The Washington Commanders will face consecutive first year coaching staffs in 2026 when they travel to face the Tennessee Titans in week 13
After taking a look at early season matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals, we dive into the Washington Commanders' week 13 opponent when they travel to Tennessee to face a first-year Titans' coaching staff.
2025 Record: 3-14, Fourth in AFC South
Key Players: Cam Ward, Jeffery Simmons, Carnell Tate, Peter Skoronski, Jermaine Johnson, Tony Polland, Wen’Dale Robinson
Key Losses: Kevin Zeitler, Chig Okonkwo, Arden Key, Sebastian Joseph, Johnny Hekker
Key Additions: Carnell Tate, Jermaine Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor, Cordale Flott, Daniel Bellinger
How They Fared:
The Titans were one of four teams to finish 3-14 last year, but due to various tiebreakers, they ended up with the fourth overall pick in the Draft. They started the year 1-11 and only won one game by more than two points. That came against a Mahomes-less Kansas City team, which was the game where they lost backup Gardner Minshew. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward went through some early-season struggles but played his best football down the stretch, throwing 10 of his 15 passing touchdowns in the final eight games with only one interception. He was also sacked only 17 times in that period, compared to 38 in his first nine games. Impressive for someone who didn’t have the best supporting cast in 2025. Tight end Chig Okonkwo led everyone in catches and yards, while the top wide receiver was rookie fourth-round pick Elic Ayomanor. Projected top target Calvin Ridley missed 10 games due to a hamstring injury. Overall the team finished 30th in passing yards, rushing yards, and points scored. Running back Tony Pollard rushed for over 1000 yards and had twice as many as the rest of the team combined. Defensively, it wasn’t much better, as the team was 28th in points given up and 23rd in passing yards. Against the run, the Titans finished 15th in yards given up but 28th in touchdowns. They only intercepted six passes on the year, and two players had at least five sacks.
2026 Expectations:
DraftKings has the Titans at +800 to win the AFC South and +13000 to win the Super Bowl, tied with the Falcons. If Ward can take the next step and other players step up around him, the Titans could surprise people.
Key Matchup: Tennessee O-Line vs Washington Front Seven
Washington’s front seven was completely transformed in one offseason. While Daron Payne is still the best player on the defense, the Commanders looked to upgrade his supporting cast. It started with signing pass rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh, and linebacker Leo Chenal to the linebacking core. Tim Settle and Charles Omenihu team with Payne, Jer’Zhan Newton, and Javon Kinlaw on the defensive line. Then the team drafted middle linebacker Sonny Styles seventh overall as the new leader of the defense. While there will be some growing pains along the way, the hope is that the group will be playing at full force around this time of the season. Going up against a Tennessee offensive line that gave up 56 sacks last year, the sixth-most in the league last year, the plan will be to get to Cam Ward early and often. However, Ward and the offensive line got better as the 2025 season went on, and the Titans quarterback was only sacked 17 times in the final eight games, compared to 38 in the first nine. The team will be looking for big seasons from former first-rounders Peter Skoronski and JC Latham. Dan Moore is entering his second year as the team’s left tackle after signing a big free agent deal last offseason. Austin Schlottmann was signed during this offseason as the starting center, with fellow 2026 offseason signee Cordell Volson coming in to play right guard. Both teams are looking for improvements from these parts of their teams and the ones that perform better will decide the outcome of this game.
