The Titans came out of Sunday’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with the same problem that keeps hanging over Brian Daboll: the offense just can’t put together a full game.
There were flashes early. Chimere Dike’s opening kickoff return gave Tennessee the ball at its own 42, and the Titans immediately hit him for a 15-yard gain.
That already matched their first-down total from the first half of the Week 3 Giants defeat. But the momentum vanished on the very next snap, when Tony Pollard dropped a creative Cam Ward pass and Baltimore came away with an interception.
Tennessee answered on its second possession with its best sequence of the day, marching 65 yards in 11 plays for a Pollard rushing touchdown. It was a clear step up from the first-half showing the week before.
Still, the rest of the half quickly turned familiar. The third drive ended in a punt after four plays, and the fourth became the kind of moment that can sink a game in a hurry.
On a 10-play drive that had looked promising, Daboll went to Wildcat on 4th-and-goal, and Pollard was stuffed at the Ravens’ goal line. It was a stunning call, especially because the Titans had already been stopped on a Wildcat goal-line play against the Giants. Baltimore then went 99 yards and pushed the lead to 21-7, effectively ending the game.
The red-zone usage told its own story. By that point, Tennessee had reached seven goal-to-go situations, and Daboll called seven straight runs for Pollard.
It was predictable, tight, and far too easy to defend. Maybe it was a reaction to Ward’s game-losing interception last week, but it still felt like the wrong answer at the wrong time.
The Titans did have one more first-half chance to make something happen. After a punt from the Ravens’ 47-yard line, they got the ball back for a two-minute drill. Ward connected with Carnell Tate for 35 yards into Baltimore territory, only for the rookie to cough up a fumble and waste the play.
Tate still had the best day of anyone in the offense, finishing with nine catches for 145 yards. Even with that breakout, he was basically the only bright spot.
The second half brought even less margin for error. Tennessee opened with a strong 12-play drive that reached the Ravens’ 15 before settling for a Joye Slye field goal.
After that, the offense fell apart. The next three possessions all ended in three-and-outs, and those drives produced just nine total yards.
That stretch had the same empty feel as the Titans’ earlier offensive droughts. There was a missed throw to Calvin Ridley on first down, a failed 3rd-and-3, and too many wasted snaps on runs and designed screens that went nowhere. Execution was part of it, but the play-calling never helped the offense find any rhythm.
Tennessee finally put together a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late. The onside kick was recovered by the Ravens, and the Titans were left with another game where the offense showed just enough to keep hope alive before crashing back down. Daboll’s group missed its chance against a Ravens team without Lamar Jackson in the second half, and the inconsistency remains the defining issue.
In Other News...
Titans Face A Tough Veteran Decision To Help Cam Ward
The Titans slow start has them looking hard at the roster, and that naturally pulls veteran names into the conversation as the NFL trade deadline approaches. One possibility being floated would send Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy to Tennessee in a deal centered on running back Tony Pollard, a kind of veteran-for-veteran move that would be aimed at shaking up a team still trying to find traction around rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Clevelands 3-1 record gives the Browns a little more flexibility to weigh their own needs, while Tennessee is in a spot where almost any credible help on offense will get attention. Nothing has been finalized, and no trade has been announced, but the speculation alone says plenty about where the Titans are right now: searching for answers, open to changes, and trying to decide whether a move like this is the right one to support Wards development. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Have A Tony Pollard Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Seahawks running back room has been hit hard enough that a familiar name, Joe Mixon, briefly entered the conversation before his physical ended that possibility. Mixon last played for the Texans in 2024 and sat out the 2025 season with a foot and ankle injury, leaving Seattle still searching for help at a position where injuries and the physically unable to perform list have thinned the depth chart.
That kind of need naturally turns attention toward the trade market, and Tony Pollard becomes a name worth watching from Tennessees side of the ledger. He is in the final year of his contract, and with the Titans mired in a rough season, any player with value can at least spark speculation about whether the front office would listen if a contender came calling for backfield help. [Read more 🡒]
Titans 0-4 Start Is Already Separating Core Pieces From Disappointments
The Titans 0-4 start has already done what early-season records often do: it has started separating the encouraging pieces from the letdowns. On one side, rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. has quickly become a defensive bright spot, sitting third in the league in total tackles, while rookie receiver Carnell Tate has given the offense a legitimate building block by leading the team in receptions and receiving yards.
Elsewhere, the picture is much murkier. Backup running back Tyjae Spears has not been able to stay healthy or make much of an impact, quarterback Cam Ward has fallen short of expectations, and the early returns on the offense have been uneven enough to keep the focus on what still has to be fixed. One notable exception has been JC Latham, whose leap has stood out, with no sacks or quarterback hits allowed so far. [Read more 🡒]