Tennessee’s rookie quarterback breaks down the missing ingredient for Brian Daboll’s unit after a sluggish preseason, emphasizing the urgent need to convert deep shots into explosive touchdowns.
We have now had two preseason games to analyze this Tennessee Titans offense under Brian Daboll.
There's been plenty of ups and downs so far.
In the first game, the offense looked very good on the opening drive. The Titans took the ball 95 yards and scored on a Tony Pollard touchdown versus the San Francisco 49ers.
Then, the starters fell flat, and the offense came to a screeching halt. Cam Ward finished that game with 57 passing yards and went 5-of-12.
The running game looked very solid throughout the contest. The Titans ended the night with 167 rushing yards and were led by Julius Chestnut, who recorded 47 rushing yards on five carries.
On Sunday night, the Titans faced the Seattle Seahawks. Ward looked better, ending his night going 8-for-12 with 69 passing yards.
The Titans didn't perform as well as they did in the first game, but they were still pretty good. Tennessee ended up rushing for 128 yards as a team.
The Titans are 2-0, but they've only scored two touchdowns so far. Luckily, kicker Joey Slye has been reliable. He had another outing where he hit all four of his attempted field goals.
This offense has looked sluggish at times throughout the preseason, and Ward weighed in on how it can improve before the season opener. At Sunday's presser after the game, he stated that the next step for the offense is to hit on more explosive plays.
"The biggest improvement is, you know, connecting on deep plays," Ward said. "We only get a certain amount of shots that we get to take each and every game because the defenses are so good. So, when we get to play downfield, myself and the receivers, we have to make the plays. So, I either need to throw a catchable ball, and then they're gonna do their job by attacking it and making a play. I think that's what's left for us, and then we'll be a pretty solid offense."
The Titans missed on a couple of what could have turned into explosive plays in the first half.
Elic Ayomanor was 1-on-1 with a Seahawks cornerback, and Ward underthrew the pass. If Ward had thrown it more upfield, the Titans might have had a touchdown.
Then, there was the missed opportunity to pick up a first down in the second quarter. Ward nearly made another one of his impossible throws that we saw so much during his rookie year.
It was a 3rd-and-7, and Gunnar Helm was wide open. Ward was under pressure and rolled out and threw a great ball to him, but Helm couldn't keep both feet in bounds.
Ward only finished with 69 passing yards in the win, but if he had hit on those two plays, his stats would've looked even better.
Games can sometimes come down to which teams execute more explosive plays. If the Titans are able to have more success in these situations, the results may start to come.
