NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Houston Texans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things to watch in the contest:
Can Cam Ward Finish Strong?
A big part of this season was always going to be about gauging Cam Ward's progress. After nine games, Ward ranks first among rookie quarterbacks with 1,760 passing yards this season. Ward has just five passing touchdowns on the season, however, which is the fewest by any quarterback with 120 passing attempts. Ward and the offensive coaching staff spent the bye week looking for ways to improve. While Ward has had some nice moments this season, he needs to cut down on the turnovers, and make more plays for the Titans to win games. The Titans are last in the NFL in scoring offense (14.4 points per game) and yards per game average (244.0).
Third Down Offense
One of the areas the team identified as a problem spot is third down offense. Yes, fans who've watched the games have figured this out as well. The Titans are just 33-of-116 on third down this season, which is only 28.4 percent. The inability to convert on third down has killed drives, and momentum. Part of the reason the team has struggled on third down, of course, is because of issues on first and second down – they've been in way too many third and long situations. If the Titans are going to put together scoring drives that end with touchdowns, they're going to have to be better across the board, but especially on third down.
Calvin Ridley and Others
Some good news for the Titans: Receiver Calvin Ridley returned to practice this week, which puts him in a position to return to action this week. Ridley is arguably the team's most dynamic player, a speedster who can stretch the defense. Ridley's 18.1-yard per catch easily leads all of the team's receivers. In six games, Ridley has 16 catches for 290 yards, with a long of 47. Of course, others are going to need to produce as well, receivers and tight ends included. An interesting nugget: The Titans have nine different players with at least 10 receptions this season (including Tyler Lockett, who is now with the Raiders). That's tied with the Chiefs, 49ers, Broncos and Browns for the most such players in the NFL this season.
Protect Cam
It's going to take everyone performing better on offense for the unit to improve, and that includes the team's offensive line. The Texans are known for their defense, ranked first in scoring (allowing just 16.7 points per game) and in yards allowed (261.3 yards per game). One of the biggest strengths for the Texans is their pass rush. Danielle Hunter leads the Texans with 7.5 sacks this season, and he's coming off a monster game, when he recorded 3.5 sacks, 4 QB hits and 4 TFLs against the Jaguars. Fellow d-lineman Will Anderson Jr. has a sack in four straight games, and he has 46 QB pressures this season. If the Titans are going to have any success throwing the ball, the o-line is going to need to hold up – the 38 sacks allowed so far are most in the NFL.
An Ever-Changing Defense
The Titans are ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 28.6 points per game, and 25th in total defense, allowing 356.7 points per game. Has the unit been great? Obviously not. There have been too many explosive plays, and too many missed tackles. But this defense has been like a revolving door with personnel, as players have been traded, released, and injured. DC Dennard Wilson deserves credit for keeping things together through it all. Dre'Mont Jones (traded) and safety Quandre Diggs (waived) are two starters who've departed since the team's last game, joining players like Jarvis Brownlee (traded), Roger McCreary (traded), and L'Jarius Sneed (on IR). Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons returned to practice on Thursday, and we'll probably learn more about his status on Friday. Edge rusher Arden Key is poised to return on a defense that will be stressed against a Texans offense that ended last week with momentum. Davis Mills will start at QB for the Texans.
Chimere Dike
Rookie returner Chimere Dike has been one of the team's brightest stars this season. With 1,514 all-purpose yards, he needs 186 this week to become the sixth player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger with 1,700 all-purpose yards in the first 10 games. With 1,108 kickoff return yards in 2025, he needs 133 more yards to surpass Darius Reynaud (1,240 in 2012) for the second-highest single-season total in the "Titans era." He would trail only Marc Mariani (1,530 in 2020). Dike can become the franchise's first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and the NFL's seventh player since then to reach 200 all-purpose yards in three consecutive games. Watching the Titans in the return game is fun once again.
