For the Tennessee Titans, another Sunday ended with the same familiar frustration: a promising young quarterback doing everything he can, and an offense that can’t hold up its end of the bargain. The Seattle Seahawks walked out with a 30–24 win, and the frustration is starting to show in Tennessee. Interim head coach Mike McCoy didn’t hide it after another sluggish outing from Cam Ward’s offense.

“We have to be more efficient running the football,” he said.

The Titans grabbed an early field goal to open the afternoon, but from that point on, the Seahawks took full control. Tennessee finished with 296 yards of offense, yet only 64 of those came on the ground. It’s been the story of their year. The run game hasn’t shown up, and the numbers prove it: they’re sitting at the bottom of the league, averaging just 78.9 rushing yards a game.

Recently, when Cam Ward was asked what this team needs more than anything, he didn’t dress it up.

“I just think what our identity has to be, not only now but for the future, is physicality,” Ward said.

In this league, physicality usually starts with being able to run the ball. And the Titans aren’t close to having the kind of ground game Ward is envisioning.

What’s also obvious: they need more at wide receiver. The Titans reached the Seahawks’ 4-yard line on their opening drive, then didn’t see the red zone again until the third quarter. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears had nowhere to go, and Ward spent much of the afternoon scrambling around just to buy time as Seattle’s front kept squeezing the pocket.

So far, Tony Pollard leads the team with 522 rushing yards. Behind him is Tyjae Spears with 159. And among the Titans’ top five rushers this season, only one is a wide receiver: Chimere Dike. Considering everything Tennessee is struggling with right now, that might be the biggest red flag.

But again, amidst all the problems, Cam Ward is giving them a glimmer of hope.

Cam Ward deserved a win tonight

Anything the Titans manage to generate on offense right now traces back to Cam Ward. If we’re being honest, very few quarterbacks could’ve dragged this group to the kind of production he did. Ward spent most of the night slipping out of collapsed pockets, getting outside the rush, and throwing accurately on the move.

He was sacked four times, and frankly, it could’ve been twice that. Yet he still finished with 256 yards through the air, 37 yards on the ground, a touchdown pass, and a bruising rushing score against one of the league’s good defenses.

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This season, he’s sitting at 2,210 passing yards with seven touchdowns, plus 116 rushing yards and another score. None of that looks spectacular on paper, but when you factor in the environment he’s working in, it’s impressive.

And that’s the point. Tennessee has to build around him. Young quarterbacks don’t develop in a vacuum. It doesn’t matter how competitive Ward is or how much talent he brings; if he’s asked to carry a roster that’s this thin on playmakers, frustration eventually takes over. That’s just how it works in this league.

Right now, Ward is the one bright spot in a season otherwise short on optimism. It’s hard to picture the Titans’ future and not see him at the center of it. Any progress this franchise makes in the next few years will start with him.