Negativity is selling in Nashville right now, and you don't have to look far to see a pointed question or comment being sent Cam Ward's way at press conferences. While the Tennessee Titans need to do everything in their power to stop those questions before the atmosphere gets more toxic, that isn't the biggest concern versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.
The Titans' biggest concern is winning the game, or at the very least showing that they are not the team they were in Week 1. That means they can't solely focus on changing the narrative around Ward. The only way out of this hole is by proving they can find the most effective way to move the ball.
After a one-game sample size against a pedestrian group of running backs for the Washington Commanders, the Eagles allowed the 10th-most rushing yards in the NFL.
Titans need to run the football effectively vs. Eagles in Week 2
As surprising as it might be, the Titans were actually the ninth-most efficient rushing team in the NFL last week with 4.9 yards per attempt.
On Sunday, it is going to be nearly 20 degrees hotter in Nashville than it was for the Eagles in their matchup against the Commanders. Those kinds of conditions can exhaust bigger defensive lines like the Eagles use, and it is weather that the Titans' offensive line should certainly be used to after nearly two full months of working in Nashville.
When the Titans host the Eagles, they need to use those conditions to their advantage. Tony Pollard has been a productive running back for years. Tyjae Spears should be able to stress defenses with his shiftiness, and they have Nick Singleton, a rookie powerhouse out of Penn State who turned heads in the preseason.
Individually, none of them are as good as Saquon Barkley. However, if the Titans commit to the running game in a way that they didn't last week and are able to sustain drives, they have seen firsthand just how much of an impact that can have on a game. By rotating their running backs and hitting them with waves of fresh legs, those reps could pay major dividends by the second half.
A game dominated by a trio of running backs won't do anything to help Ward's reputation with the local media. Given the current atmosphere, he certainly wouldn't get any credit for checking into the correct runs or for staying patient, but winning cures everything.
Mike Borgonzi, Robert Saleh, and Ward should be afforded the chance to play the long game, and they should be given patience by the fan base since this is the first year the three of them have worked together. However, patience doesn't come as naturally to this fan base as mutiny and toxicity do, so they will have to prove that they are going in the right direction soon if they want any sort of grace.
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