Vikings defenders manage to show their best and their worst against Tennessee Titans

NASHVILLE – Harrison Smith had an interception slip out of his grasp on a deep pass in the first quarter. The veteran safety laid face down on the turf at Nissan Stadium for a few extra seconds in obvious disgust.

“That was in honor of [former teammate] Eric Kendricks,” Smith said. “He did that back in the day when we were playing the Giants, and he dropped an easy one and laid there for a while. I was thinking about him when I was doing that.”

Smith also had another thought: He was going to grab an interception Sunday if given another chance.

Sure enough, the moment came, and Smith delivered with a game-clinching interception with 1 minute, 50 seconds remaining that secured a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Smith’s interception culminated an odd performance for the defense. The Vikings harassed Titans quarterback Will Levis with constant pressure but gave up a few explosive plays that could have included more if not for penalties that negated plays.

The Vikings sacked Levis five times, buzzed him all game and limited the Titans to 33 yards rushing on 1.7 yards per carry.

The defense also gave up a 98-yard touchdown pass that gave the Titans new life and contributed to an unusual stat line for Levis: He completed only 17 passes … for 295 yards.

It was a feast-or-famine showing.

“When you have a young quarterback like that, he’s going to trust his arm,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “You’ve got to be ready to make him pay.”

The pass rush affected Levis early. Edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones II collected two sacks apiece, and Jonathan Greenard lived in the backfield as a disruptive force.

“It just creates so much stress for an offense,” linebacker Blake Cashman said of the versatility of rushers. “Who do we chip, who do we slide the protection to? When you have guys who are able to come off different edges or inside, it creates a lot of stress for them.”

Levis created stress of his own when things appeared hopeless. Trailing 16-3 and backed up at their own 2 midway through the third quarter, the Titans faced a third-and-10.

Levis fired deep down the sideline to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Safety Josh Metellus took a poor angle and made an awkward play on the ball, leaving Westbrook-Ikhine in position for a catch and sprint to the end zone.

The game changed in a blink.

Near the end of the third quarter, a 51-yard touchdown catch by Calvin Ridley on a deep pass down the middle was called back because of an illegal-formation penalty.

Levis connected with Bryce Oliver on a 33-yard completion on the next play.

“We left some plays out there on defense,” Gilmore said.

The big plays put a dent in an otherwise dominating performance at the line of scrimmage. The Vikings overwhelmed the Titans line at the point of attack to eliminate any running threat and create free runners at Levis on the pass rush.

“Whenever your front is dominating, you know it’s going to be a good day,” Cashman said. “We’re trying to mix it up with inside pressure and outside pressure. A lot of times I think where we were most successful is when we just kind of let guys go. Take no restrictions and just let them use their foot and handwork and go one-on-one and get after the quarterback.”

Smith ended things with an interception in his home state with a large cheering section of family and friends in attendance.

“I was just walking in the tunnel after the game, and I heard some chants going on and I was wondering maybe this is it for me, maybe I’ve finally arrived,” coach Kevin O’Connell joked. “And then I realized Harrison was walking right next to me and they were saying, ‘Harry.’ So, I started chanting, too, because I love him. How many times has he made a play like that, in a moment like that, where his team needs him and he’s there to make the play? One of my all-time favorites, it’s not close. I absolutely love Harrison Smith.”