Brian Daboll was billed as the man to fix Cam Ward. Through three weeks, he has not delivered. His offense's inefficiency reached a new peak in the Tennessee Titans' Week 3 loss to the New York Giants, managing just seven points in an ugly 12-7 defeat.
The offensive coordinator's inability to create easy answers for Ward and the offense has caused consistent problems for the Titans this season.
Daboll had a chance to get revenge on the Giants for firing him in the middle of the 2025 season. Instead, he fell embarrassingly short.
Brian Daboll deserves partial blame for Titans' Week 3 loss to Giants
The Titans' offense was unable to get anything going in the first half against the Giants. Per Turron Davenport, they tied their fewest yards in a first half since 2008 with just 54. They allowed the Giants to control the pace of the game despite its own struggles.
In the second half, the offense was able to move the ball much more consistently. Ward took his quick passes underneath, and Tony Pollard found space in the ground game.
But when the Titans got into the red zone, Daboll couldn't find ways to score. In three trips to the red zone in the second half, Tennessee scored just once. The other two drives ended with a turnover on downs and the game-sealing interception that Ward threw to Giants safety Jevon Holland.
Ward's interception was his own fault, but Daboll deserves blame for the other stifled drive. Instead of relying on what was working, he tried a wildcat formation and a poorly-drawn pass from near the goal line.
Despite finishing the day with more total yards, yards per play, and passing yards than the Giants, the Titans had possession for under 26 minutes, compared to New York's 34 minutes. Daboll struggled to string drives together.
It's easy to make excuses for the new offensive coordinator. Rain was pouring down throughout the game, Ward made a few questionable decisions, and the receivers left yards on the field.
But the Titans did find answers against the Giants. They just didn't stick to them. Early in the second half, Ward was able to drive the ball down the field with short passes, taking advantage of the space that New York was allowing underneath. Daboll just wasn't willing to rely on those short passes throughout the game, and the offense suffered because of it.
It's too early to call the Daboll hire a mistake, but the early returns have been concerning. If he and Ward aren't able to get on the same page soon, the offensive coordinator might not last long in Tennessee. It's safe to say that the Giants don't regret moving on from him after this game.
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