The Titans head to Indianapolis on Sunday with plenty to clean up and even more to prove. Tennessee is coming off a rough Week 5 loss to the Texans, a game that left them with just 187 yards of offense, while the Colts also stumbled last week, getting lit up by Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense.
If the Titans are going to leave with their first win of the season, they have to win a couple of specific battles.
The first one is out wide, where rookie receiver Carnell Tate gets a chance to attack a vulnerable matchup. Colts cornerback Gardner is in the middle of the worst-graded season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
After never posting an overall grade below 70 in any previous season, Gardner has slipped to 59.6 through five games. The numbers against him have been even uglier: opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 120.6 when targeting him, and opposing receivers are averaging more than 21 yards per catch on throws his way.
That gives Cam Ward and Tate an opening Tennessee badly needs. The Titans have to start finding explosive plays, and Gardner’s recent issues give them a place to do it.
Tate, though, needs to bounce back first. He had just one catch for six yards last Sunday after a strong performance in Baltimore the week before.
If he can consistently win his matchups, Tennessee’s passing game has a path forward. If he can’t, the whole offense could get stuck in the same rut again.
The second matchup comes on the ground, and that means Jonathan Taylor. The Colts running back is already sitting near the top of the league in several categories, ranking in the top 10 in carries with 101, rushing yards with 398, and rushing touchdowns with six.
The Titans will also know exactly who they’re dealing with in the middle of the defense. Jeffery Simmons, who is grading at 81.0 and ranks sixth at his position, will be central to the effort.
But stopping Taylor can’t fall on Simmons alone. John Franklin Myers, Jermaine Johnson, and Jacob Martin all have to help keep things disciplined up front.
Against a back like Taylor, Tennessee can’t get impatient and start chasing plays. The job is to stay steady, close off the run as much as possible, and force the Colts to lean on other parts of the offense.
If the Titans can slow Taylor and create some life through the passing game, they’ll give themselves a real chance to walk out of Indianapolis with that first win.
In Other News...
Titans Front Office Overhaul Is Moving Faster Than Fans Realize
The Titans business-side reset appears to be moving just as quickly as the on-field questions that usually get the attention in Nashville. Jeremy Walls, the Cardinals chief operating officer, is reportedly set to step into the role of executive vice president and chief business officer for Tennessee, a move that would bring in an executive with experience reshaping Arizonas business operations since 2023 and a background that also includes time with the Dolphins.
For a front office already in the middle of a broader restructuring under team president Burke Nihill, the addition signals another notable shift in how the organization is being run behind the scenes. It also comes with an unresolved layer, since Walls is named in a discrimination lawsuit involving the Cardinals that has been sent to arbitration, leaving Tennessees latest personnel move with both practical intrigue and a little extra scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Need Brian Daboll To Change What Is Failing Cam Ward
The Titans 0-5 start has already put their offense in an uncomfortable place, and the numbers only sharpen the concern. Tennessee is averaging 11.5 points per game, a franchise low and one of the worst openings since the merger, with the running game doing little to keep defenses honest or keep the offense out of obvious passing situations.
For Cam Ward, that has meant too many snaps where the defense knows what is coming. Brian Daboll is now at the center of the conversation about how to change that, with the idea of leaning harder into the pass and even speeding things up with more no-huddle looks if it can help the Titans create easier scoring chances and finally get the offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
Jeffery Simmons Suddenly Sits At The Center Of A Titans Debate
The Titans have spent recent trade deadlines acting like sellers, and their place near the bottom of the standings has only sharpened the conversation about how long this rebuild will take. With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft already in their pocket, Tennessee has enough long-term draft capital to keep thinking big-picture, but the presence of Jeffery Simmons has complicated the picture. The veteran defensive tackle is coming off a significant contract extension, which usually signals stability, not uncertainty.
Still, in a league where top-tier veterans can bring back major returns, Simmons has become the kind of player who forces hard questions about timeline and value. Moving him would be a drastic step, and one that would carry obvious football and locker-room risks, but it could also fit a front office trying to accelerate a reset. For now, there is no trade or formal decision, only the kind of debate that tends to follow a team when the future arrives faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]