Cam Ward’s Growth Is Becoming the Measure of the Titans’ Season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Once the Titans drafted Cam Ward first overall in April, the measure of this season became his growth.

The wins have been scarce and the roster around him remains thin. But by that standard, the Titans are seeing what they hoped to see late in his rookie season.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Cam Ward against the Chiefs/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ward spent most of the year saying that winning was everything. Then, after the Titans beat Cleveland on Dec. 7, he said winning felt the same as losing. That answer didn’t sit especially well with veterans or coaches.

After Sunday’s 26-9 win over the Chiefs, Jeffery Simmons jabbed him.

“Don’t be The Grinch,” Simmons told him.

This time, Ward sounded different.

“It was a good win because it was the first time we played good enough complementary, all three phases,” he said.

That mattered because this was the most complete version of Ward the Titans have seen. He stayed within the structure of the offense, avoided negative plays and didn’t force throws that weren’t there. He was in command, not in a sling-it-everywhere way, but in how he ran the offense and managed the game around him.

Ward was decisive, completing a season-high 75 percent of his throws for 228 yards. He threw two touchdown passes for the third straight game and posted his best passer rating at 122.3. The inaccurate throws didn’t matter as much. There were fewer of them and they were less costly. He ran four times for only 9 yards, but they didn’t need him in that department the way they have at other times, when Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears were not getting things done.

The Titans gave him help again. Pollard topped 100 rushing yards for the third consecutive week, allowing Ward to play on schedule.

The defense did its part as well, stifling Gardner Minshew before he left with a knee injury, and after he reportedly tore his ACL in the second quarter, the Chiefs' little-known third-stringer, Chris Oladokun. Kansas City gained just 133 net yards and converted just one of nine third downs.

The game turned early in the third quarter. With a narrow 9-6 lead, Ward guided a drive that seized control. He hit Elic Ayomanor for 25 yards, found Chim Dike for 30 more, and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dike.

“Been a while since we did that, that was awesome,” Peter Skoronski said. “Cam made some great plays to extend the drive, and that's what you want to have at quarterback.”

Jihad Ward, now in his 10th season with his seventh team, has watched enough locker rooms to recognize progress when it shows up.

“They’re trusting the process and everything is more calm,” he said. “I’m glad everybody is coming together with good chemistry.”

The Titans host the Saints next week. New Orleans came into Week 16 with the NFL’s 26th-rated run defense by yardage.

Tennessee’s offensive line could pave the way for Pollard to get into triple figures again and make things easier for Ward and the passing game.

Then comes Week 18 in Jacksonville, another chance to measure progress.

The Titans averaged 12.4 offensive points in their first 12 games. Over their last three, that number has jumped to 26.3. A softer stretch of the schedule has helped. Cleveland is the worst team they’ve faced. Kansas City is coming off a long playoff run. Arizona, the victim of the Week 5 win, has struggled as well.

But the Titans also played the league’s toughest schedule and don’t need to apologize for progress when it finally appears.

“I think the past three weeks our offense has performed close to where we want to,” said Dike, who set a new single-season franchise record for kickoff return yards with 1,535.

The record won’t tell the story of this season. Ward’s command of the offense might.