The Tennessee Titans are mired in an offensive mess, and the scoreboard tells the story as clearly as anything. They’re putting up just 15.4 points per game, which is second-worst in the NFL behind only the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns pushed Tennessee to 1-6 and stretched its run without back-to-back wins to 65 games, matching the modern NFL record. Even the lone victory, at Indianapolis, came with only 186 yards of offense.
There isn’t a single culprit here. The problems are layered, and they’re piling up on top of each other.
Start with Cam Ward, because the quarterback hasn’t been able to unlock much of anything downfield. According to PFF, Ward has completed just 2 of 18 throws that traveled 20 or more yards this season, and both of those incompletions turned into interceptions.
His passer rating on those throws sits at 1.2. He’s also thrown only four deep balls down the middle, and two of them were picked off.
Add in interceptions in five straight games, and the trend line gets ugly fast. His 5.7 yards per attempt is tied for the lowest among 29 quarterbacks with at least 150 dropbacks, and he’s averaging about 168 passing yards per game after posting 186 as a rookie.
The scheme hasn’t helped Ward find easier answers, either. Under first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, only 8.7% of Ward’s throws have gone 20 or more yards.
His average depth of target has slipped from 7.8 yards as a rookie to 7.3, and his big-time throw rate is the lowest among those 29 quarterbacks. Nearly 60% of Ward’s aimed throws have come under 10 yards, and his throws behind the line of scrimmage are averaging 4.2 yards.
Daboll, who joined Tennessee after the New York Giants fired him as head coach last November, is in the middle of his first season calling plays for the Titans. Seven games in, Ward’s yards per game and yards per attempt are both down from last year, and Tennessee hasn’t scored a second-quarter point in any of its last three games. That’s on the play-caller as much as anyone.
The receivers haven’t exactly rescued the operation. Titans pass catchers have dropped 13 passes, the second-most in the league, and seven different players have already been charged with at least one drop.
PFF has Tennessee’s receiving grade at 29th in the NFL. Rookie Carnell Tate has four of those drops, though he’s also been targeted the most and leads the team with 413 receiving yards.
Wan'Dale Robinson, Elic Ayomanor and tight end Daniel Bellinger each have two drops.
The veteran production has been just as thin. Calvin Ridley, who carries a $15.2 million cap hit this season, has only 81 receiving yards in six games. Robinson, at $11.3 million, has 205 yards on 42 targets.
Then there’s the ground game, where the Titans’ run blocking has been the league’s weakest link. Their 45.5 run-blocking grade is last in the NFL.
Among the starters, center Austin Schlottmann (40.8), guard Atonio Mafi (40.9) and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. (46.3) own the lowest run-blocking grades, while JC Latham (70.2) is the only starter above 60.
Tony Pollard has still managed 478 rushing yards, but 359 of them have come after contact. That leaves just 119 yards before contact on 112 carries. Pollard had his best day of the season in Week 7 against the Browns, so there’s at least a chance that performance can give the run game a little momentum going forward.
If there’s one part of the front that hasn’t been sinking the offense, it’s pass protection. Tennessee ranks sixth in PFF’s pass-blocking grades. Latham has allowed only five pressures all season, and Ward has been sacked 11 times in seven games after going down 55 times last season.
So the Titans don’t have one offensive problem. They have four. And with this group, fixing just one probably won’t be enough.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Loom In The Race For A Rising 2027 Quarterback
A recent ESPN poll of 25 NFL scouts and executives has already started reshaping the early 2027 quarterback conversation, and Oklahoma States Drew Mestemaker is now the name drawing the most attention. After an August poll pointed more toward Dante Moore and Arch Manning, the latest look suggests Mestemaker has moved to the front of the pack, a reminder that the draft board is still in its earliest and most fluid stage.
For Tennessee, that matters because the Titans are the kind of team that could be watching this race closely as the season unfolds and the draft picture comes into focus. The article points to possible landing spots based on current team needs and recent trades, but with the order still unsettled and evaluations likely to keep shifting, the Titans are suddenly part of a conversation that could look very different by the time 2027 arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Trade Suddenly Raises An Uncomfortable Question About What They Gave Up
Jeffery Simmons move from Tennessee to Chicago came together fast enough to leave the Titans with a familiar kind of second-guessing hanging over the deal. What made the trade stand out was not just the player involved, but the way it unfolded behind the scenes, with reports saying Giants coach John Harbaugh directly reached out to Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in an effort to land Simmons even after Tennessee had initially denied it was shopping him.
For the Titans, the bigger issue now is whether the market was fully tested or whether relationships helped shape the outcome more than the usual trade process would suggest. In a league where front offices talk constantly but personal connections still matter, this kind of move can prompt an uncomfortable follow-up question: did Tennessee get the best possible offer for one of its most important assets, or did the timing and the people involved narrow the return before the bidding really opened up? [Read more 🡒]
Calvin Ridley Just Got A Huge Titans Opportunity At A Telling Time
Jeffery Simmons is gone, and the timing could hardly be more awkward for a Titans team heading into Week 8 already dealing with injuries and a thinner margin for error. The move leaves Tennessee short on one of its most important defensive pieces, but it also has ripple effects on the other side of the ball, where Calvin Ridley suddenly finds himself in a much bigger spot than he has had for much of this season.
Ridleys role has faded as the year has gone on, and his future in Tennessee is still very much up in the air with the November 10 trade deadline approaching. For a veteran receiver who has seen limited involvement, the coming stretch could amount to more than just extra snaps, it may be a chance to show enough to shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]