So much for that goodwill.
The Tennessee Titans hosted the Seattle Seahawks for a preseason game at Nissan Stadium on Aug. 23, winning 19-16. The real score that matters, though, is the 16-3 mark that the Titans' starters lost by while on the field for the opening three possessions facing off against Seattle's second- and third-string players.
Just two days ago the Titans looked as good as they've looked all training camp in an encouraging joint practice performance against the Seahawks' starters. Now, against the Seahawks' backups, the defense came out on a gameday and allowed explosive touchdowns of 36 and 69 yards and the offense stalled out twice near midfield and got stuffed on a fourth-and-1 in their own territory.
So what changed? Keeping
in mind that preseason games matter as much as you let them, here's The Tennessean's analysis of what actually mattered from Titans vs Seahawks.
Cam Ward stats: Did Titans QB look good?
The drives didn't end in the end zone, and that's going to be a fair sticking point. But Ward looked better in this one than he did in his lackluster first preseason start against San Francisco. He finished the day 8-for-12 passing with 69 yards, but two of those incompletions were dropped passes along the sideline on plays Ward put the ball exactly where it needed to go. He took a couple of unnecessary hits toward the end of his day, and most of his production came on dump-offs to running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, who caught four balls for 47 yards.
The Titans, for what it's worth, were especially vanilla in the run game around Ward in this one. Pollard and Spears combined for four carries, and all four can be described as variations of dive plays off right guard. The passing game was a little more complex, but it still consisted primarily of the aforementioned checkdowns and quick-release timing plays to Wan'Dale Robinson on early downs. These are base-situation plays that the Titans know they can rely on, but it was another game where Ward didn't succeed in many out-of-structure situations.
What's wrong with the Titans' defense?
In two preseason games going against backup quarterbacks Kurtis Rourke and Drew Lock, the Titans' starting secondary has forced a whopping three incomplete passes. Lock was excellent, finishing his day 12-for-14 with 103 yards and a score. And after a week of nonstop emphasis on man coverage, that's a tough line to swallow.
Equally concerning, though, has to be the lack of push from the Titans' rush. Not only did the Titans' starters fail to register a sack, but the usually-stout run defense was also gashed. forthe 69-yard score when running back Jacardia Wright went untouched straight through the middle of the Titans' defense.
How'd the operation look?
Bad preseason results can be tolerable when the tradeoff is a smooth operation. Even that was a harder sell in this one. The Titans were penalized 11 times for 100 yards. One penalty took an interception off the board and another took a touchdown off the board. The Titans nearly turned the ball over on a punt when a blocker accidentally bumped into the ball. And two Seattle turnovers that gave the Titans possession in plus territory meant settling for two field goals.
For whatever it's worth, though, the Titans' second- and third-teamers on defense played lights out football, forcing multiple turnovers and notching two sacks to keep the offense in short fields and pitch a would-be shutout against Seattle third-string passer Jalen Milroe.
Rookie spotlight: Is Carnell Tate okay?
Through two preseason games, the Titans' top-five receiver draft pick has zero catches on five targets. This comes after a week where he missed time with soreness and failed to record a pass in joint practice. Adversity is piling up.
On a positive note, though, second-round linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., registered a highlight interception late in the third quarter.
What's next?
The Titans return to the practice field on Aug. 25, then reconvene for a joint practice against the Chicago Bears in Nashville on Aug. 27. Two days later, the Titans will host the Bears for a preseason game at Nissan Stadium. Then it'll be time to turn around and trim the roster. NFL active rosters must be cut to 53 players by the end of business hours on Aug. 30.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans look ugly in preseason win vs Seahawks. Here's what actually mattered
