Cam Ward — Week 1: Thirty-Two Yards Before Halftime
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Ward's first half was ten pass plays and thirty-two yards, and he threw thirty-two times overall for a hundred forty yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, with three sacks — the third for eleven yards to the Tennessee one. The touchdown was third and ten at the New York eleven with two forty-five left, eleven yards to Elic Ayomanor, in a 23–10 loss to the Jets. His four scrambles were worth more expected points than his thirty-five pass plays.
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Cam Ward's first half Sunday was 10 pass plays and 32 yards. Those 10, on 17 Tennessee offensive snaps before halftime, came out at −4.7 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position. The low point was the last throw of the half: third and three at the New York 49, a minute 22 left, Titans down 10 to three, deep middle for Carnell Tate, 21 yards in the air, incomplete. That play cost five points of win probability, the chance of winning before and after it, and it was the biggest single swing against Tennessee on any pass all day.
The full line: 19 completions on 32 throws, a hundred 40 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, three sacks for 13 yards on 35 pass plays. A hundred 90 air yards on the 32 throws, and every one of the 19 completions was marked short in the play-by-play; the five deep throws — to Tony Pollard, to Tate twice, to Elic Ayomanor, and one with no intended receiver — all fell incomplete. The sack that hurt was second and 14 at the Tennessee 12, 13 40 left in the fourth, Will McDonald, −11 yards to the one. The touchdown came on the last drive: third and 10 at the New York 11, two 45 left, down 23 to three, short right to Ayomanor for 11, +3.4 expected points.
The scrambles were the good part. Four of them for 21 yards, two of them third-down conversions on the first drive — four yards on third and three from the Tennessee 42, five on third and three from the New York 47 — and the four came out at +2.5 expected points, better than the whole of the passing game. Tennessee converted four of 12 third downs; two were Ward's legs, one was Wan'Dale Robinson's 10-yard catch on third and four, one was the touchdown. The ball went to Tate and Robinson six times each, Helm five, Tyjae Spears four, Ayomanor three, Pollard two, one each to Daniel Bellinger and Chimere Dike, and four throws had no intended receiver. Robert Saleh said afterward that Ward missed a couple, per Lane Mills at Titans On SI.
Back in June the preview put Ward on the watchlist — ranked 20-fourth, nine slots above where his rookie rate had him, a bet that a rebuilt offense would fix the 55 sacks. Sunday the sacks were three, which is the fixed part, and the yards were a hundred 40 on 32 throws, which is not. One game does not decide a bet about a whole offense, and this one was played almost entirely from behind. Tennessee is home to the Eagles on Sunday the twentieth. Watch whether a deep ball lands.
_Data via nflverse._
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