The Tennessee Titans were one stop away from leaving Sunday with their first win of the 2026 season. Instead, a 20-17 lead with 1:56 left vanished at home, and the Philadelphia Eagles walked out with a 24-20 win after Jalen Hurts put together a nine-play march capped by a three-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper.
That ending stung, but the bigger issue for Tennessee was how it handled the pressure points long before the final drive. Robert Saleh and his staff leaned conservative in the moments that mattered most, and that approach helped shape a loss that dropped the Titans to 0-2.
The clearest example came just before halftime. With less than 40 seconds left in the second quarter and the ball in Philadelphia territory, Tennessee faced third-and-14.
Rather than giving Cam Ward a chance to attack through the air, the Titans handed it to Tony Pollard, took the short gain, and settled for a 37-yard field goal from Joey Slye. It was a choice that said plenty about how little trust the offense had in its rookie quarterback in that spot.
A similar decision showed up on Tennessee’s final meaningful possession. On first-and-goal from the nine, Ward was sacked, and that turned out to be his last dropback of the game.
The Titans ran the ball on the next two snaps and kicked another easy field goal to move ahead 20-17. It looked safe in the moment.
It didn’t hold up.
That’s the harsh part for Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll: playing not to lose can still cost you the game. Tennessee had chances to let Ward operate in high-leverage moments, and instead the offense shrank when it needed to expand. In the NFL, that kind of caution usually comes back around fast.
Ward has been uneven early in his second season, but the Titans still need to show more faith in him. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for a reason, and games like this are exactly where that investment has to matter.
Next up is a trip to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants, and Saleh will have another chance to show more aggression. If Tennessee wants to start turning close losses into wins, it can’t keep backing away from the quarterback it drafted to make those moments count.
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