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Ward's performance against Saints shows he must find balance
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward. Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans QB Cam Ward's performance against Saints shows he must find balance to reach high ceiling

By Clark Dalton  |  Last updated Dec 28, 2025 6:20 PM ET

Cam Ward's performance against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday could be a microcosm for his rookie season. 

The Tennessee Titans quarterback has sometimes made plays that resemble those of Kansas City Chiefs superstar QB Patrick Mahomes. Other times, he has made plays that resemble those of Will Levis, the QB the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft replaced. 

Take his third-down conversion early in the fourth quarter against New Orleans. With the Titans leading 23-20, Ward scrambled outside the pocket, evading multiple defenders before firing a laser to rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, who picked up 12 yards on the play. That set up a 58-yard field goal by kicker Joey Slye.

That play was good. His failed fourth-down conversion attempt later in the fourth quarter wasn't. With the Titans trailing 34-26, Ward flipped a pass to running back Tyjae Spears while falling. He completed the pass, but the replay showed his knee was down, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Titans lost to the Saints 34-26, falling to 3-13. Ward completed 21-of-40 passes for 251 yards and two touchdown passes. 

The record has become far less important for the Titans, who have missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Instead, they should prioritize finding a coach who can help Ward play cleaner without sacrificing his playmaking ability. 

Cam Ward must find balance to succeed in NFL 

Ward often holds the ball before he throws it. This buys WRs time to get open, generating exciting plays like those on Sunday. But it's also one reason he's turnover-prone and takes too many sacks. 

Per Next Gen Stats, Ward averaged 4.07 seconds to throw against the Saints, the longest by a QB in a game since 2016. Unsurprisingly, the QB took four sacks Sunday and lost one fumble.

Tennessee fired former head coach Brian Callahan after Week 6, replacing him with interim Mike McCoy. Don't expect him to be promoted. 

Tennessee could target an offensive guru as its next coach, perhaps Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady. He could help the QB better determine when to take risks to unlock his potential.

The former Miami Hurricanes star has shown flashes in the second half of the season. Per Pro Football Focus, Ward has thrown for 635 passing yards and six TD passes and posted a stellar 104 passer rating over his past three games. He also has an adjusted completion percentage of 74.4 percent, considered solid. (Adjusted completion percentage subtracts drops, spikes, throwaways and batted passes.)

If he can keep making the positive plays and erase the negative ones, imagine what Ward could become.

Clark Dalton
Twitter/X Muck Rack

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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