Titans QB Cam Ward Has Faith in Receivers

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 12:00 PM ET

In his first game as a starting NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward captained his new team to a heartbreaking one-score defeat on the road against the Denver Broncos. A lot can be said about the team's performance on the whole, but perhaps the most daunting metric was a primarily visual one: dropped passes.

Of Ward's final 12/28 passing statistic, nearly a third of his incompletions came down to well-placed throws that were, quite simply, just not caught. This trend ended up being the Titans' achilles heel, as a dropped ball by Calvin Ridley over the middle would ultimately seal the team's fate late in the game, as Ward was working to lead one final scoring march.

This isn't to say that the rookie quarterback was perfect (he took six sacks and lost a fumble,) but to be put in a position to win by a first-game starter, only to lose for reasons out of his control, is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow. Yet, when asked about the dilemma in a press conference prior to the Titans' home-opener against the Rams, Ward denied the opportunity to blame his receivers.

"I am never going to get on those guys for dropping a ball," he said. ""I'm going to throw a pick at some point in the season. So, bad plays are going to happen. The biggest thing is when we get back to the huddle, we have to always have a next-play mentality."

"I am not too worried about that – those boys are going to catch the ball."

If those boys caught the ball, the Titans might be a 1-0 team right now. But regardless, Ward's confidence rings positively of a new mode of existence for a team that, for the past few years, hasn't had a proper sense of leadership at the position under center, neither on nor off the field. Part of developing chemistry with receivers is trusting them when they falter; lifting your teammates up in the face of difficulties and powering through.

Still, the receivers have to do their part now. If his first week performance was any indication, Ward will continue to deliver looks to his options - it'll just be a matter of whether or not they can capitalize on those opportunities.

There's stuff I have to get better at, week by week. At the end of the day, nobody is going to be perfect," Ward also said. "We are still getting used to each other but we'll turn it around try to get a win this week."

The Titans are set to face the Rams with a chance to even their record out, potentially saving a sour start to the earlier stretch of a new, still-promising season.

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

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