Now that the Tennessee Titans are 0-3 (again), we should stop pretending that this season is some buried treasure that’ll be unearthed eventually.
Nah, this isn’t some playoff hopeful. It isn’t even ascending. It’s a team that’ll continue to strive for mediocrity while, probably, continuing to fall short more than not, spoiling Sunday afternoons for the dwindling number of fans still willing to invest time and attention on humble ambitions.
Meanwhile, let’s go ahead and accept what the rest of this season has already become: A weekly referendum on Cam Ward as the Titans’ quarterback of the future.
And that, dear reader, isn’t going wonderfully, either.
We’ll long remember the moment we stopped looking at the 2026 Titans with naïve possibility and
were made to accept reality. It was on first-and-goal when Ward rolled left into open space with his receivers running to the right. He had timeouts, though, and about 20 seconds on the game clock. Therefore, he had a couple of acceptable options. He could’ve tried to run. He could’ve thrown the football into the seats.
Only thing Ward couldn’t do, basically, was what he did.
Jevon Holland's end-zone interception preserved the New York Giants' 12-7 home victory in this rainy, sloppy game Sept. 27 between bad teams that someone had to win. For it to be decided by a blunder, as opposed to brilliance, was fitting.
It’s just that Titans fans have endured plenty of soul-crushing disappointments in this forgettable decade, and this blunder by Ward was up there.
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Because it truly did look as if the Titans were about to pull out this win with an offense that’d stunk out loud for the better part of three quarters. They went three-and-punt in their first five offensive possessions. They had one first down before halftime. Ward, as you'd imagine, had been terrible.
When his offense woke up, though, narratives changed. Ward changed, too. He led drives of 12, 13 and 13 plays to end this game, totaling 181 passing yards (which was 63 more than the Giants’ Jameis Winston managed in the same conditions). This is what Ward does. He'll struggle. Then he'll show a glimmer, just enough to make you think it's turning for him. But it just seems as if it never does.
As he rolled out, we were watching a turning point in real time. He was either going to complete this comeback that an ailing franchise desperately needed, and receive all the praise. Or he wasn't. And then he'd be blamed.
Ward told reporters at MetLife Stadium that he did see Holland. He just opted to throw off-balance for Elic Ayomanor anyway, thinking he could get it past the defender. Ward said he didn’t regret that decision. He blamed the quality of the pass. He said it needed to be higher.
That's nonsense. Of course, it was a foolish decision in the circumstances. Especially if Ward saw the defender.
Titans coach Robert Saleh faulted the decision, too.
"Just be smarter with the football,” Saleh told reporters at the stadium. “We've got two timeouts left. It's first-and-goal on the 8. We're going to score. You don't need to force it in that situation.”
After that answer, Saleh dismissed a question about benching Ward for Mitch Trubisky. That isn't happening, but the topic even coming up only three games into Ward’s second season tells you how poorly this is trending. Same for Ward's explanation. A quarterback can learn from foolish decisions, but he first has to admit that he made one.
The lowlights are beginning to add up for Ward. NFL quarterbacks don't have an endless supply of interceptions to lose games. That goes for all quarterbacks, even the ones drafted first overall, which ties them to the job security of important people in the building.
What exactly, though, has Ward done to validate GM Mike Borgonzi’s faith in him? At any point?
New head coach, new offensive coordinator, new receivers, and the Titans are still losing with a chilly offense that heats up for maybe a few possessions each game. Ward, so far, certainly isn’t proving to be the Titans’ savior he was drafted to be. Worse than that, he’s hurting their chances to stop the bleeding in winnable games.
Ward nonetheless is going to get every opportunity. Trubisky makes no sense in a season that's looking like another lost cause. Ward still has potential. He has time and talent, and he plays for a team that seems willing to back him all the way to the top of next year’s NFL draft order if it comes to that.
But if the Titans do lose enough to land another high draft pick, which position do you think they’ll pursue?
The clock is ticking on Ward.
A bit faster today than it was yesterday, too.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cam Ward, at some point, must justify the Tennessee Titans' faith in him | Estes
