The Las Vegas Raiders are set to take on the Tennessee Titans in a Week 6 matchup between two 1-4 teams. To preview the contest for Raider Nation, we reached out to our friends at Music City Miracles, and Jimmy Morris was kind enough to answer a few questions about the Titans.
Q: How has Cam Ward looked during the early stages of his career? What are his biggest strengths and weaknesses right now?
A: Ward has been up and down to start the season. He was better than the numbers showed in the first two games. He then struggled in the next two and a three quarter games before going on an absolute heater in the fourth quarter last Sunday. He showed in the comeback against the Arizona Cardinals why the Titans took him with the first overall pick. It would be nice to see some more consistency from him, but he has flashed a ton of upside.
His biggest strength is just his overall composure. He never gets rattled, even behind what, at times, has been one of the worst offensive lines I’ve ever seen. That doesn’t mean he will end up being great, but it should help him weather the storm of a bad team around him.
His biggest weakness so far has been getting lazy with his footwork. He has such a good arm that he was able to get by at the lower levels without always doing the proper footwork. That’s not the case in the NFL. It has caused him to miss some throws that should be easy completions. I have no doubt he will correct that as he continues to play.
Q: On a similar note, have Ward and Calvin Ridley formed an immediate connection? Or is there another Titans’ pass-catcher who seems to have good chemistry with the rookie quarterback?
A: That’s an interesting question. So much was made of their connection in training camp and the preseason. Then the regular season started, and Ridley forgot how to catch the ball. He had at least four drops through the first two games. However, last week in the fourth quarter comeback against the Arizona Cardinals, Ward found Ridley for two huge plays. We are all hoping that gets them going again.
The other receiver that Ward has shown good chemistry with is rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. Those two have connected on some big plays through the first month of the season.
Q: Can you shine some light on what defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons brings to Tennessee’s defense? If you were Chip Kelly, Las Vegas’ offensive coordinator, how would you go about game-planning for Simmons?
A: He’s just a game-wrecker in the middle of the defense. Everyone shows up to camp “in the best shape of their lives,” but that was actually true for Simmons this season. He lost a bunch of weight in the offseason. Right now, he is one of the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year. Check out this play Simmons made against the Houston Texans a couple of weeks ago.
You have to double-team Simmons on every play. He demands that. The good news for Kelly is that the Titans have basically zero EDGE rush presence, so you can assign extra guys to Simmons without suffering that much on the outside.
Q: Former Kansas City Chiefs’ cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was a significant addition for the Titans during the 2024 offseason, but a quad injury limited him to just five games last year. Now that he’s healthy, how has Sneed looked so far this season?
A: He’s been up and down. He followed Davante Adams in the week two game against the Los Angeles Rams and did a pretty good job. Then, in the week leading up to the game against the Texans, Sneed responded, “Who?” when asked about Nico Collins. Collins toasted Sneed for a first down on a 2nd and 33 play. He’s still a solid player overall, but he is not the guy the Titans thought they were getting when they traded a third-round pick and signed him to a big contract.
Q: Can you give us one “under-the-radar” player on each side of the ball who you think will make an impact in the game for the Titans?
A: On offense, rookie tight end Gunnar Helm has had some big catches at key moments. Helm fell to the fourth round in the draft because he didn’t run a good 40 time at the combine. He’s a solid receiver, but still needs some work as a blocker.
On defense, inside linebacker Cedric Gray has really come on in the last couple of weeks. He has racked up 29 total tackles in the last two games. Gray was a fourth-round pick in 2024 but struggled to get going after missing a lot of training camp due to injury. The light has really come on for him this year.
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