Jermaine Johnson II helped the Tennessee Titans finally win a game last Sunday. Four days later he made clear that he does not want one good afternoon in Indianapolis to be mistaken for a turnaround.
The defensive end took down Daniel Jones twice in the 26-20 victory over the Colts and his seven pressures matched the most by any Titan that day. Speaking at Thursday’s availability as Tennessee prepared for the Cleveland Browns, he framed the next step as a test of consistency rather than talent.
“Anybody can do anything one time,” Johnson said. “The challenge is not to be complacent, to do it again and be consistent.”
Jermaine Johnson brings him down for his 2nd sack of the season
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— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 18, 2026
A rush that is starting to show up
Johnson arrived from the New York Jets in an offseason trade, and the first month in Tennessee was quiet on the stat sheet. He went without a sack in each of the first three games before getting home once in Baltimore in Week 4. The Colts game doubled his total in one afternoon.
Through six games the 27-year-old former Florida State player has 16 tackles, three sacks and 14 pressures, half of those pressures coming in the win at Lucas Oil Stadium. He described the change in simple terms, crediting a steady routine and confidence in doing what the coaches ask of him.
His day fit a defense that carried Tennessee. The Titans sacked Jones six times for 35 yards, intercepted him twice and recovered a fumble. Amani Hooker had 13 tackles and an interception, Cor’Dale Flott picked off the other pass, and safety Tony Adams added a sack among his 12 tackles.
How the win came together
Indianapolis led 13-0 at halftime and finished with 399 yards to Tennessee’s 186, but the Titans scored all 26 of their points after the break. Cam Ward found Carnell Tate for an 8-yard touchdown, Oluwafemi Oladejo returned a blocked punt 14 yards for the go-ahead score, and Joey Slye made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 56-yarder and the late 49- and 44-yard kicks that decided it.
Johnson borrowed an old line about treating winning and losing the same way and said the group could not afford to get carried away. He pointed to a long list of things that still need fixing for a team that dropped its first five games and sits at 1-5.
The defensive front is also adjusting after the release of defensive tackle Jordan Elliott this week, which could open more snaps for Nazir Stackhouse next to Johnson.
What comes next
Tennessee hosts the Browns on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Cleveland arrives at 4-2 after a last-second 13-10 win over Baltimore and ranks among the league leaders in sacks, so the matchup puts two pass rushes on the same field. Repeating last week’s pressure numbers against Deshaun Watson would be exactly the consistency Johnson asked for.
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