The Tennessee Titans are one of three 0-4 teams in the NFL and have been outscored by a staggering 69 points.
Even rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been one of the team’s many critics.
Ward and the Titans will take another swing at getting into the victory column when they face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon in Glendale, Ariz.
Tennessee was outclassed 26-0 by the Houston Texans last week in the first of three consecutive road games. The Titans possessed the ball for nearly 17 minutes less than Houston and had just 175 offensive yards.
Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft, thrashed his club afterward, saying, “We ass. … We dropped a quarter of our f—ing games, and we have yet to do anything.”
Ward received plenty of feedback from his teammates.
“It’s also been more of me seeing their side as well,” the QB said on Wednesday. “We had some conversations, but it’s been good. We’re still the same teammates in and outside the locker room. I’ve got some good guys around me. We know that we haven’t played our best ball yet. We’ve got a lot of potential on this roster. We’ve just got to go prove it on Sundays.”
Ward, 23, set season lows for completion rate (38.5 percent) and passing yardage (108) against the Texans.
Overall, Ward is completing a league-worst 51.2 percent of his throws (among qualifiers) for 614 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Tennessee coach Brian Callahan is watching closely. He said the postgame comments are part of Ward’s growing process.
“He’s still a young player,” Callahan said of Ward. “He’s the No. 1 overall pick. He’s a face of a franchise, if you will. He’s got high expectations for himself. We have high expectations around him. We all want to meet those.”
Arizona (2-2) dropped consecutive games by four total points to NFC West rivals San Francisco and Seattle the past two weeks.
The Cardinals fell 23-20 against the visiting Seahawks on Sept. 25. Kyler Murray threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Arizona overcame a 14-point deficit before falling on a field goal as time expired.
Arizona receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught six passes for 66 yards and one TD. Five of the receptions came in the second half after he had a shaky first half that included having a pass roll off his hands and into those of Seattle’s Ernest Jones IV for an interception.
Murray could relate to Harrison’s frustration.
“Everybody on that team and in that locker room has been in that situation,” Murray said. “Where … after a play you feel like you let everybody down, or you missed a play you feel you should’ve made.
“You’re in front of thousands of people, everyone is watching on TV, prime time. We’ve all been there. … The pats on the back almost make you more frustrated.”
Harrison visibly displayed his relief when he caught a fourth-quarter scoring pass.
“It was good to see one go through the hoop,” Harrison said.
The Cardinals sustained another blow at running back as Trey Benson (knee) was hurt against Seattle and placed on injured reserve Wednesday. One game earlier, standout back James Conner sustained a season-ending foot injury.
Arizona signed Michael Carter off the practice squad on Monday and either he or Emari Demercado will start on Sunday.
Defensive end Darius Robinson (pectoral) was the only Arizona player to miss the Wednesday practice due to injury.
Receiver Calvin Ridley (knee/elbow) was one of four Tennessee players to sit out on Wednesday. The others were right tackle JC Latham (hip), reserve guard Blake Hance (shoulder) and wideout Bryce Oliver (knee).
The Cardinals have won the teams’ past three meetings. Murray threw four touchdown passes and rushed for a score in the most recent matchup, a 38-13 road win in 2021.
–Field Level Media
