NASHVILLE – The Titans lost 40-23 to the Jaguars on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Senior Writer and Editor Jim Wyatt takes a look at six things that stood out from the contest:
Cam Ward's Day
I thought Titans quarterback Cam Ward had a pretty solid day, completing 28-of-39 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns, and a 93.0 rating. Ward competed a career-long 50-yard pass to receiver Elic Ayomanor, and he also had a career-long 26-yard run. Ward directed five scoring drives on the day, including a quick four-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Tony Pollard, which kept the Titans in it. Ward wasn't perfect, however – he was intercepted by Travis Hunter when he threw the ball across his body, and there were some misses that resulted in drives stalling. "I think what wasn't good enough is we're consistently, myself, we're having turnovers off sudden change," Ward said. "That's where we have to be able to make the defensive turnover count as points. … I have to better protecting the ball in that situation. But I always think we're getting better each and every week. We're very young, but we don't take that as an excuse. We think we can compete with anybody in the NFL. We are competing with anybody in the NFL. We just got to try to win games."
Third Down Failures
Offensively, the Titans were just 2-of-11 (18.2%) on third down, including going 0-4 in the second half. The Titans had trouble getting off the field on defense, too, as the Jaguars were 7-of-14 (50%) on third down, which kept scoring drives alive. If you're looking for reasons why the Titans gave up 40 points, this is one of the reasons. "Our biggest problem was third down," linebacker Cedric Gray said. "I thought we fought hard, I thought we played hard. But something I felt like throughout the game, third down, we couldn't get off the field."
Cedric Gray's Impact
With starting linebackers Anthony Hill Jr. and Cody Barton out for Sunday's game with injuries, Gray got a chance to play the entire game, and he was very noticeable. Gray intercepted Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on a deflected pass in the first quarter, and he also delivered a bit hit on Lawrence. Gray was in the backfield for a few stops, and he was also impactful downfield in coverage. Gray was credited with a team-high nine tackles in the contest. "It was something I'd been praying for, waiting for this opportunity all year," Gray said. "I just tried to take full advantage of it."
Controversial Calls
A pair of controversial officiating decisions led to a key Jacksonville touchdown. In the third quarter, officials called Titans defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers for roughing the passer on Lawrence, who had just thrown an incompletion on third down. Instead of Jacksonville kicking a field goal, the Jaguars got a first down. "I didn't touch the dude," Franklin-Myers said. "I don't know what that is. What can you do?" Later in the drive, Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Brenton Strange on a fourth-down play that ended with Titans coach Robert Saleh berating officials on what he felt should have been an offensive pass interference penalty because of a pick play. "They picked," Saleh said. "I mean, the pick damn near happened in the end zone."
Joey Slye's Big Hit
Titans kicker Joey Slye was a linebacker in high school, and he showed off his hitting skills on Sunday. Slye delivered the boom on Jaguars returner Josh Cameron, which dislodged the football and left his teammates hyped. The Jaguars recovered the football, but Slye's big hit was among the day's most memorable moments. "When you get them in the right position like that," Slye said, "you almost don't feel the tackle." Slye, who made three field goals of at least 50 yards on Sunday, said the hit ranks in the top three among his all-time hits, dating back to high school. "I had a hit against a kid my sophomore year," Slye recalled. "I actually broke my nose, I broke his collarbone on a hit, made him fumble." Slye said he doesn't practice tackling technique, but his experience of playing linebacker still helps him today. "I'm not going to sit here and say it's never left," Slye said. "But sometimes it's like getting back on the bike a little bit. If you know what you are doing and not afraid to get in the position to do it … as long as you bring the intensity to it you are going to make most tackles."
Struggling Defense
Earlier in the season, the Titans lost a lot of games because the offense hardly produced points. There were questions about whether defenders were getting frustrated. Times have changed. Now, the Tennessee offense is doing enough to win games, and the defense is the unit that's struggling. A week after surrendering 43 points, 29 first downs and 510 yards of offense in an overtime loss to the Bengals, the Titans gave up 40 points, 27 first downs and 459 yards and in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. Doing the quick math, that's 83 points, 56 first downs and 969 yards combined in the past two games. The absence of Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker, and others on Sunday, is really starting to show.
