The Tennessee Titans’ offense has spent the first three weeks chasing the game instead of setting the tone, and that’s the real problem heading into Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens.
This isn’t just about formation tweaks or which plays Brian Daboll has leaned on. Tennessee has already shown it can mix things up - after opening against the New York Jets in the shotgun, Daboll adjusted in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Titans at least pushed their output to 20 points in that loss.
But a week later, the whole thing stalled out again. Against the New York Giants, Tennessee managed only seven points, Cam Ward threw his first interception of the 2026 season, and the offense looked worse than it had at any point so far.
The numbers paint the same picture. Tennessee has leaned even harder into Ward under center, with that early-down rate rising to 54.3 after last Sunday.
But the bigger issue isn’t simply variety. The Titans have been flat early and then forced into comeback mode, and that has left them reacting instead of dictating.
That shows up in the game’s most basic rhythm. Per TeamRankings, Tennessee is last in the NFL in average time of possession at 23:27 per game.
The Chicago Bears, by comparison, are at 34:32. That gap says plenty about how often the Titans are having to play from behind.
And the first-half split is brutal. Of Tennessee’s 37 points through three games, only 10 have come before halftime. The last first-half touchdown came in the first quarter against the Eagles, when Jalen Hurts threw an interception that was returned all the way to the red zone.
Zach Lyons laid out the issue on X with a set of charts showing the Titans’ first-half struggles. In expected points added on both rushing attempts and dropbacks, Tennessee ranks near the bottom of the league through the first two quarters. In the second half, though, the offense is hovering around league average.
That’s where the fix starts. Tennessee needs to speed things up early, even if that means skipping a huddle or two to keep Baltimore off balance.
But the burden doesn’t sit only with Daboll. Ward has to clean up his footwork and show more willingness to look downfield before the game starts forcing his hand.
When Ward is pressed into scrambling for answers, that’s when the bad throws come. Those game-losing interceptions don’t happen when the offense is on schedule. They happen when Tennessee is left searching for something - anything - beyond short routes and predictable handoffs.
The play-action and under-center approach has helped Ward settle in some, but the bigger shots have to come on Tennessee’s terms. If the Titans are going to have a chance in Baltimore tomorrow, the first half has to look completely different.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Lineup Problem They Can't Afford In Baltimore
The Titans head into their Week 4 trip to Baltimore with more uncertainty than they probably wanted this early in the season, as injuries have put parts of the lineup in flux. Tyjae Spears and Garrett Dellinger are among the players listed as questionable, and Robert Saleh has already acknowledged that availability is still very much up in the air as the week moves on.
For a Tennessee team trying to stabilize its rotation and settle on the best mix up front, the timing is not ideal. Baltimore has a way of exposing any soft spots, so the Titans may have to adjust their starting group if the injury report breaks the wrong way, and the last thing they can afford is another last-minute scramble before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Walk Into Baltimore Facing A Derrick Henry Problem Again
Baltimore brings the old problem right back onto Tennessees schedule, with Derrick Henry set to face the Titans after moving on from the franchise following the 2023 season. Since joining the Ravens, Henry has been piling up the kind of rushing production that once made him the centerpiece of the Titans offense, and now Tennessee has to deal with him from the other sideline.
For Robert Salehs group, the challenge is familiar even if the uniform is different: find a way to slow a runner who still forces defenses to commit extra attention while Tennessee keeps pushing forward with Cam Wards development. The Titans task gets tougher up front, too, with two injured offensive linemen now on injured reserve, leaving less margin for error in a matchup already shaped by one of the leagues most familiar headaches. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Keep Finding Painful New Ways To Waste Their Chances
The Titans are already in a familiar and uncomfortable place after four weeks, and the latest loss to Baltimore only added to the growing list of small failures that have turned into big problems. Tennessee had chances to keep itself in the game, but the afternoon kept tilting the wrong way, from special teams mistakes to a late interception that undercut any hope of a rally. Former Titan Derrick Henry also found the end zone, another painful reminder that even the good moments have a way of slipping out of reach.
What makes the slide harder to watch is how many different phases have taken turns letting Tennessee down. The offense faded badly in the second half, while Brian Dabolls decisions were part of the broader conversation around how the game unraveled. Even Carnell Tate, who turned in a notable performance, was part of the story in a way the Titans could not afford after a costly fumble, and the result left them still searching for their first win. [Read more 🡒]