For a second consecutive week, the Tennessee Titans had victory in their sights. For a second straight contest, they dropped a winnable situation in nightmarish fashion. Quarterback Cam Ward made several inexcusable errors and the Titans lost 12-7 in ugly East Rutherford weather conditions to the New York Giants.
The Titans failed to maximize an opportunity against a Giants team that lost its starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending injury last week. The offense sputtered throughout the first half in rain-soaked conditions. They moved the ball considerably better in the second half, but two brutal sequences made it a what-if loss.
We've identified four losers and two winners from the Titans' Week 3 loss.
4 losers (and 2 winners) from the Titans' 12-7 Week 3 loss
Loser: QB Cam Ward
Quarterback Cam Ward made two glaring errors that cost the Titans a victory. The most egregious was his puzzling decision on 1st-and-goal from the Giants' 7-yard line with 24 seconds remaining. The sophomore No. 1 overall QB prematurely abandoned a clean pocket by scrambling to his left. Instead of running for a short gain and calling one of Tennessee's two remaining timeouts, Ward inexcusably threw a duck right at Giants safety Jevon Holland for the game-losing interception.
Earlier, Ward missed a wide-open Carnell Tate in the end zone on 3rd-and-5 from the seven. That was a sequence that resulted in a turnover on downs after three consecutive incomplete passes, including a dropped interception prior to the Tate miss. If Ward avoids just one of his two backbreaking mistakes, the Titans win.
Loser: OC Brian Daboll
Though Ward and the Titans offense was significantly better throughout the second half, the first half was an abomination. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll oversaw a unit that went three-and-out on five straight possessions, gained one first down, and scored zero first-half points. The Titans gained 54 yards during the opening two quarters, the fewest of any team in the NFL this season. Coach Daboll has to own responsibility for that colossal failure.
Winner: WR Carnell Tate
One of the few bright spots for the offense was the emerging connection between Ward and Tate. Despite missing the fourth overall pick for the aforementioned wide-open TD, Tate still recorded career highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (58). Hopefully they can keep momentum going. The former Ohio State standout created an average of 3.16 yards of separation on his nine targets, well-above the league average of 2.99, per Next Gen Stats.
Loser: KR Chimere Dike
The Titans' entire special teams unit has been uncharacteristically terrible under John "Bones" Fassel this season. An All-Pro as a rookie kickoff returner last year, Chimere Dike has begun his sophomore campaign by fumbling twice in three contests. The Titans began the game possession after the Gitans won the coin toss and deferred. Dike dove at the end of the return, exposing the ball to a peanut-punch opportunity.
Winner: DE Keldric Faulk
Both the Titans' first-round rookies were our only winners. Defensive end Keldric Faulk picked up his first career sack on a well-designed stunt with Jacob Martin. Faulk looped around Martin and used his length to beat Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas to the quarterback. It was an impressive rep for the young pass rusher.
Loser: HC Robert Saleh
Titans head coach Robert Saleh had some minor operational issues that are worth noting. With under two minutes remaining in the opening half, after the Giants conceded possession on a third-and-long, Saleh took an extra 10-15 seconds to call timeout when he clearly needed to decisively get his offense the ball back. In the second half, the Titans burned a timeout because the defense somehow fielded 10 defenders out of a Giants timeout.
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