Houston Texans to Tennessee Titans ‘Jeffery Simmons:’ As Good As Rams ‘Aaron Donald’

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HOUSTON – As disruptive to internal force as it is in the NFL, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons handles blockers and hits opponents ’backfield at scorching speed.

Simmons led all NFL interior defensive linemen with 7 1/2 sacks. He has five sacks and seven quarterback hits in the past two games in victories against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints and has 14 quarterback hits and nine tackles for losses overall this season.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound former first-round draft pick from Mississippi State has very well compared him to Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“We’ve been up against Aaron Donald and this guy here is as good as Aaron Donald,” Texans coach David Culley said. “He’s one of the best people in the league at doing that. Obviously, the same thing with Aaron Donald, you’re trying not to leave him in a situation where you’re one on one with him, but he’s a heck of a players. ”

The 8-2 Titans are preparing to play Houston and are on a six-game straight win (see “How to Watch” here), and Simmons is leading with an aggressive pass rush that made 27 sacks for second most in the NFL and there are eight more sacks than the team did last season.

Defensive end Harold Landry has 10 sacks to rank third in the NFL, and Denico Autry has five sacks.

Signed to a four -year, $ 12.66 million rookie contract, Simmons is a particularly important blocking assignment for an offense that allowed 26 sacks this season.

“We need to know where he is,” Texan offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “You hit it in the head, he’s playing at a very high level. He’s as good as any person we’ve played this year. Different from Donald, but disturbing. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s tall, he’s playing.

“He’s physical, so we need to know where he is. We need to know how we’re trying to attack him, and we just need to make sure that, again, as an offensive line, as a quarterback, as a running back., Everybody’s got a piece of it. We just need to understand the game plan and how we can avoid putting him in positions where he can go and break the game. ”

Ever since missing part of his rookie season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Simmons has emerged as the plague of NFL violations. He has 115 career tackles and 12 1/2 sacks.

“Very fierce rusher, he’s one of the best in the league,” Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “Big man, well -behaved, very strong. We certainly broke our work (against) him, but there was tremendous confidence in our men to be able to come out and perform at a high level against him.

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