No. 1 pick Cam Ward leads Titans on touchdown drive in final preseason series

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Cam Ward led his Tennessee Titans on an impressive 13-play, 90-yard scoring drive against the Minnesota Vikings 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.

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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.

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