The Tennessee Titans just absolutely stunk up the joint in Week 1, falling 23-10 to a New York Jets squad that looked, frankly, pretty mediocre. Honestly, the biggest takeaway has gotta be quarterback Cam Ward, who looked like he forgot how to play football in his second NFL season. This was not the start anyone wanted for the 24-year-old.
Ward’s “Garbage Time” Drive Can’t Hide the Truth
Seriously, his stats for the game were rough: 19-of-32 for 140 yards and one touchdown. But here’s the kicker: that lone touchdown came off a 65-yard drive in the final minutes of the game, taking nine plays and just under two-and-a-half minutes. It was pure garbage time, and if you yank that drive out, Ward doesn’t even break 100 passing yards and barely gets over 50% completion. He threw poorly for most of the game, and often just looked totally lost on the field. This performance from a guy hailed as the “future of the franchise” is beyond worrying.
Toothless Offense and Sloppy Defense
It wasn’t just Ward, though. The entire Titans offense was a mess, putting up only 195 total yards. Just 68 of those were on the ground. They held almost half as much possession time as the Jets, too. And the offensive line? Ward got sacked three times, which tells you everything you need to know about that protection. The defense wasn’t much better, at one point seemingly having 13 players on the field and still couldn’t hold off a touchdown from Breece Hall. The Jets, meanwhile, looked competent, scoring on their first drive with Kenyon Sadiq running into the end zone, and racked up 367 total yards. New York made plenty of its own mistakes, like nearly 50 yards in penalties and missing a field goal after a recovered fumble, but Tennessee couldn’t capitalize.
This resounding loss to a mediocre team is a bad omen for the kind of season the Titans might be having. Expectations for the team were already low, but Ward’s early struggles indicate that the team’s future, which already needs so many structural changes, might also need a new quarterback to guide them. They’ve gotta figure something out, and fast, because this start is not it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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