Grading Every Titans Position Group After Week 5 Loss vs. Texans

The Tennessee Titans produced another lifeless effort on Sunday, falling 26-3 to the Houston Texans in a lopsided battle between two winless teams.

Even the most optimistic Titans fan can’t help but feel dejected after a performance like that. Things started badly, and they only got worse as the game progressed.

This Titans team is simply broken in many ways, and until things get fixed, you’re going to continue seeing the type of poor grades you’re about to sees

QB Grade: D

QB Cam Ward struggled mightily in this one, completing just 23 of his 36 passes for 170 yards and one interception. 

The second-year quarterback continues to be erratic with his ball placement. Ward has a knack for making catches harder than they have to be, which leads to drops or missed opportunities after the catch. 

Another area where he continues to struggle is his ability to process what he’s seeing both pre- and post-snap. His inability to diagnose the moving puzzle often gets him in trouble and/or prevents him from hitting the big plays that are there to be made.

All of these issues showed up early and often in what was arguably Ward’s worst outing of the season. But considering the performance of the offensive line (we’ll touch on that later), I’ll at least spare him from the F.

RB Grade: D

Things got off to a rocky start and never get much better. RB Tyjae Spears fumbled in the first quarter and failed to record a single rushing yard, while RB Tony Pollard averaged less than four yards per carry. 

It was a putrid afternoon all around, and the inability to get anything going on the ground was a big reason why.

WR Grade: D

The receiver group of Carnell Tate, Wan’Dale Robinson, Elic Ayomanor, Calvin Ridley, and Chimere Dike combined for just 137 yards on 13 catches.

There were a couple of big plays left on the table, most notably a couple of missed opportunities to Tate that failed to connect because of poor execution and/or penalties. But aside from that, it was a rather lifeless performance by the entire passing attack.

OL Grade: F-

Where do we even begin with this one?

I would say this was an absolutely atrocious performance by the offensive line, but that would somehow be downplaying how bad it really was. The offensive line allowed a combined 20 pressures, three sacks, and two hits on the day.

LT Dan Moore was the biggest culprit, allowing eight of those pressures for an absurd pressure rate of 19.5 percent.

It was a long afternoon for the group upfront, and the point total on the scoreboard directly reflects that.

TE Grade: F

It was another largely irrelevant day for a group that hasn’t contributed much. The group of Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, and Kylen Granson combined for just five yards.

The latter of whom had the opportunity for a big play early in the game, but he was unable to reel in the pass, and it became another missed opportunity for a team that’s had more than its fair share.

DL Grade: C

It was a rather mediocre outing for a group that has actually played well for most of the year. The group combined for eight pressures and six run stops. DT Jeffery Simmons led the way with three pressures, while DL Jordan Elliott topped the group with two run stops.

But for the Titans to win, they need their defensive line to be a dominant front, and that just wasn’t the case here.

LB Grade: C

Cody Barton, Cedric Gray, and Anthony Hill Jr. had a solid game for the most part. The three of them were credited with 17 combined tackles, multiple pressures, and half a sack (Gray). 

They also helped play a key role in holding the Texans’ ground game to under three yards per carry.

DB Grade: C-

The Titans’ secondary entered the game very thin on the backend, and it only got worse. S Amani Hooker was ruled out with a concussion, while S Kevin Winston Jr. left early with a quadriceps injury, and their absence was felt throughout the contest. 

The Texans’ group of pass catchers combined for 261 yards and one touchdown on 26 catches.