The Ravens are set to host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday with a chance to start 3-1 for the first time since 2023. Here are five things to know about the Titans.
The Titans are in the midst of a rebuild.
After consecutive 3-14 seasons in 2024 and 2025, the Titans have started this season 0-3, making them the only NFL team to start 0-3 in each of the past three seasons.
With a new coaching staff that includes Head Coach Robert Saleh (former New York Jets head coach) and Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll (former Giants head coach), along with one of the NFL's 10 youngest rosters, Tennessee's early-season struggles are understandable.
How far they end up going, both in the near and distant future, lies heavily on their second-year quarterback, Cam Ward.
Ward has shown flashes of brilliance, but he's endured struggles, too.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft who captained the highest-scoring offense in college football that previous fall at Miami (Fla.), Ward has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career.
Ward has shown flashes of being Tennessee's long-term quarterback. He's thrown just eight interceptions in 628 career pass attempts (he has just two picks since Week 9 of last season). He can throw from all kinds of platforms and arm angles, which have helped him put together some Herculean sequences where he completed a pass under heavy duress.
All of these plays ended in completions.
"I think you can see the talent. You're not the No. 1 pick without having a lot of talent," Head Coach Jesse Minter said. "I had a chance to go against [Ward] last year, and it's a lot of things. [In his] rookie year, [it was an] unfortunate situation for him where I think he had two or three different play-callers throughout the season last year, different head coaches part of the way through the year.
"[Now] he gets a chance to really have a really good, established offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll to really help him develop. I think you see flashes."
There have also been rough patches. Last season, Ward took 55 sacks, which tied for the most in the NFL. He also tied for the NFL lead in fumbles (11) and had the most fumbles lost (7).
This season, Ward has struggled in noticeable facets. He is the only starting quarterback who hasn't completed a pass that traveled at least 20 air yards. In Week 3 against the New York Giants, Ward overthrew a wide-open Carnell Tate in the end zone (he also missed Tate for a would-be touchdown in Week 2); late in the fourth quarter, with a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown, Ward threw a game-sealing interception to Giants safety Jevón Holland in the end zone.
Although he can create positive plays out of structure and under pressure, Ward has been much better when he's getting the ball out quickly and isn't under siege, according to Next Gen Stats.
| Statistic | Completions | Attempts | Completion Percentage | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer Rating | Yards Per Attempt | Completion Percentage Over Expectation (CPOE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2.5 seconds to throw | 33 | 45 | 73.3 | 2 | 0 | 104.1 | 6.3 | +1.1 |
| Over 2.5 seconds to throw | 22 | 43 | 51.2 | 0 | 1 | 56.5 | 5.2 | -4.8 |
| Not pressured | 47 | 63 | 74.6 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 7.2 | +1 |
| Pressured | 8 | 25 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 54.6 | 2 | -9 |
Some have pointed to Ward's footwork as a cause for concern; the same reason he can make magic happen with defenders bearing down on him (throwing off-balance) has also arguably been why he can't connect on seemingly easier passes.
When asked about Ward's footwork, Saleh mentioned how often Ward was hit in 2025.
"You've got to remember the young man was sacked however many times last year, so I'm sure there’s some PTSD there," Saleh said, via NFL.com. "But he's getting better. He's trusting it."
Ward will face another tough test on Sunday, as the Ravens have been one of the best teams at pressuring the opposing quarterback through three weeks.
Overall, the Titans' offense has been one of the league's least productive units.
The Titans have intriguing players at the skill positions. Running back Tony Pollard has crossed 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons. Tate, the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, had a great game against the Giants and leads the Titans in targets along with receiving yards. Twitchy slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson was a 1,000-yard wideout in 2025. Second-year wideout Elic Ayomanor is a contested-catch specialist.
As a whole, however, the Titans haven't been able to move the ball well through three games. They're the only team whose three-and-out percentage is above 40. They're the only team that has more punt yards than yards of offense.
Also of note: Tennessee has been a much better second-half offense. Their second-half yardage totals in their first three games are 140, 195, and 208. The Ravens' defense has given up 220 more yards in the second half than they have in the first half through three games.
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is a one-man wrecking crew.
Ravens rookie Vega Ioane appears poised to make his first career start at center and he'll have his hands full.
A first-round pick in 2019, Simmons is a three-time All-Pro who's had at least five sacks and nine tackles for loss in every season since 2021. Last season, he tallied career highs in sacks (11), tackles for loss (17), and quarterback hits (21).
Against the Giants, Simmons logged a career high in single-game tackles with 10.
"I think Jeffery Simmons is a really good player," Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle said. "Every week in this job, you basically try to solve the problems of the week. They change every week. This is one of those times where obviously we have a little bit of inexperience in the interior. It is a strength of theirs, and so schematically, we are trying to create an advantage as best we can."
While Simmons is Tennessee's best defender, he's far from their only standout on that side of the ball.
The Titans have a stellar defense.
While Tennessee's offense has been a bottom-three unit so far, their defense is allowing just 19.7 points per game, which ranks No. 10 in the NFL. They also rank in the top 12 in yards per rushing attempt allowed and percent of opposing drives ending in a score.
It's not a surprise considering their head coach, Saleh, is widely considered one of the top defensive coaches in the league. He was the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator last season and also from 2017-20.
Tennessee's top two picks from this year's draft have flashed: rangy second-round linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. leads the NFL in total tackles (34) and was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month.
First-round edge rusher Keldric Faulk, meanwhile, has a couple of tackles for loss, including his first career sack last game against the Giants.
Elsewhere, cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and Marcus Harris have three tackles for loss apiece. Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is another player to watch, as he combined for 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons with the Denver Broncos before signing with the Titans in free agency.
After facing the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Giants, the Ravens will represent the Tennessee defense's toughest test yet. That includes Derrick Henry, who's facing his former team for the first time. The Titans allowed 142 rushing yards to Jets running backs in Week 1 but haven't allowed more than 60 yards to any running back since. Henry's 301 rushing yards rank fifth in the NFL.
