In Week 18, there wasn't a whole lot left for the Tennessee Titans to play for other than pride. This was always going to be a learning year. It seemed inevitable before the season even began.
When you have a rookie quarterback, a questionable head coach and plenty of roster holes, that's essentially what you can expect -- and voila, that's what we got. But, after the firing of Brian Callahan, we did see a lot of growth from rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
There's plenty of hope for Titans fans going into the offseason, especially in regards to Ward, who had a phenomenal end to his rookie campaign -- at least, until he exited Week 18 way too soon with an injury.
After being pronounced out for the game, thus ending his season, Ward was seen on the sideline with a sling on his right arm. But, according to Titans beat reporter Paul Kuharsky, early indications are that Ward's injury is "not serious."
Cam Ward's early injury outlook is a positive for the Titans
On Tennessee's first offensive possession, Ward went 3-for-3 for 52 yards and a 7-yard touchdown run. On that run is when Ward was hurt, and it didn't take long for his status to be confirmed as out for the game.
Including this brief drive in Week 18, Ward ended his season with nine total touchdowns and just one interception in his final five (technically four full) games. If we're not counting Week 18, he totaled eight touchdowns and that one interception.
It was a definitive improvement we saw out of the rookie over the latter half of his rookie season. For the first couple of months, the jury was still out. However, Ward proved that he was indeed learning as he went and, for the last month, he's given fans plenty of hope.
Speaking of hope, ideally this injury isn't of the serious nature just as Kuharsky mentioned. Seeing Ward in a sling could be a little alarming at first, but they are likely being more cautious than not. There is more testing to come, this week, but hopefully in a few days we are looking at a full offseason for Ward heading into Year 2.