Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham Denny Simmons | The Tennessean | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans Sacks Are Offensive Problem

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Cam Ward's job as a rookie quarterback, fresh off being taken first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, is hard enough. He's taking the helm of a broken offense within an arguably broken team, one that has been in-and-out of a rebuilding phase for the better part of the last half-decade.

His offensive line allowing 11 sacks through the first two weeks certainly doesn't make his job any easier.

Ward, although he has admittedly lost two fumbles in each of the first two weeks, has managed to impress in spite of his lackluster protective unit. Last week, his second straight game without an interception, Ward completed his first NFL touchdown pass to fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor.

While the issue seems relatively cut and dry, Titans HC Brian Callahan elaborated in his weekly presser on what is, to him, a more complicated problem. "As I've said a million times, that sacks are an offensive problem," he said. "They're not an offensive line problem. It felt like a handful of our sacks were avoidable. One of the sacks is Cam (Ward) running out of the pocket and taking a two yard loss outside the pocket, which isn't an offensive-line thing. I think a lot gets made of sacks being an offensive line stat," Callahan continued.

"It's not just them."

While the Titans offensive line blatantly has some structural issues - perhaps, in part, due to injury - coach Callahan spreading the blame is a fair point, at least to some extent. It's a similar sentiment to the one Ward spoke when he refused to blame his receivers for their numerous drops in the team's week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos.

It's a team effort to an absolute fault, it seems.

"There's 11 sacks and oh my god that looks terrible," he said. "I think it's a little more nuanced than that and I think there's more things that can be done to help from a quarterback perspective, from a receiver perspective, from a running back perspective. So it's an everybody issue that we don't just pin the blame on them, we've got to be better everywhere on offense I think for that number to improve."

"An everybody issue" that, until it's fixed, will likely play a huge part in keeping Tennessee out of the win column. Their next test comes in the form of a 2-0 Colts team that, coming out of their own rebuild, seem to be in the spot many fans wish for the Titans to be.

That incoming home game is both the perfect opportunity to right the ship, as well as a harrowing chance for things to get worse. The Titans will have to find a way to win as a working whole, in lieu of scattered, disjointed parts.

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

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