How Did Cam Ward Fare In NFL Debut?

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward made his debut in Sunday's 20-12 Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. Ward completed 12-of-28 passing attempts for 112 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He was so much better than the stat line indicates.

The Titans started the game with two running plays. They ended up in a 3rd-and-long after losing one yard. That's when Ward made his first eye-popping play. 

In the grasp of a Broncos defender, Ward shrewdly flipped the ball to a wide-open Tony Pollard for a 29-yard gain. It was reminiscent of the magic he often created at Miami last year.

The Titans attempted to establish the run through Pollard to prevent Ward from facing 3rd-and-obvious passing downs on the road against a defense that posted a league-leading 63.0 sacks last season. They failed miserably, routinely placing Ward in difficult scenarios. Pollard lost a fumble and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. The Titans netted 71 rushing yards.

Ward routinely made big-time throws, but received no help from his teammates. One peculiar sequence will haunt head coach Brian Callahan. Ward appeared to have completed a gorgeous ball to rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor near the sideline on 1st-and-20 for a would-be explosive chain-mover. Ayomanor appeared to have tapped his elbow down in bounds, but the refs ruled it incomplete. Instead of challenging the play, Callahan provided a clunky explanation during his postgame presser that strongly indicated he didn't understand the rule (one elbow = two feet).

The Titans spent large portions of the offseason trying to eliminate self-inflicted wounds after going an NFL-worst 3-14 last season. They failed in Week 1, as they were penalized 13 times for 131 yards, placing Ward in difficult situations. That's unacceptable.

Money was spent during the offseason on Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Zeitler to fortify Ward's offensive line. Ward was sacked six times. Moore allowed seven pressures to Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto, according to Next Gen Stats. It's not surprising that a new-look offensive line struggled against the Broncos' top-ranked pass rush, but it didn't meet their lofty expectations, and their form is worth monitoring moving forward, considering they are paying offensive line coach Bill Callahan $3 million per season.

Denver's defense took routine advantage. Ward faced a Broncos defense that generated pressure on eight of their 10 blitzes. It was the highest pressure rate the Broncos have generated on blitzes in a single game since at least 2018, beat reporter Easton Freeze noted.

When Ward did have time in the pocket, he scanned the field and delivered accurate balls, on time and on schedule. On this drop back in particular, he fires a laser to rookie tight end Gunnar Helm before he’s even out of his break. It resulted in a nice gain near the sideline.

Drops were a recurring issue that plagued Ward, though. Much was made about the offseason connection between him and Calvin Ridley. Ridley was credited with three drops and was a non-factor, with Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II essentially eliminating him from the game plan, per NGS. Ayomanor also had a drop as the Titans' cast of playmakers constantly let Ward down.

Ward was often outstanding, but the Titans looked like the 3-14 team they were last season. The rookie signal-caller received no support from his coaching staff or teammates on offense. It was a positive debut for Ward that'll go underappreciated because everything else was so bad.