NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Call it the mirage in the desert. The Titans stirring fourth quarter comeback a week ago over the Cardinals was remarkable, but it did not change the team or the issues that have plagued it all season.
Those deficiencies returned Sunday a few hours north in Las Vegas in a 20-10 loss to the Raiders.
Cam Ward was sacked six times as the offense struggled once again, squandering a good effort from the defense as the Titans fell more squarely into the NFL’s “bottom six” of teams with one or fewer wins this season.
Tennessee went three and out on its opening possession when a third straight Tony Pollard run was stuffed on third and one. The lack of creativity and production carried over as the Titans posted just 81 total first half yards and didn’t score until a field goal at the end of the third quarter.
Ward was constantly harassed by a Raiders pass rush that got the best of an offensive line that regressed despite the return of J.C. Latham at right tackle for the first time since the season’s opening game. Officially, Ward was sacked six times, including one that helped stall the game’s second drive. Then in the second quarter he was rocked by a blitzing Devin White and fumbled the ball away at his own two-yard line. It was a clear miscommunication by the offensive line which left White scot-free as an interior rusher to take a shot at their QB.
Ward didn’t have a chance to get rid of the ball on that play, but he must do a better job of protecting the ball. He was hit by Jonah Laulu as he tried to release a pass and it fluttered through the air and into the arms of White who had a monster game with a team-high nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception. The pick likely cost the Titans points before halftime in what was a 10-0 game. Ward also coughed up a fumble to seal the game late in the fourth quarter when the ball simply slipped out of his hand as he wound up to pass.
The turnovers overshadow a 26-38 passing performance for 222 yards and a late touchdown to David Martin-Robinson who scored for the first time of his career. It also ruined a stout defensive effort.
Tennessee held Vegas to just 226 total yards while limiting Ashton Jeanty to 3.3 yards per carry. Jeffery Simmons continued his All-Pro level play, recording a sack in a third straight game to boost his total to 4.5 for the season. Simmons also hit Geno Smith on a rollout early in the fourth quarter causing an errant throw that was intercepted by Cody Barton.
Barton appeared to have scored a touchdown early in the second quarter when Jihad Ward got to Smith and forced the ball to come loose. But replay officials determined that the QB still had possession of the ball as his arm began to move forward and changed the call to an incomplete pass taking six points off the board.
It was costly because the Titans need every point they can get right now with the offense averaging just 13.8 points per game. The rushing attack ranks 31st in the league. Ward has been sacked a NFL-high 25 times already, which is more than he was sacked all last year in college at Miami.
That is where the real concern lies now for the Titans. The offense is terrible and the glimpses of promise in Ward have been few and far between. He’s completing just 55 percent of his passes, has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and ranks 33rd in the league in QB rating. How much can you expect him to develop on this team? It’s a fair question, but the number one goal of this season has always been to see what you have in Ward as he continues to develop. You want to see a moment that confirms to you that he is unquestionably the guy moving forward.
Marcus Mariota had a perfect passer rating in his first NFL start. Will Levis matched him with four touchdown passes when he made his NFL debut two years ago against the Falcons. Ward’s thrown just three touchdowns on an offense that statistically is even worse than the one Levis led last season before being benched. The signature play of his first six weeks was an interception that was fumbled into the end zone for a touchdown during the fourth quarter comeback in Arizona.
It took the improbable for the Titans to beat the Cardinals. A week later, after being handled by the Raiders, it is clear wins will be few and far between this season. So all eyes shift to Ward’s progress in becoming more decisive, more accurate, and his ability to produce more points on an offense that does not have enough talent around him.
Make no mistake, as the losses pile up the biggest concern now is Ward and his ability to survive this season with the belief that he is the guy for the future still intact.
