Fives Losses and No Improvement in Sight
There were few to no bright spots for the Titans in a game where two teams with 0–4 records faced each other at Nissan Stadium.
Offense
Cam Ward completed 23 of 36 passes (64%) but was unable to get the ball into the end zone. After a solid-looking, 9-play opening drive that stalled in the red zone, the Titans wouldn’t find themselves there again the rest of the game. According to Next Gen Stats (see below), Cam Ward primarily made completions either up to 10 yards past the line of scrimmage (LOS) on the outside or behind the line on Daboll’s dump passes to Spears.
Daboll’s play calling was once again unimaginative and conservative, allowing the Texans to play in the flats and rush Cam Ward.
Ward had a few solid throws, several that were questionable and plenty that went absolutely nowhere. Ward’s high-performing offensive line finally abandoned him after four weeks. The offensive line everyone was worried about in the preseason finally reared its head. Ward was sacked four times and spent most of the second half scrambling and trying to make a play. Dan Moore Jr. stood out on the offensive line as a significant liability on multiple plays, allowing direct pressure on Ward.
I don’t have many notes on the receiving corps, since nothing in the air amounted to points or significant plays. We can get excited about WR performance when it’s the reason the Titans win a game this season.
With the league trade deadline looming, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Titans found a trade partner for Spears and potentially even Calvin Ridley.
Defense
The defense recorded a total of two sacks on C.J. Stroud but allowed him to accumulate 261 passing yards, one passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
The defense held firm in the first half, keeping the Texans to only field goals (4), but the offense not being able to stay on the field eventually had them gassed.
Special Teams
Nothing noteworthy came from the special teams unit besides punts and the single field goal by Joey Slye.
Bottom Line
I try to find the silver lining in every cloud, but I fail to see one for this team right now, from the top of the organization down. The team looked mentally checked out before the third quarter even started.
It’s been 294 days since the Titans won a game (against the Kansas City Chiefs). Seeing the Week 5 game against the Texans makes me think we may not see another win until 2027. Lifeless is an understatement for how this Titans team is playing right now. After such an exciting offseason, there hasn’t been a level of consistency in any phase of the game for the Titans.
All we as fans can do is hope for week-to-week improvement that may eventually lead to the first win of the season.
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