Tennessee Titans enjoyed massive schedule break in 2024, but now they're paying for it in Cam Ward's rookie season in 2025

In 2024, things went very poorly for the Tennessee Titans. You know, just in case you missed that. But believe it or not, they did get one significant break in how their schedule fell that they won’t be getting again in 2025, and it’s going to test the most critical unit on this team.

When you think about the best, most fearsome pass rushers in the league, who comes to mind? Answers will vary, but Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, Aidan Hutchinson, Maxx Crosby, and even some of the best interior rushers like Chris Jones probably come up.

In 2024, the Titans list of most disruptive rushers faced was pretty middle of the road. Here they are in order of their PFF grade to finish the season, all top-20 rushers by their charting including ties:

1. Aidan Hutchinson (DET)

5. Khalil Mack (LAC)

9. Trey Hendrickson (CIN)

10. Will Anderson Jr (HOU)

11. Von Miller (BUF)

12. Danielle Hunter (HOU)

14. Josh Hines-Allen (JAX x2)

15. Greg Rousseau (BUF)

16. Jonathan Greenard (MIN)

But when you dig into who they actually faced on game day, the list breaks down pretty significantly. The best rusher in the league before going down with an early season injury was Aidan Hutchinson, who they dodged. They also didn’t face Khalil Mack in the Chargers game, or Von Miller in the Bills game. And the Texans two-headed monster of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. sat in the final game of the year as they prepared for the playoffs.

So in reality, the worst the Titans OL had to deal with last year was Trey Hendrickson, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter just once, Greg Rousseau, Jonathan Greenard, and Josh Hines-Allen twice. In the modern NFL, that’s as big a cakewalk as you’re going to find. And yet, hilariously, those iterations (plural!) of the Titans offensive line still failed the test in many weeks. The right side of the was just that bad. Truly, truly painful football.

In 2025, the Titans list of opponents is about as far from a cakewalk as you’ll find. Here’s who they get, assuming they don’t get nearly the health luck they did last year, in 2025:

2. Myles Garrett (CLE)

4. Nick Bosa (SF)

5. Khalil Mach (LAC)

7. Jared Verse (LAR)

10. Will Anderson (HOU x2)

12. Danielle Hunter (HOU x2)

13. Isaiah McGuire (CLE)

14. Josh Hines Allen (JAX x2)

18. Carl Granderson (NO)

25. Maxx Crosby (LV)

If that doesn’t sound bad enough on its own, here are some fun little footnotes. First of all, Maxx Crosby being 25th is very funny. He’s terrifying no matter what. With Cleveland, you’re facing the best currently doing it outside of Hutchinson in Myles Garrett, pulse Isaiah McGuire on the heels of a career year, as well as rookie 5th overall pick Mason Graham on the interior. So, in short, the nastiest defensive front in the league outside of perhaps the Giants. And when you see Nick Bosa and the 49ers, you also get rookie 1st Round pick Mykel Williams near the very end of his rookie year, when he’s probably at his best.

So good luck to the Titans offensive line, which is much improved and the best collection of talent since at least 2020. You have a very serious test ahead of you!