Five games into Brian Daboll’s time running the Tennessee Titans’ offense, the buzz that followed his hiring has nearly disappeared.
Daboll arrived in Nashville with the kind of reputation that made plenty of Titans fans and NFL observers believe he could help Cam Ward tap into the quarterback’s upside. That optimism has taken a beating fast.
Tennessee is off to an 0-5 start, and the offense has been stuck in the mud from the opening weeks. The low point came against the Houston Texans, when the Titans managed only three points in a loss that summed up how little this group has been able to get rolling.
It is still too early to stamp the move as a mistake, but Daboll has not given the Titans much reason to feel better about where this is headed. From the outside, and clearly from the fan base’s point of view, he looks like he is starting over from square one.
The Texans game was a particularly rough snapshot of the problem. Houston’s defense has earned its standing as one of the NFL’s toughest units, loaded with talent at every level.
Even so, the Texans had allowed at least 19 points in each of their first four games. Tennessee didn’t come close to pushing them in Week 5.
The Titans finished with just 187 total yards, and most of that production came on the opening drive or after the game had already slipped out of reach. Ward was able to slip away from the pass rush for much of the afternoon, but the pressure eventually arrived late. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter came through with four sacks combined.
The bigger issue is what Daboll’s offense has not been able to create around Ward. A quarterback like Ward is supposed to give an offense a chance to hit explosive plays.
He can make mistakes, sure, but his legs and his downfield talent were two of the biggest reasons people believed in him coming out. Tennessee has barely tapped into any of that.
Before Week 5, the Titans had only seven offensive plays of 20 yards or more, tying them for the third-fewest in the league. They didn’t add much to that total against Houston. Ward has completed only one pass that traveled more than 20 yards downfield this season, the fewest of any quarterback in the league with at least five total pass attempts.
That is not the version of Cam Ward Daboll was supposed to be unlocking. The numbers tell the rest of the story: Ward has been worse in average yards per attempt and passer rating under Daboll than he was as a rookie. What was supposed to be a second-season step forward, helped by better weapons, has instead turned into a brutal opening stretch for the young quarterback.
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Texans Win Came With A Strange Titans Moment Fans Couldn't Ignore
During Tennessees loss to the Houston Texans, the usual frustration of another defeat was joined by a much smaller, stranger scene that quickly caught the eye of fans watching online. Cornerback CorDale Flotts helmet became a talking point on social media as the Titans tried to keep up in a game that only added to an already rough start.
Flott also dealt with a chest injury that forced him off the field, and teammate Micah Robinson stepped in to take his place. It was the kind of offbeat moment that can get lost inside a lopsided loss, but for Tennessee it fit the larger picture all too well, with the Titans now sitting at five straight losses to open the season. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Wards Response To Another Titans Loss Says A Lot
The Titans 26-3 loss to the Texans left them at 0-5, and the frustration around another flat offensive showing was impossible to miss afterward. Quarterback C.J. Ward handled the postgame questions with a sharper edge, saying he is not a loser and steering the conversation toward the larger task of building a winning foundation rather than dwelling on the skid.
Wards numbers were a rare bright spot in a rough day, as he completed 23 of 26 passes for 170 yards with one interception. Still, Tennessees offense never found enough rhythm to change the shape of the game, and the bigger question now is how much of this start is growing pain and how much is becoming a defining stretch for a team still searching for its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Have Every Reason To Fear Where This Offense Is Headed
The Titans offense looked every bit as unsettled as the final score suggested in Sundays 26-3 loss to the Texans at Nissan Stadium. Cam Ward finished with 170 passing yards and an interception, and Tennessee never found the end zone after an opening field goal, leaving the home crowd with little reason to believe things were about to turn around.
Houstons defense, with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson creating steady pressure, made life difficult for Ward from start to finish, while Kaimi Fairbairn kept adding points with four field goals. The loss also extended Tennessees run of divisional frustration to 11 straight, a stubborn streak that only deepens the concerns about where this offense is headed if the fixes do not come quickly. [Read more 🡒]