Cam Ward led his Tennessee Titans on an impressive 13-play, 90-yard scoring drive against the Minnesota Vikings that highlighted a 23-13 win in his final preseason action Friday night.
The series, capped by a Julius Chestnut 1-yard touchdown plunge, was the first scoring drive for the Titans with Ward at quarterback since the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the second overall in seven drives with Ward.
Though Ward and the Titans starters largely struggled to produce points this preseason, the lasting image will be a fruitful one, as Ward was 2 of 2 for 30 yards on the march. His final pass was a stellar sidearm offering to Elic Ayomanor for a 6-yard gain to the Minnesota 1-yard line.
"He's been outstanding," Titans head coach Brian Callahan said. "He doesn't get rattled, he fights through. We've had some long-and-down distances; he's made some plays, he's made some really nice throws. There's just a confidence in his demeanor that I have when he's in there that none of it is too big for him. He operates calmly and finds completions and those are the things we worked on over training camp. He's going to be able to make the big plays -- that's what he does -- he's going to be able to move around more when I don't have the governor on to don't take any hits. All that stuff has been really positive. He's done well in his limited showing and I feel confident where he's at."
The Miami product finished Friday's game 3 of 4 for 36 yards. Across three preseason starts, Ward was 10-of-19 passing for 145 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, and he was sacked once -- which came Friday. Also of note is that the Titans' No. 1 wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, and their No. 1 running back, Tony Pollard, haven't played in either of the last two games.
In all three contests, Ward's arm strength has been showcased and he's had staunch protection up front, but he's been let down by his receivers at times. Overall, though, the No. 1 overall pick is obviously very much a work in progress and so too is Tennessee's offense as a whole.
The Ward scoring drive Friday came against Vikings backups, who also held the Titans to a three-and-out on the opening series.
Still, at this juncture for a burgeoning first-round talent and a Titans squad hoping to improve on a 3-14 2024 campaign, Friday's brief showing concluded with a positive to build on.
"It was really good, especially for us to, you know, get going, especially when we start backed up," said Ward of the scoring march that began with him up against his own end zone. "It's really about having a good first play, getting the drive going and ending it with a Julius touchdown run. It was a good little drive there."
The Titans open up the Ward era with their season opener on the road against the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
