Titans, Week 2 — What Repeats: Play-Action Came Back for Ward

Last week's episode left this offense with one question: whether the play-action yardage would come back. It came back on Sunday, in a small package. Cam Ward threw five passes off a run fake and completed three for 74 yards, the 25 to Calvin Ridley in the third quarter and the 41 to Elic Ayomanor in the fourth quarter. His other 15 throws produced 10 completions for 109. In Week 1 his six play-action throws went two for 15. Last season, 100 of his throws came off play-action and produced 701 yards. And the fake reached past the throws. Tennessee used play-action on seven of its 24 dropbacks, 29 percent, twelfth of the 32 teams this week, with the median at 24 and a half; last week 18 percent, tied for 20-third, and last season 19. The seven were the five throws, Ward's touchdown scramble that, with the kick, tied the game, and Jalen Carter's sack on first and goal. Five throws is a sample, not a trend. But it is the first week this season the run fake has paid.

Ward's throws otherwise look a lot like last week's, and that is now the steadiest thing in this offense. 13 of 20 were charted catchable, 65 percent, tied with Pittsburgh for 20-fifth of the 32 this week, with the median at 73. Last week 69, last season 66 and a half. None of the 20 was interception-worthy, a ball a defender should have caught, and none of the 32 last week was either; last season he threw 15 on 540. 52 throws in two games, nothing up for grabs. None of the 20 was contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together, which ties Minnesota for the fewest of the 32 teams, against 12 percent for him last season and 16 last week. No drops on 13 catchable balls, two throwaways. The Recap called the passing game small and mostly clean, and the charting agrees: nothing up for grabs, nothing into traffic, nothing dropped.

The other thing that repeated is where he threw from. Tennessee's quarterback was out of the pocket on seven of the team's 24 dropbacks, 29 percent, fourth-highest of the 32 teams this week, after 28 percent and eighth last week. Last season the team figure, all quarterbacks, was 131 of 646, about one in five. Twice now well above last year, and that is one to hold. It did not come with a heavy rush: Philadelphia sent five or more pass rushers on five of 24 dropbacks, 21 percent, 20-eighth of the 32, against 26 percent faced by this offense last season. Of the two sacks, the one at his own 27 in the second quarter was charted as Ward's fault; Carter's was not.

The run game is the Recap's headline, and the box count tells you what it stood on. Philadelphia showed six or fewer in the box on 17 of Tennessee's 27 designed runs, 63 percent, fifth-highest of the 32 teams this week, with the median at 44. Last season this offense saw a light box on 59 percent of its designed runs; last week it was four of 10. The 27 went for 117 yards, 4.3 a run, seventh-best of the 32. The 17 light-box runs gained 91 yards, the 10 against seven or more gained 26. All three runs of 10 yards or more, Tony Pollard's 13 18 and Tyjae Spears's 27, came against six in the box, and the other 14 light-box runs gained 33. Here is the context a first-time listener needs: last season opponents saw a light box on 68 percent of their designed runs against the Eagles. The big gains came against the front this defense showed everyone a year ago. Next time out, watch how many are in the box when the long one comes.

The scheme moved in one place. Motion on 34 of 67 charted plays, 51 percent, thirteenth of the 32 this week; last week it was 37 percent and 20-eighth, and last season 35 and a half. That is new this week and has not repeated yet. Tempo reversed: no-huddle on six percent of snaps, after 22 percent last week, the league's highest, and 10 percent last season. Two things stayed below last season for a second straight week. The run-pass option on two of 51 snaps, four percent, against eight percent last week and 11 last season. Screens on two of 24 dropbacks, eight percent, tied with Minnesota for thirteenth, against five last week and 11 last season.

On defense, the box went the other way from last week, and the run defense held anyway. Tennessee showed six or fewer on 18 of Philadelphia's 30 designed runs, 60 percent, tied with Dallas and the Chargers for seventh of the 32 this week. Last week it was 13 of 33 against the Jets, 39 percent and 20-first, and last season 51 percent. A lighter box than this defense showed last season, and the 30 runs went for 78 yards, 2.6 a run, the eighth-fewest allowed of the 32. The 18 into the light box gained 48.

The pass defense's charting reset from last week. Jalen Hurts's throws were catchable on 27 of 37, 73 percent, fifteenth this week, after the Jets put 23 of 24 where a receiver could catch them, the highest in the league last week. Last season opponents managed 72 against this defense. Tennessee sent five or more on nine of 42 dropbacks, 21 percent, 20-seventh of the 32, against 23 percent last season and 27 last week. The Recap counted three sacks after none in Week 1. The charters charged two of them to Hurts, both ruled sacks going out of bounds, and credited the rush with Jacob Martin's. Only two of Hurts's throws were contested, five percent, against 13 for this defense's opponents last season. And of the two interceptions, only Amani Hooker's in the end zone was charted interception-worthy; the second was charted neither interception-worthy nor catchable. Hurts's eight play-action throws went four for 31.

The stat lines have settled, scored half-PPR. Ward led Tennessee with 20, 13 of 20 for 183, no touchdown passes, and four carries for seven and both rushing touchdowns. Spears eight, seven carries for 41 two catches for 29. Ayomanor 7.9, two catches for 69 on three targets. Pollard 14 carries for 64, seven. Ridley two for 35. For Philadelphia, DeVonta Smith caught 10 of 13 targets for 117 and a touchdown, 22.7.

About the comparisons. The show is named for a question two games cannot settle. Every "last season" above is the 2025 season, a roster a year older, some of it doing different jobs. Through Week 3 there is no other baseline, and it tells you what was unusual on Sunday, not what is true. Week 1 is last week, one game. A figure far from last season in the same direction twice is the first sign of a repeat, and that is all we will call it.

The thread, for anyone new. Last season Tennessee went three and 14, 30-first in the league in passing offense and 20-ninth in pass defense by expected points per play. The Titans lost to the Jets 23 to 10 in Week 1 and to the Eagles 24 to 20 here, and they are oh and two. Last week the notebook asked whether the play-action yards would come back and whether a heavier box on defense was one opponent or a plan. Updated honestly: the play-action yards came back on five throws; the heavier box did not repeat, this week it was lighter than last season and the run defense held; Ward's throws have now been clean for 52 straight, and he has been out of the pocket more often than last year both weeks. The run game's big day came on three runs against a light box of the kind Philadelphia showed everybody last season; the next defense will tell us more than this one did.

That's your Titans — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Titans show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._