Shutout Time in Tennessee

The Titans don't often hold opponents scoreless, as they did the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but when they do, it is in December.

NASHVILLE – It’s the most wonderful time of the year for the Tennessee Titans defense.

Shutouts, such as the one that unit produced Sunday, don’t happen often. When they do, they happen in the December.

The 20-0 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium was the fourth time during the Titans era (1999-present) that an opponent failed to score any points against Tennessee.

All four have come in December. The most recent was in 2018 against the Giants in New York. The last one at home was on Christmas Day in 2000.

“At halftime we were gunning for it,” defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. “We were like, ‘Let's get this shutout.’ … ‘Let's keep it going.’ ‘Why let up?’ ‘They don't have to score.’ And our defense did a hell of a job.

“… I mean, it's December football. We don't care what they did. All I know is that we had turnovers. We stopped the run. We affected the quarterback.”

A rundown of the Tennessee Titans’ shutouts (1999-present):

• Dec. 17, 2000, 24-0 at Cleveland: Eddie George rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries as the offense held the ball for 38:53 in a snowstorm.

• Dec. 25, 2000, 31-0 vs. Dallas: The defense scored third-quarter touchdowns on a 30-yard fumble return by Henry Ford and an 8-yard interception return by Keith Bulluck and limited Dallas to 95 yards and six first downs.

• Dec. 16, 2018, 17-0 at N.Y Giants: Derrick Henry set a then-career-high with 33 carries and runs for 170 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans had almost as many rushing attempts (45) as the Giants did rushing yards (47).

• Dec. 12, 2021, 20-0 vs. Jacksonville: Four different players intercepted passes in the second half, and the Jaguars had one drive that netted more than 20 yards (not counting the last play of the first half when the defense defended the goal line and allowed a 31-yard catch-and-run underneath).

New England – with six – has the most December shutouts since the start of the 1999 season, including two in 2003 (one of its Super Bowl winning years). The only other franchise with at four is San Francisco, including two in 2001 when it won 12 games.

The 2000 Titans, who blanked consecutive opponents in December, finished that season with the fewest yards allowed in the NFL and the second fewest points allowed.

This was not exactly one that anyone saw coming. Tennessee (9-4) entered this game having allowed an average of 24.2 points, slightly more than the league average, and had given up more than 20 eight times, including each of the preceding three contests.

“As a defense, as a whole we want to try to be the best in the nation or in the world if we can,” inside linebacker Rashaan Evans said. “For us to be able to go out there and individually do our job and do all the things we need to do, you saw what happened.

“Everyone is playing on one accord in all three phases, special teams, offense and defense and everyone is doing what they need to do, you get a big win, a shutout.”

The Titans began last week with the easiest remaining schedule. Now, four games are left and three are against teams ranked 20th or worst in scoring offense. Included among the upcoming opponents are Houston, last in the NFL in points and yards, and Miami, which is 29th in yards and 25th in points.

So, there could be opportunities for more.

“We talked about coming out there, dominating, flying around, getting to the ball, getting turnovers,” safety Kevin Byard said. “It's just an exciting thing. … We were just preaching, ‘Shutout, shutout.’

“Every time we had to go back out on the field, if we had a turnover or whatever, let's go out here and keep playing so we can get a shutout. That was the main motivation the second half.”

They set the tone early against Jacksonville with a sack on the first snap and another five plays later. The Jaguars’ first run was a 5-yard loss by James Robinson.

In the second half, four different players –Evans and fellow linebacker Jayon Brown and cornerbacks Kristian Fulton and Buster Skrine – intercepted passes, which made this the first time since a December day in 2012 (Dec. 17 against the New York Jets, to be exact) that the Titans defense intercepted four passes in a game.

Jacksonville finished with just eight yards rushing on eight attempts and finished with 192 yards of total offense, the second fewest allowed by Tennessee under coach Mike Vrabel.

“Shoot, both of those [the interceptions and rushing yards allowed] are amazing numbers,” outside linebacker Harold Landry said. “… I just feel like we were playing great team defense. Stuff like that happens when you play great team defense.”

And, for the Titans, this is the time of year it happens.