Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson liked much of what he saw from his defense in Week 1.
The Titans lost the game but the Bears didn’t score a single touchdown on offense. The unit allowed Caleb Williams to throw for just 93 yards in his NFL debut but failed to force any turnovers.
“That’s the one thing that you come out of the game and say, we didn’t take the ball away,” Wilson told reporters on Thursday. “That’s a huge emphasis for us, and that’s a huge emphasis going into this game (in Week 2).”
The Titans did recover a fumble. but it came on special teams.
“If you wanna be a good defense in the league, you gotta take the ball away,” Wilson declared.
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The first-year DC also praised rookie defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat.
Sweat didn’t light up the stat sheet, collecting two pressures on 38 snaps. However, the massive Sweat dominated on the interior and helped stifle the Bears’ ground game.
Sweat received a stellar 77.7 PFF grade in his debut and earned a shoutout from Brian Baldinger.
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“He’s the player we envisioned when we drafted him,” Wilson said of Sweat. “He keeps getting better and better.”
The Titans will need Sweat to play a larger role as the season progresses, which is exactly what Wilson envisions.
“In his mind, he wants to be one of the best defensive tackles in the National Football League and that’s what we want him to be,” said the coach.
Wilson’s defense will have a tough task in Week 2 as Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets come to town.