The Tennessee Titans reached halftime of their second preseason game trailing the Seattle Seahawks 16-9, and the first half gave fans a little bit of everything - a shaky defensive start, a cleaner showing from Cam Ward, and one player keeping the scoreboard from looking worse than it does.
The roughest part of the night belonged to Tennessee’s starting defense. Facing Seattle’s backup offense with Drew Lock at quarterback, Robert Saleh’s group gave up two touchdowns on two possessions. The low point was a 69-yard touchdown run by Jacardia Wright, a play that went untouched and quickly spread on X for all the wrong reasons.
Tennessee also had a first-quarter interception from Kevin Winston Jr. erased by a Cor'Dale Flott illegal contact penalty, which only added to an already frustrating half for the defense. After a strong joint practice on Friday, that was not the kind of follow-up the Titans were hoping for.
Ward, by contrast, looked sharper than he did in last week’s preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers. He attempted the same number of passes tonight, but against Seattle he completed three more throws and finished with 12 more yards, totaling 69.
The operation was cleaner overall, and while he still didn’t get a touchdown, he was steadier in just about every way. An early throw to Gunnar Helm that could have been a big play if Helm had stayed in bounds hung over the half a bit, but the overall performance still lands in the positive column.
Tate, meanwhile, had another quiet night. After going catchless on three targets in the preseason opener, he was again unable to haul in a reception.
One of the missed chances came on a sideline deep ball that Ward put just out of reach. With Tennessee’s starters pulled early in the second quarter, opportunities were limited, but with Wan'Dale Robinson, Elic Ayomanor, and Daniel Bellinger all making grabs - along with the backs - Tate’s second straight empty half stands out.
Johnnie Slye was the one Titan putting points on the board. He hit all three of his kicks, including a 55-yarder, and remains perfect in live action this preseason. With Tennessee unable to score a touchdown and Mitch Trubisky also coming up empty in his brief second-quarter work, Slye is the only reason the Titans are still within reach heading into the second half.
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Chester Rogers helped his standing with a promising outing, and Joey Slye also looked sharp in a role where every kick matters this time of year. On the other side of the ledger, Malik Willis and CorDale Flott did not help themselves, which is exactly the kind of uneven night that can turn a straightforward cut-down process into a much tougher debate for Tennessee. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger picture is that Tennessee is still sorting through several unsettled spots with final cuts due Aug. 30, and right guard remains one of the most watchable battles on the roster. Rookie Fernando Carmona has been trending in the right direction there, giving the Titans one more development story to weigh as the last preseason week puts pressure on players trying to turn practice progress into a place on the team. [Read more 🡒]