Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) exits the field after the Titans 33-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans Receive Average Week 2 Grade

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Luke Hubbard | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Tennessee Titans dropped their home opener to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. While the final score of 33-19 may indicate a lopsided game, the Titans actually hung around for three quarters, but couldn't finish strong and secure the win despite having the lead at halftime.

It was a disappointing ending to the game, but there were a few positives to take away. One, Cam Ward outperformed his stat line once again, making big throws while under duress. Tony Pollard also had a much better game than in Week 1, rushing for 92 yards on 20 carries. The defense also stood tall for much of the first three quarters, but fell apart late.

After the game, CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin graded every team's performance in Week 2, and he gave the Titans a C.

"The fact that they even led the Rams at any point is a credit to rookie quarterback Cameron Ward, who kept his head high despite heavy pressure from Los Angeles' front and delivered an eye-popping cross-body heave to Elic Ayomanor," he wrote. "Unfortunately, Ward's acrobatic feats and a time-of-possession advantage were overshadowed by a steady lack of discipline, as the Brian Callahan-led Titans were flagged 10 times."

Ward went 19-for-33 for 175 yards and a touchdown in the Titans' Week 2 loss. Despite constant pressure, Ward looked calm in the pocket and was able to escape and make some big throws downfield - most notably his first career touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor. Through two weeks, Ward has shown the poise and confidence you want in a franchise quarterback. The Titans still have a lot of work to do on their offensive line if they want Ward to be able to reach his ceiling, but so far, he's shown why he was the first overall pick in the draft.

Defensively, the Titans played a really good game against a high-powered Rams offense, but they just couldn't finish strong. They held Matthew Stafford and the Rams to just 10 first-half points and were a big reason the Titans were leading heading into the locker room. However, in the second half, they gave up too many big plays in the passing game, which led to a couple of touchdowns, but if you remove those three big pass plays, they looked pretty good defensively.

A loss is never going to feel good, but there are worse ways to lose than this. Cam Ward has shown exactly what everyone hoped he would show in his first two starts, and the defense definitely looks like an improvement from last year. The Titans were never going to win a bunch of games this year; it was all about developing young talent and showing improvement, and they've done both of those things well.

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

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