Tales of the Titans: Offensive Struggles, Defensive Surge in Cam Ward's Debut
- Om Brown
- Sep 8
- 3 min read
The Tennessee Titans kicked off their 2025 campaign Sunday in the Mile High City, a matchup that also marked the debut of 2025 #1 Overall Pick, QB Cam Ward. Tennessee had their hands full in this one, taking on a tough defense and young star QB Bo Nix. While there were some highlights from the Titans in their 20-12 loss, there were definitely some lowlights. Let's break down what happened during this Week 1 dogfight.
Game Recap
The first quarter was pretty unceremonious as both teams traded field goals to make it 3-3. The Titans struck first on a 50-yarder from Joey Slye, and CB Roger McCreary picked off Nix to end the quarter on a big defensive play. After a fumble and punt from each side, Slye banged home a 33-yard field goal to go up 6-3. Denver quickly answered back with a 22-yard strike from Nix to WR Courtland Sutton for a touchdown to make it 10-6 Broncos, and it seemed like we were heading to the locker room for halftime. However, rookie return man Chimere Dike had other plans. The former Florida Gator took the kickoff with 16 seconds left all the way to the Denver 24-yard line, allowing Slye to come on and make a 42-yard field goal as time expired. At the half, the Broncos led 10-9.
Immediately after kicking the ball off to the Broncos, the Titans got the ball back thanks to another Nix pick, this one to S Xavier Woods. Ward and the offense were only able to muster another Slye field goal, this one a 35-yarder. That is pretty much it for offensive positives from this game. Following a made Will Lutz field goal in the 3rd quarter, the Broncos scored a touchdown in the 4th on a JK Dobbins 19-yard scamper to make it a 20-12 game. Despite a muffed Broncos punt that gave the Titans some late momentum, Tennessee just couldn't capitalize off of Denver's mistakes. It was a game that was eerily evocative of 2024. There were signs of growth from the offense and strong performances from the defense, but in the end, inconsistencies, drops, and bad playcalling sunk the ship.
Game Observations
The defense had a great game.
If you take out rookie RB RJ Harvey’s 50-yard run, the defense gave up 267 total yards of offense to the Broncos, while generating 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. While they won’t do that every game, similar performances have to stack up, especially early in the year when the offense is struggling. DC Dennard Wilson had his guys ready.
Coach Brian Callahan struggled with head coaching duties.
Coach Cally retained his hole of calling plays this season, and came out of the game with another dud. His team committed 13 penalties and gave up 6 sacks. He also called a very curious game with bland plays, and is a big reason why the offense couldn’t score a TD. It's just the first game, but these are all major issues that he had last season as well. He has not improved at all, and likely won’t make it out of November if the offense can’t get better.
Cam Ward played better than what the box score indicated.
Ward was just 12/28 for only 112 passing yards in his debut, but to be fair, he did face one of the best defenses in the league. Time and time again, he launched passes into the breadbasket of his receivers, but they failed to come down with the grab. His arm talent was on display all afternoon.
Stats and Fantasy
Scores via ESPN Fantasy PPR
Cam Ward: 12/28, 112 yards, 2.48 Fantasy Pts
Tony Pollard: 18 carries, 60 yards, long of 9, 1 catch, 29 yards, 7.90 Fantasy Pts
Calvin Ridley: 4 catches, 28 yards, long of 13, 6.70 Fantasy Pts
Joey Slye: 4/4 Field Goals, long of 50, 15.00 Fantasy Pts
Titans D/ST: 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 sack, 9.00 Fantasy Pts
Final Thoughts
The offense 100% has to play better. The line must block better, and the receivers, especially veteran Calvin Ridley (who had a couple of key drops), need to support Ward in a better way. The defense balled out, and the special teams did well, which is a very odd thing for me to say, considering how atrocious the special teams play has been for at least the last 5 years. It's just Week 1, but to see the same mistakes that Tennessee made last season come up again, especially Callahan’s ineffective play-calling, is frustrating. He needs to have his squad better prepared for Week 2 when the Boys in the Two-Tone-Blue host the dangerous LA Rams in Ward’s home debut. Until next time, #TitanUp!
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