Cam Ward finally has a win in 2026, but the Titans didn’t get there because their quarterback lit up the stat sheet.
Tennessee beat the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 on Sunday to move off the 0-5 mark, and the heavy lifting came from everywhere but the passing game. The defense forced three turnovers, special teams chipped in with a blocked-punt touchdown, and Ward did just enough to help the Titans survive.
The former Miami quarterback finished 11 of 22 for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Through six games, Ward is now 109 of 177 for 998 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s completing 61.6% of his passes with a 75.0 passer rating, and he has added 66 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
His week-by-week line tells the story of a season that has been steady at times but short on big plays. In Week 1 against the Jets, he went 19 of 32 for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 23-10 loss.
The next week against the Eagles, he completed 13 of 20 for 183 yards, didn’t throw a touchdown, but scored twice on the ground in a 24-20 defeat. He then went 23 of 36 for 181 yards with a touchdown and an interception at the Giants, followed by 20 of 31 for 222 yards, a touchdown and an interception at Baltimore.
The rough patches have been harder to miss. Against the Texans, Ward managed 170 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a 26-3 loss, and he was sacked four times. He also threw an interception in each of the last four games after opening the year without one in his first two.
The end-zone pick against the Giants stood out as a costly one, coming with 17 seconds left and Tennessee down 12-7.
Sunday’s game was a strange one for the Titans offense. They trailed 13-0 at halftime and had only 64 first-half yards, but the defense and special teams changed the tone. Ward then hit rookie Carnell Tate for an 8-yard touchdown with 13 minutes left to pull the Titans even at 13-13.
That score was Tate’s first NFL touchdown, and Tennessee later added the blocked-punt return for a touchdown. Even with the win, the yardage gap was enormous: the Titans finished with 186 total yards while Indianapolis piled up 399.
Ward is still trying to produce the kind of second season many expected. He’s on pace for about 2,830 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns over 17 games.
Last season, he threw for 3,169 yards and 15 touchdowns while being sacked 55 times. This year, he has been taken down only 10 times through six games and wasn’t sacked on Sunday.
Next up, Ward and the Titans return home to face Cleveland.
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