NASHVILLE – The Titans defense gave the team a great chance to win the season opener at Denver.
The unit created three turnovers, and held Denver's offense in check most of the way until a fourth quarter touchdown put more stress on the team's struggling offense.
Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson liked a lot of what he saw in Week One. But Wilson knows there's plenty of room to get better with the Los Angeles Rams headed to town.
"I think we played well in spots," Wilson said on Tuesday. "I didn't like the way we played in that third quarter, and obviously in the fourth quarter some things transpired. But they were violent, they ran to the ball. Obviously, we started with the takeaways that we had throughout the game, but the two explosive runs (by Denver), we can't have that – that soured the day, and obviously souring the day is not winning.
"We have to be better in those areas."
In the opener, cornerback Roger McCreary and safety Xavier Woods tallied interceptions, while defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons forced a fumble with a sack, and Sebastian Joseph-Day jumped on it for a fumble recovery.
But Wilson said the Titans didn't tackle well – he counted five missed tackles in the game – and he didn't like the penalties in the team's 20-12 loss either. Jeffery Simmons had a pair of penalties, and Jarvis Brownlee was flagged three times, on a day when the Broncos managed 317 yards of offense, and 20 first downs.
"Ultimately on defense, the penalties aren't acceptable," Wilson said. "And we have to tackle well throughout the course of the game."
A new challenge is on the horizon.
On Sunday, the Titans will face Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is in his 17th NFL season. Stafford ranks 10th in NFL history in both passing yards (60,054) and passing touchdowns (378).
Stafford was 21-of-29 passing for 245 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Puka Nacua accounted for 130 yards on 10 catches, in the team's 14-9, opening week win over the Texans. The Rams defense limited Houston to three field goals in the contest.
"I think Sean McVay is a hell of a coach – he's a Super Bowl-winning coach, and I have a lot of respect for him," Wilson said. "I have a relationship with him, and have known him for a long time. They present problems in the run game – they are a good running team, and he is willing to run it.
"And obviously you have a gold jacket guy potentially at the quarterback position (in Stafford), who has 17 years in the league, that understands coverage, coverage rotations, what you are doing. You are not going to fool him. Against this team you have to be disciplined in what you do. You have to make it tough for them. They have a hella receiver corps, bringing in (Devanta) Adams will help that team out a lot, and Puka (Nacua) is a hell of a receiver. So I think they have a lot of good pieces. We have to be on our Ps and Qs, we have to play fundamentally sound football, we have to knock the line of scrimmage back, we have to make it hard for them. And at the end of the day, we still have to stress taking the ball away."
