Titans, Week 3 — What Repeats: Ward's Clean Streak Ended

The steadiest thing in this offense broke on Sunday. Cam Ward threw 36 passes at the Giants, and the charters marked three of them interception-worthy, a ball a defender should have caught. That is eight percent of his throws, fifth-highest of the 32 offenses this week, with the league median at three. In the first two weeks he threw 52 passes and none was charted that way. Last season it was under three percent. The first of the three came late in the first half: third and 14 at the Giants 41, 50 seconds left, down six to nothing, incomplete for Gunnar Helm. The other two came from the Giants seven. Second and five with one 20 left in the third quarter, down 12 to nothing, incomplete for Wan'Dale Robinson. Then the interception, first and goal with 24 seconds left in the game, thrown for Elic Ayomanor and intercepted by Jevon Holland. None of the three was charted catchable, and none was contested. The Recap has the interception. The charting says it was the third ball of its kind, not the first.

The rest of the throws looked like the first two weeks. 25 of the 36 were catchable, 69 percent, tied with Indianapolis for sixteenth this week and right at the league median. Four throws were contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together, and all four fell incomplete. Nothing was dropped on the 25 catchable balls, a second straight week without a drop. Play-action stayed above last season: a run fake on nine of 36 dropbacks, 25 percent, against 19 last season. The nine throws off a fake went eight for 62 yards, including the 20 to Carnell Tate that was Ward's longest completion of the day. The 27 without one went 15 for 119. The fake worked as a short-gain tool. It did not produce a shot.

The figure the notebook had marked to hold did not hold. Ward was out of the pocket on five of 36 dropbacks, 14 percent, 20-sixth of the 32 this week, with the median at 19. In the first two weeks it was 28 29 percent, eighth and fourth in the league; last season the team figure was about one in five. Four of the five came in the fourth quarter, the interception among them. The rush does not explain the change. The Giants sent five or more pass rushers on 10 of 36 dropbacks, 28 percent, sixteenth this week and close to what this offense faced last season. No sack counted against Ward. He stayed in the pocket by choice or by design, and the charting cannot say which.

Pre-snap motion collapsed. Tennessee used motion on 19 of 72 charted plays, 26 percent, the lowest rate of the 32 offenses this week. One week earlier the same offense was at 51 percent, thirteenth in the league, and last season it was about 35. The split by half was eight of 30 before halftime and 11 of 42 after, so the second-half offense the Recap described did not bring the motion back with it.

Last week's notebook said to count the box when the long run came. The count was heavy. The Giants showed six or fewer defenders in the box on seven of Tennessee's 21 designed runs, 33 percent, tied for twentieth with Baltimore, Indianapolis and Minnesota. A week earlier the Eagles showed a light box on 63 percent, and last season this offense saw one on 59. The 21 runs went for 81 yards, 3.9 a run. The seven into a light box gained 39, the other 14 42. Both of Pollard's runs past 10 yards, the 12 and the 16, came against six in the box. Here is the piece a first-time listener needs: last season opponents saw a light box on 54 percent of their designed runs against the Giants. New York did not show Tennessee last season's front. It showed a heavier one, and a run game that had gained more than four yards a designed run in each of the first two weeks finished under four.

On defense the story is a small rush that still got home. Tennessee sent five or more pass rushers on four of the Giants' 26 dropbacks, 15 percent, thirtieth of the 32 defenses this week, against 23 last season. The Recap counted three sacks anyway, and two came with four rushers: Alontae Taylor's in the first quarter and Keldric Faulk's in the fourth. Jeffery Simmons's, on third and three early in the second quarter, came with five. The charters charged Taylor's to Jameis Winston and did not charge the other two to him. What the rush did not do was disturb the ball. Winston's throws were catchable on 17 of 22, 77 percent, the tenth-highest rate any defense allowed this week, and opposing quarterbacks have now been above last season's 72 in all three games. Two of the 17 were dropped, Isaiah Likely on the first Giants pass of the game and Cam Skattebo with 41 seconds left in the half. By the play-by-play, Winston's throws travelled about six yards past the line on average. The 100 passing yards allowed, net of sacks, owed a good deal to short throws, two drops and those three sacks.

Against the run the box was near last season's. Tennessee showed six or fewer on 16 of 31 Giants designed runs, 52 percent, twelfth this week, against 51 across last season. Those 31 runs went for four yards a carry.

The stat lines have settled, scored half-PPR. Robinson led Tennessee with 15.2: seven catches on 11 targets for 57 and the touchdown. Pollard 11.6, 17 carries for 74 four catches for 22. Ward 9.4, 23 of 36 for 181, a touchdown and the interception. Tate caught six of nine for 58, 8.8.

One last time on the yardstick. Every "last season" in this episode is 2025, a different roster doing different jobs, and this is the final week the show measures against it. From next week the comparison is this team's own first three games.

The thread, restated for anyone new. Tennessee went three and 14 last season. This year the Titans lost to the Jets 23 to 10, to the Eagles 24 to 20, and at the Giants 12 to seven, and they are oh and three. Last week's notebook held three things: 52 straight clean throws, an out-of-pocket rate well above last year in both weeks, and a run game whose long gains came against light boxes. Sunday broke two of them. Three interception-worthy balls ended the clean streak, and the out-of-pocket rate fell from fourth in the league to 20-sixth. The third got its answer: a heavier box and a quieter run game, though both long runs still came against six. What held is the fake, eight completions on nine throws. Tennessee plays at the Ravens next.

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._