JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Much like the pass-protection of the AFC South, the pass-rush leaves a bit to be desired. The Texans aside, the pass-rush of the other three teams last season were very weak, all ranking near the bottom of the league in pressure rate and sacks.
Let’s take a look at pass-rushing in the AFC South.
Houston Texans
Few were better than the Houston Texans at rushing the passer last season. The combination of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr accounted for 148 pressures and 23 sacks last season. Hunter actually led the NFL in pressures, while Anderson finished tied for 17th according to Next Gen Stats.
Tim Settle added another five sacks himself along the interior as did Derek Barnett, Houston’s rotational pass-rusher. In total, the Texans racked up 241 pressures and 49 sacks, ranking second in pressure rate (37.8%) and fourth in sack rate (7.7%).
Indianapolis Colts
It’s a steep fall off after the Houston Texans. While the Texans were near the top of the league, the Colts managed just 193 pressures and 36 sacks sacks on the season. The team’s 31.4% pressure rate ranked 26th, while their 5.9% sack rate ranked only slightly better at 23rd.
Unlike the Texans or Jaguars, the Colts lack a true pass-rush specialist and rather have a pressure by committee. Even more so now after the loss of Dayo Odeyingbo, their top pass-rusher from last season. It’s up to second-year Laiatu Latu to take a sophomore leap.
Tennessee Titans
Statistically, the Titans and Colts are very similar teams when it comes to rushing the passer. The Titans tallied 170 pressures and 32 sacks, notching a 31.1% pressure rate (27th) and a 5.9% sack rate (24th).
Also similarly to the Colts, the Titans lost their best pass-rusher in Harold Landry, who led the team with nine sacks. The Titans does retain Jeffrey Simmons, their dominant interior defender, so the team will look to lean on him even more this coming season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s strange finding the Jaguars 30th in pressure rate (28.3%) and sack rate (5.2%), despite boasting two top-15 edge rushes from last season. In fact, the Jaguars were the only team to have two players inside the NFL’s Top-15 for most pressures.
Despite Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker’s best efforts, it simply wasn’t enough. The Jaguars interior pass-rush and averseness to blitzing left Hines-Allen and Walker on their own to create pressure far too often. With the addition of Emmanuel Ogbah, and some reshuffling along the defensive line, there’s no reason to ever see the Jaguars this low again.
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