The Tennessee Titans are 0-4. They are coming off one of the most disappointing performances of the last decade. Shockingly, there are a few reasons for hope this week as the Titans travel to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward and the Titans were always going to start the season behind the eight ball because they were tasked with a tough first month of matchups. Traveling to Denver to face one of the toughest defenses in the NFL, hosting the star-studded L.A. Rams, a divisional matchup against a red-hot Indianapolis Colts team, and facing the two-time reigning AFC South Champion Houston Texans, were beatdowns waiting to happen.
After the dust cleared, the team looked like a shell of what they had the potential to be. However, there have been some interesting developments quietly happening under the radar that should give fans mild hope about their chances to turn things around in Week 5.
Titans could have the recipe needed to upset the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5
First is the confirmed return of Tyjae Spears. Spears practied all week and was activated from I.R. to play his first game of the season against the Cardinals. He should provide a nice boost to the Titans' running game, which has been solid even without the speedy playmaker in the mix. Having two quality running backs gives the team more incentive to stick to the run game this week.
And then you have the improving offensive line. While Peter Skoronski is coming off the worst game of his season, which hurt his numbers, Dan Moore, Lloyd Cushenberry, and Kevin Zeitler have been getting better each week. That is best visualized here, where you can see that the guard and center position have been above-average while the tackle position has been struggling largely due to Oli Udoh and John Ojukwu having nearly twice as many pressures allowed (13) as Moore (8).
Pass block grades of offensive linemen in True Pass Sets only (excludes plays with less than 4 rushers, play action, screens, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under 2 seconds) pic.twitter.com/vcGXb8fLmA
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) September 30, 2025
Latham was unfortunately ruled OUT for this week. When he's back, this team is going to have an average offensive line for the first time in years, and that should make a huge difference on offense.
Speaking of the running game, the Cardinals are going to have to worry about theirs because they had to place running back Trey Benson on IR just a week after placing two-time Pro Bowler James Conner on IR.
That means even more pressure will be put on quarterback Kyler Murray, who has been sacked 13 times this season (9.1% of his dropbacks). Expect that to mean that the Titans will use a defense much like what they used against the Broncos to start the season (cage rushing, making sure that they are alerted to bootlegs, etc.), which was very effective.
The Titans are improving on the offensive line, and they are getting a dynamic role player back on offense in Spears. Combining that offensive spark with easing the strain on the Titans defense could be the perfect storm for this team to get up off the mat and prove that they are still worth watching this year.
The Titans' backs are against the wall, and they must choose whether to lie down or fight. With these things going in their favor, it will be a great test to see just how much football character Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker were able to assemble this offseason.