Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Titans Players Comment on First Home Win

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Dec 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The year is 2025, and the Tennessee Titans just ran the Kansas City Chiefs off the field at Nissan Stadium. Are there limiting factors that may have lended themselves to the navy blue and white's third win of the year? Sure, not the least of which being the Chiefs' carousel at quarterback in the wake of the rarely injured Patrick Mahomes.

Then again, the Chiefs aren't the only team dealing with injuries, and, in the Titans' sake specifically, any win at this point means more than most. In blowout, 26-9 fashion, Tennessee came away with its first home win of the season on the back of a particularly impressive performance from rookie passer Cam Ward.

Following the triumphant victory, Titans personnel across the board chimed in about just how much coming out on top meant to the team.

A Long Time Coming

"It's been a long time coming since we've won a home game here," Titans head coach Mike McCoy said, who had just spent the past week putting an emphasis on the importance of securing a home win. "So, it's just a great feeling for everybody in the entire organization, everyone who puts so many hours in, and then to be able to come home and play like this is phenomenal."

.@Titans QB Cam Ward said the team’s mindset has improved and that has helped the results change. pic.twitter.com/fWI8hbLquT
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 21, 2025

"It's a good win," added Ward. "It was the first time we'd played good enough complementary in all three phases. Defense kept us in the game the entirety … and it was a good team win."

The Week the Titans Succeeded

Of the team's defense, star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons dubbed the Titans' attitude prior to the duel as "desperate," denoting that the team played the way they did as a result. Linebacker James Williams Sr. also joined the chorus, saying, "It was a good opportunity for all of us to go out there and put on for the Titans, and that's what we went out there and did."

"It's a blessing, man. We go out there and fight every single week, and today was the week we succeeded."

Having now matched their win total of last season with two more games left to play, a new hope has slowly risen over the Titans' previously demeaned franchise. While far from redeemed, Tennessee appears to be finally on the "up and up," assuming the front office makes a good choice to fill the current vacancy at head coach.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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