NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Los Angeles Rams in the home opener on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things to watch in the contest:
Cam Take 2
Titans quarterback Cam Ward's Week 1 stat line doesn't look great – 12 of 28 for 112 yards, with a 54.5 rating. But those who watched Ward against the Broncos saw a rookie who looked poised, confident, and in command. Sure, Ward missed some throws, and he held onto the ball too long on a few occasions when he was sacked. But Ward was also victimized by a number of drops in the opener, on a day when his protection wasn't great, and he was put in too many long down-and-distance situations. On Sunday, Ward will make his regular season home debut against the Rams. Can Ward show even more improvement his second time out? On Sunday, Ward will aim to become just the seventh No.1 overall QB pick to win his first home start.
More From Receivers
I mentioned the drops. Receiver Calvin Ridley beat himself up this week for his three drops in the opener, but he wasn't the only one who failed to come up with catchable balls in the opener. Other players had chances to help Ward, too, and the reality is it just didn't happen as much as it should have. Across the board the Titans need to be better for their quarterback. On what's supposed to be a steamer of a day, look for the team to use more of a rotation at the receiver position, with Van Jefferson and Chimere Dike logging more snaps alongside Ridley, Elic Ayomanor and Tyler Lockett.
Better Protection
Ward was sacked six times in the opener, and the Rams have a formidable pass rush, too, led by edge Jared Verse, who had 4 QB pressures in Week 1 after racking up 76 as a rookie last season. Complicating matters for the Titans is the fact right tackle JC Latham has missed practices this week with a hip injury, and he indicated on Thursday he's not going to play in the game. Tackle Oli Udoh stepped in against the Broncos, and the team has other options as well. The Rams blitzed Texans QB C.J. Stroud eight times in Week 1, and after Ward didn't fare very well on the 10 blitzes he faced in Denver, they'll be coming after the rookie.
Defense
The Rams have a prolific passer in quarterback Matthew Stafford (21-29 for 245 yards and 1 TD in Week 1), along with some dynamic threats in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, who had 10 catches for 130 yards in Week 1 while lining up in the slot a career-high 63.6% of the routes. Rams running back Kyren Williams (18-66, 1 TD) also got off to a nice start in Week 1, and he's a force as well. The Titans will have their hands full on Sunday. Can they get their hands on the football again this week, after forcing three turnovers in the opener? Will cornerback L'Jarius Sneed be a bigger part of the plan? This much is certain: Getting a consistent pass rush will be important.
Special Teams
The Titans did a lot of good things on special teams in the opener. Kicker Joey Slye was a perfect 4-of-4, punter Johnny Hekker was effective (49.4 average), and returner Chimere Dike looked like he'd been doing the job for years, even as a rookie playing in his first game. New special teams coordinator John Fassel appears to have changed the mindset of his unit, and the Titans could benefit from another solid day on teams.
Importance of Week 2
History has proven a 0-1 start is not impossible to overcome. Since 1990, a total of 25 percent of teams (136 of 541) that lost their opener have advanced to the playoffs. But the Titans don't want to dig themselves into an early hole. With a win, the Titans could improve to 1-1 – Since 1990, teams starting 1-1 have made the playoffs 41.6% (211/507) of the time, won the division 23.5% (119/507) of the time, and won the Super Bowl 2.2% (11/507) of the time. Teams starting 0-2 have made the playoffs just 12.2% (35/288) of the time, won the division 6.6% (19/288) of the time, and won the Super Bowl 1.0% (3/288) of the time.
