Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward got a chance to briefly speak with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
It probably wasn’t the moment Ward would have preferred to catch up with a fellow Texan. Hurts, moments earlier, led the winning drive in a 24-20 Eagles victory that broke Titans’ fans hearts on Sept. 20.
But what an interesting meeting.
These two are kindred spirits. Before he was a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Hurts nearly quit football after becoming a popular bullseye for critics as Alabama’s starting quarterback. Ward is weathering similar criticism as he begins his second NFL season.
“Just wished me the best of luck,” Ward said of their conversation. “Said he respected me. I respect him as well for what he’s accomplished
in his journey.”
A journey is defined by traveling from one place to another. Against the Eagles (2-0), the Titans (0-2) at least appeared to move forward.
They’re winless and problems persist. But Ward and the Titans took a step, regardless of whether coach Robert Saleh and his players wanted to accept a moral victory, and none did.
That’s because the offense wasn’t perfect.
The Eagles had the ball for 36:25 compared to the Titans’ 23:35. Ward and Co. settled for two field goals, and one promising drive ended after Calvin Ridley committed an unnecessary roughness penalty.
A potential Titans touchdown-scoring drive at the end of the fourth quarter would’ve extended the game. The Titans squashed that possibility by giving up a 9-yard sack and had to settle for a field goal.
“There's certain moments in the entire game where execution reigned supreme, being disciplined reigned supreme, and they (the Eagles) were the more — they executed better in critical moments,” Saleh said.
There were positive signs, though. Ward was 13-of-20 passing for 180 yards, one touchdown and another interception-free outing. He put up a 94.4 passer rating, compared to 80.2 a week earlier. He also ran for two TDs.
Perhaps most important, Ward capitalized on downfield opportunities, which have been rare. He looked good finding Elic Ayomanor twice for vertical gains of 28 and 41 yards.
“I think what encouraged me the most was that we were able to get some explosive offense,” Ward said. “The O-line did a fantastic job as far as protecting myself. I think there were times where I shouldn’t have left the pocket so early just because of how well they protected it. I think the O-line had a great day.”
Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll puzzled some folks by attempting just 14 run plays in Week 1. They responded by outrushing the Eagles 122-89. Running back Tony Pollard had 14 carries alone.
If Daboll can't run the ball, his playbook will get much smaller facing third-and-long every series. That didn't happen as much this week against an Eagles defense that had a top-six pass rush (79.3 PFF rating) in the NFL last season and ranked 10th in defensive rating (74.6).
“It was big,” Pollard said of the run game. “In the second half getting that rhythm going on the ground, then it opens some action in the pass game; you’ve got to find a way to get that production. We’ve got to get it more early.”
This team, Ayomanor said, is actually pretty good at responding to adversity and making adjustments. He started noticing that trend in the preseason.
“I did a lot of work myself to make sure that when some bad (expletive) does happen … that I knew and had actual techniques and methods to be able to respond and keep playing at a high level,” Ayomanor said. “I think I've seen those similar types of things on the field showing up with my teammates. So that makes me think, all right, when they were in the offseason, they took that type of (expletive) seriously as well. I’m happy to see that.
“Just take another step forward.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans lost to Eagles, but Cam Ward delivered the progress they needed to see
