The Tennessee Titans don’t need another afternoon where the run game disappears against the Philadelphia Eagles. They need something sturdier than that, something that keeps the offense on schedule and gives this team a chance to look like itself again after Week 1.
Right now, the noise around Cam Ward is already getting louder in Nashville, with pointed questions and comments showing up at press conferences. But the Titans’ first order of business is bigger than protecting the conversation around their rookie quarterback.
They have to win, or at least show they’re not the same team that showed up last week. The path out of that mess starts with moving the ball in the most effective way available.
There is a real opening here. Philadelphia allowed the 10th-most rushing yards in the NFL after one game against a Commanders backfield that wasn’t exactly a punishing test. Tennessee, meanwhile, was the ninth-most efficient rushing team in the league last week, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
The setting could help, too. Sunday in Nashville is expected to be nearly 20 degrees hotter than the weather the Eagles dealt with against Washington. That kind of heat can wear down a bigger defensive front, and the Titans’ offensive line should be more than familiar with it after nearly two months working there.
If Tennessee leans into that, the pieces are there to make it matter. Tony Pollard has been productive for years.
Tyjae Spears can stress defenses with his quickness. Nick Singleton, the rookie power back from Penn State, also flashed in the preseason.
None of them is Saquon Barkley. But the Titans don’t need one star runner to do this job by himself.
They need commitment, rotation, and fresh legs. If they stick with the ground game instead of drifting away from it, they can create the kind of sustained drives that change a game by the second half.
That kind of performance won’t do much to quiet every voice around Ward. In this climate, he probably won’t get much credit for the correct checks or the patience it takes to stick with the run. But the scoreboard matters more than the chatter.
Mike Borgonzi, Robert Saleh, and Ward deserve time to work through this together, since this is the first season for all three in their roles. The problem is that patience has never come easily in this market. If the Titans want any breathing room at all, they need to start showing they’re headed in the right direction, and soon.
In Other News...
Titans Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious After This Missed Call
Week 2 left Titans fans with plenty to debate, and one sequence in particular has lingered since the final whistle. With Jacob Martin getting pressure on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles quarterback appearing to throw the ball away, the play looked for a moment like it should have drawn an intentional grounding penalty. Instead, the flags stayed in the officials pockets, and Philadelphia kept moving.
For Tennessee supporters, that missed call has only sharpened the frustration around an 0-2 start. It was the kind of moment that can swing a drive and, in a tight NFL game, shape the outcome as much as anything else. The Eagles went on to win, and Titans fans are still left wondering how different things might have looked if that one call had gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Saw One More Sign This Team Still Isnt Serious
A familiar bit of pregame theater showed up again before the Titans took on the Eagles, with Julius Chestnut arriving in a Green Goblin costume as part of a tradition that has already rubbed some fans the wrong way. For a team trying to build credibility early in the season, it was the kind of sideline detail that stands out even more when the football itself is going poorly, and Tennessees start has only sharpened the scrutiny around everything surrounding the locker room.
Chestnuts role remains a small one on the field, and the costume only added to the sense among some observers that the Titans are not projecting the kind of seriousness fans want to see. The loss to Philadelphia left Tennessee at 0-2, and with the results going the wrong way, even harmless pregame pageantry can start to feel like another symbol of a team still searching for the right tone. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Let Another Winnable Game Slip And Saleh Didnt Soften It
The Titans had a chance to land an early-season statement at home in Week 2, but instead watched a close game against the Eagles slip away in a 24-20 loss. It was the kind of result that tends to linger, because Tennessee did enough to stay in position and still came away empty after leaving too many opportunities on the field.
Robert Saleh didnt try to dress it up afterward, making clear that close losses do not count for anything in the NFL. His message centered on execution, and on the frustration that comes with knowing a winnable game was there for the taking. For a Titans team trying to build momentum, the bigger concern now is not just the defeat itself, but how quickly it can turn those missed chances into something cleaner next time. [Read more 🡒]