NASHVILLE – Cam Ward brought some magic to his Nissan Stadium debut on Sunday.
Unfortunately for the Titans, all the fun disappeared in the second half, when the Rams pulled away.
"Frustrating to start a season 0 and 2, certainly," Coach Brian Callahan said after his team's 33-19 loss. "I still have a lot of belief in our football team, that we can win games in this league, in this season. But right now, we haven't put together a game that is worthy of winning, against two really, really good football teams to start.
"We have to bounce back."
Ward, selected first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, electrified the crowd with a highlight-reel throw for his first career touchdown pass.
It came near the end of the first half in what was a back-and-forth game for a while.
But the Titans couldn't sustain the momentum, and with the loss dropped to 0-2.
Ward completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown in the game. But the rookie quarterback was also sacked five times, and he lost the ball on a fumble, which set up a Rams score.
"We just have to continue to have urgency," Ward said. "Offensively, we just have to have urgency every play. At the end of the day, we have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. … We have to lock in."
Running back Tony Pollard carried the ball 20 times for 92 yards in a game when kicker Joey Slye made all four of his field goal attempts.
But the Titans defense had trouble stopping Los Angeles from scoring touchdowns on Sunday, as quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 33 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rams racked up 439 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.
The Titans were penalized 10 times for 62 yards in the contest, making things even more difficult on themselves.
"As a team, whether it's offense, defense, special teams," linebacker Cody Barton said, "we didn't do enough to win the game. We didn't do enough as a team to win the game, that's it."
The Titans got off to a tough start, and after rallying for a halftime lead, saw the Rams separate from them in the second half before an announced crowd of 59,069.
The Rams took a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the contest when receiver Puka Nacua took a handoff on 4th and 1 and raced 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Titans cut the lead to 7-3 in a 55-yard field goal by Slye, before the Rams extended their lead to 10-3 on a 21-yard field goal by kicker Joshua Karty.
It looked like the Titans had seized the momentum on a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown by rookie Chimere Dike, but the play was called back because of an illegal blindside block by linebacker Cedric Gray, which set off loud boos at Nissan Stadium.
But those boos changed to cheers minutes later, when Ward connected with rookie Elic Ayomanor for a nine-yard touchdown pass, which made it 10-10.
Only this wasn't your average nine-yard touchdown pass.
On the play, Ward ran to his right, and then threw across the field – and his body -- to Ayomanor, who'd previously made a great one-handed catch off his shoulder pads to keep the drive alive.
Nissan Stadium erupted after Ward's throw, and a big celebration followed.
"The o-line gave me time, and Elic, just knowing what I like on the scramble drill," Ward said. "(After that) it was just us connecting on the play. It was exciting to throw my first touchdown. I just wish it came after a win."
Then, on the next possession for the Rams, Barton intercepted Stafford.
The Titans got into field goal position, and Slye kicked his second field goal of the day, to give the Titans a 13-10 lead at halftime.
The Rams got the ball to start the second half, and a 26-yard field goal by Karty early in the third quarter made it 13-13. The Titans defense, for the second time in the game, kept the Rams out of the end zone after they had a first and goal situation.
Then the Titans responded with a scoring drive of their own, and capped it off with a 57-yard field goal by Slye with 3:32 left in the third quarter to reclaim the lead at 16-13.
Things went downhill from there, however.
The Rams answered Tennessee's score with a four-play, 69-yard drive they capped off with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Davis Allen, which made it 20-16 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.
Ward was then sacked early in the fourth quarter, and he lost the football at the Tennessee 21-yard line.
The Rams made the Titans pay, in a hurry, as Stafford connected with Davante Adams for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 27-16 with 9:40 left in the contest.
A few minutes later, Rams running back Blake Corum scored on a one-yard touchdown to make it 33-16 Rams with 6:45 left in the contest.
Slye's fourth field goal of the game for the Titans, this one from 35 yards, made it 33-19 with 2:40 left, but it was too little, too late.
The Titans return to action next Sunday against the Colts at Nissan Stadium.
"We have to come back ready to work," defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "This is how we can turn this season around, by winning a big game in our division, against the Colts. We know that is going to be a tough one – it is always tough against those guys. We just have to come back with a mindset that we need to go 1 and 0. That is the mindset and hopefully that is the message. We are still in this thing. After two games, do we want to be 0 and 2? No. But the goal and the message should be: Let's go 1 and 0 this week."
The Tennessee Titans take on the Los Angeles in Week 2 at Nissan Stadium.
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Camden Hall/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Camden Hall/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Camden Hall/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau Brune/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams compete at Nissan Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
