for the defense as the Titans have allowed a 61% success rate, which makes for the worst third-down defense in the NFL.

That could be because the Titans’ pass rush has been virtually non-existent. The Titans only had three QB hits, and the Titans’ marquee defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, hasn’t been as effective as people thought. Clowney still doesn’t have a sack on the season after six weeks.

The Titans struggled to get in the backfield on Sunday with only four tackles for a loss, three QB hits, and zero sacks. Mike Vrabel is going to have to find new ways for the defense to get pressure on the quarterback and get in the backfield because the current method isn’t working.

If the Titans want to be contenders with the high-powered offenses of the AFC, then they’re going to have to get pressure on the quarterback and figure out the issues in the secondary. Otherwise, Kansas City and Baltimore’s offense is going to have a blast against the Titans.