NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans showed great signs of life in Houston and feel like they've got something big to build on heading to Washington.
It's a good time to check in on who's trending in what direction.
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Will Levis
From the start, this season was primarily going to be about the progress of the Titans’ second-year QB. And since his Nov. 10th return to the lineup after three games sidelined with a shoulder injury, he’s been on an encouraging incline. Of course, there are still questions, first among them regarding pocket awareness.
He’s taken 20 sacks over the three games, which is simply not sustainable. The pass protection has been insufficient against three good pass rushing teams.
But he’s averaged a 103.2 rating with a 67.9 completion percentage, 9.6 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
And the wow throws that were missing early in the season have returned. Of quarterbacks who entered the league in the last two years, only CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels have posted longer streaks than Levis’ current three consecutive games with at least 8.7 yards per attempt.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
He’s the Titans’ breakout story, with remarkably valuable production. Brian Callahan and his staff didn’t target him in the first four games, which is crazy considering what he’s done since. He’s scored on 35 percent of his 17 catches.
Last year that number was 10.7 percent and before this season his career number was 10.6.
Why have things gotten so good for NWI?
“He is savvy,” said Blake Beddingfield, who scouted for the Titans for 19 years and wrote for this site. “He slips behind defenders. He has an instinctive quality to his game that sets him apart. Despite his production he is still dismissed by defenses. He isn’t bracketed or doubled. He is very good against zones and is more physical than a lot of corners in man.
“His size, instincts and feel for the game makes him a solid third option. If he continues to have explosive play production, he will get more defensive attention and it will be interesting to see if he can adapt and take his game to another level.”
Nick Folk
Folk is 17-for-18 on field goals, his lone miss a 49-yarder at Los Angeles. He’s already six-for-six from 50+. In 17 games last season he was five for six from that range.
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Harold Landry
It is a usage issue or a down year?
He leads an anemic Titans’ pass rush with six sacks, but based on pass rush snaps per PFF, he’s finishing 2.2 percent of the time as compared to 2.5 percent of the time in 2023, not a huge dropoff.
More significant is the decline in the frequency with which he’s bothering quarterbacks. Add up hits and hurries and they’re coming at a 5.9 percent rate on pass rush snaps, compared to 8.3 percent a year ago and 8.5 percent in his career before this season.
PFF says the pass rush grade has dropped from 62.6 to 49.6.
Chig Okonkwo
He made a huge play with his 70-yard catch-and-run TD in Houston, which put the Titans ahead. But let's look at big picture here.
It felt like tight ends were bound to be downsized in Brian Callahan’s system, which favors three-wide personnel. The Titans are in three wide 69 percent of the time now, as opposed to 57 percent in 2023.
But overall tight-end production is actually up: They account for 23.6 of the team's catches, up 2.3 percent, and 21.9 percent of the receiving yardage, up 3.4 percent.
Okonkwo's pace is down, though. Josh Whyle and Nick Vannett have dented it. Okonkwo's on track for 49 targets, 37 catches and 405 yards a year after quarterbacks aimed for him 77 times, finding him for 54 receptions and 528 yards.
Nicholas Petit-Frere
He should get a category all his own. He’s shown he’s not a good tackle and that it was asking too much for Bill Callahan to take what he did as a rookie in 2022, when he was OK, and elevate it. His second season was a wash because of a suspension and injuries.
I hate to overly rely on Pro Football Focus, but with offensive linemen, it’s one of the main tangibles we get. His pass-blocking score is down from 50.0 to 34.4. Add up sacks, hits, hurries and pressures and he’s allowed something to happen to the QB on 17.5 percent of his snaps this season, as compared to 6.8 percent as a rookie. Wow.