USA TODAY released its September grades for every NFL team, and it comes as no surprise the Tennessee Titans landed near the bottom.
The Titans were one of three teams given a D-minus grade, alongside the Green Bay Packers (1-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3).
"At a time when several of the most moribund franchises are rebooting in impressive fashion, the Titans don't look any closer to elevating themselves from the league's bottom rung," USA TODAY's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
A Week 1 loss to the Jets set the tone, and while it was followed up by a competitive loss to the Eagles, the Titans put up just one score in a Week 3 defeat to the Giants. That loss was particularly painful for Titans fans, as second-year QB Cam Ward threw an interception
in the end zone with 17 seconds to go in the game.
Coach Robert Saleh will hope to flush September's struggles heading into a Week 4 road matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and former Titans RB Derrick Henry.
The Titans' offense is averaging just 12.3 points per game, and despite the injection of receivers Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson to the pass game, Ward is 55-of-88 passing for just 504 yards and two touchdowns. Now Saleh is without his top two options at right guard, with both Fernando Carmona Jr. and Jackson Slater set for surgeries after suffering injuries against the Giants.
"A new coaching regime has done little to afford Cam Ward any sense of comfort, with the second-year quarterback ranking 28th in EPA per dropback while piloting an attack that has posted the second-fewest yards of any team," Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
"Unless the second-year signal-caller can settle into the offense, a franchise that's been beset by a cascading series of resets might be due for another one – or possibly more – in short order."
Why the Titans didn't receive an F
There was one NFL team that received a lower grade than the Titans did — the winless Los Angeles Chargers. While the on-field product has been similarly lackluster, the reasoning for the Chargers being handed an F, unlike the Titans, comes down to expectations.
Tennessee hasn't sniffed playoff action since the firing of Mike Vrabel in 2024, and despite changes across the organization, optimism regarding the Titans' outlook in preseason remained muted. The Chargers entered with far greater aspirations, coming off consecutive wild-card appearances and having hired offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
The 0-3 Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans each received higher grades than the Titans, with the Texans given a D and the Dolphins a C.
Harrison Campbell can be reached at hcampbell@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans received D-minus grade for September. Here's why they didn't get an F
