Cam Ward managed to turn a quiet postgame moment into the night’s loudest storyline.
After the Tennessee Titans’ 24-18 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the second-year quarterback stepped to the podium while reporters were still speaking with teammates in the locker room. Before long, he was threatening to leave if he had to wait more than three minutes, even tapping his fingers on the podium as he did it.
That was enough to set off a wave of criticism online, with fans unloading on Ward for what they saw as a bad look after another loss. One called him a player who will “never gonna make it,” while another said, “You have done ....(you want to say it with me y'all) NOTHING!
This is how you get benched,” and others labeled the scene “a terrible look,” “What a loser,” “Immature... He’s weak,” and “Not a franchise QB, play- or attitude wise.”
The reaction came after a rough night for Tennessee, which dropped its fourth straight game. Ward finished with 20 completions for 222 yards, a touchdown pass to Wan'Dale Robinson, and a subsequent two-point conversion to Gunnar Helm.
He also threw an interception to Trenton Simpson on the second play of the game. His biggest target was rookie Carnell Tate, who caught nine passes for 145 yards.
Baltimore got a more efficient outing from Lamar Jackson, who also threw for 222 yards on 15 completions. One of Jackson’s passing touchdowns went to Zay Flowers, who led the Ravens with eight catches for 118 yards.
Ward never actually walked away from the podium, and when he was asked about the interception to Simpson, he took ownership of the mistake.
“I just think I can make it easier for (running back Tony Pollard). Me and Tony, we’ve hit on that play a lot of times last year… I know he wants that play back.
I want it back. But if I can put it on his chest and make it easier for him, then he’ll have a chance to get upfield.”
He also pointed to the broader problem for Tennessee, saying:
“(We have to) be critical on the good plays, but we have to really hone in on the bad plays and how we can limit that. That’s what’s holding us back. ...
We have to limit the bad plays on both sides of the ball. But I think once we do that, we’ll put ourselves in good situations to win games.”
The Titans head back to Nashville next, where they’ll face the also-winless Houston Texans next Sunday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT on CBS.
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