Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward was under constant duress in Sunday's 20-12 Week 1 defeat to the Denver Broncos. Ward was sacked on six occasions and routinely hurried by a ferocious Broncos pass rush. Ward was pressured 16 times against the Broncos, equating to 52.9% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus' charting.
One of the major reasons why Ward faced constant pressure was a midgame injury to JC Latham. The sophomore blocker appeared to have suffered an injury just moments before half time. Latham tried gutting it out, but he was eventually replaced by swing tackle Oli Udoh after giving up a sack.
Udoh was a nightmare. PFF credited Udoh with allowing one sack and two pressures on just 11 pass-blocking snaps. Matters got worse on Thursday when Latham declared himself sidelined for the Titans' upcoming Week 2 contest with the Los Angeles Rams.
Titans RT JC Latham OUT for Week 2 vs. the Rams, spells nightmare for Cam Ward
JC Latham is out this Sunday pic.twitter.com/zIu1Gu66IS
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) September 11, 2025
Latham had been nursing a hip injury in training camp leading up to Week 1. The Titans declared it a non-concern. Well it turns out Latham reaggravated that hip injury against the Broncos, leading to his upcoming stint on the sidelines.
The Rams feature two outstanding EDGE rushers in Byron Young and Jared Verse. They combined to pressure Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud seven times in their Week 1 victory. Against the Titans, they'll expect to tee off on Ward with one of Tennessee's best offensive linemen ruled out due to injury.
Left tackle Dan Moore struggled mightily in his Titans debut, forfeiting seven pressures to Denver's Nik Bonitto, per Next Gen Stats. With Latham out, the Titans will be at a mismatch advantage at both tackle spots on Sunday. Head coach Brian Callahan must find creative manners to protect against the Rams Ward this weekend.