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Now wasn’t that fun? I figured the Titans would’ve made their duel against the Browns a close game, but never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed they’d asphyxiate Cleveland in their own turf. Granted, a large part of it had to do with how undisciplined the Browns were, as they committed a whopping 18 penalties, but Tennessee’s defense did its part and then some against a highly anticipated offense.
What’s more unexpected is that the ageless wonder Cameron Wake, who didn’t even start the game, was the main catalyst. Wake proved a scarring force for Baker Mayfield, collecting 2.5 sacks (enough to land him in the 100-sack club!), 2 tackles for loss, and 4 quarterback hits.
Wake’s 4 quarterback hits are the most from a defender aged 35-40 in a single game in NFL history, tied with James Harrison (November 2nd, 2014 at Baltimore). In case you needed a reminder, Wake is 37. You’re supposed to suck as a pass rusher when you hit that age. Hell, you’re supposed to be completely done for way before you hit 37.
Not in Wake’s case. If anything he proved just how much worth he brings to an underrated Titans defense when he signed in the offseason.
With that said let’s take a quick look at Wake’s day against the Browns from the end zone angles.
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Incredibly, this purple arrow is pointing at Wake.
Going up against right tackle Chris Hubbard, Wake still possesses the same violent hands and excellent bend you would expect from a pass rusher 10 years younger than him. This is not normal for a pass rusher of his age.
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Now let’s go into detail what happened on Wake’s 100th career sack.
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Once again going up against Hubbard...
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...Wake wins around the edge and gives Mayfield hell.
The speed from Wake outmatches Hubbard and not only does he collect his 100th career sack, he also collects a safety in the process.
Even on plays like this where he doesn’t collect a sack, Wake still makes his presence felt dialing up the pressure. Just to have this level of athleticism at his age is incredible and not many defenders can say they’ve built a Hall of Fame-esque career when they started out at the age of 27.
The question is can Wake keep this up? Who knows, but even he doesn’t it has to feel good that he made history as a member of the Titans.