The Tennessee Titans can’t seem to catch a break. They got dominated by the Indianapolis Colts with a 38-14 scoreline. Now they are on 1-7. The locker room felt heavy, the fans restless, and frustration was all over the sidelines. Amid all of this, rookie quarterback Cam Ward said he’s been getting advice from none other than Peyton Manning.

“Having a relationship with Peyton, I mean, it’s cool because he constantly tells me just the little things I have to work on, and then the little things will turn into just being consistent on offense,” Ward said. “I’ll say the best advice that he’s gave me is you just gotta continue to be yourself, no matter how high you get or how low you get. You just gotta continue to be yourself. Lead the guys that you know how to lead the way, and then just play football.”

Those words hit differently for a young quarterback trying to find his footing in a rough season. Ward went 22-for-38 for 259 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against the Colts. He added two short carries for four yards. That makes it five touchdowns and six interceptions so far. The yardage has gone up, which shows progress, but the efficiency still isn’t there.

But do you know there are many similarities between Manning and Ward? Back in 1998, Peyton faced similar challenges in Indianapolis. Small-market team, heavy expectations, number one pick, same setup, different eras. Both had to carry young rosters while learning the league’s toughest lessons.

But here’s the thing. Both also struggled early. Manning threw pick after pick his first year. Ward’s still battling through his share of mistakes. Yet, Peyton turned it around. Now, everyone’s wondering if Ward can take that same advice and make it count. Time will tell.

But for now, all eyes are on Ward’s sideline outburst that’s got the whole Titans community talking.

Cam Ward addressed his sideline outburst

With the Titans trailing 17-7 in the third quarter, the offense stalled at the Colts’ 42-yard line. Instead of going for it on fourth down, interim coach Mike McCoy called for a punt. Cam Ward didn’t hide how he felt. Cameras caught him mouthing an expletive toward the sideline, questioning the call. Within minutes, the clip went viral across social media, sparking plenty of debate in the Titans community.

After the game, Ward didn’t shy away from addressing it. “I think I’m a competitor,” Ward said. “Our whole offense is like that. Our whole defense is like that. … I just think the biggest thing is we want to be an aggressive team. Especially with the record we have right now, we have to be an aggressive team at the end of the season to get where we want to be.”

Ironically, Johnny Hekker’s punt traveled only 22 yards, and the Colts scored on the next play with an 80-yard run by Jonathan Taylor. Still, Ward stood by his reaction. He made it clear it came from passion, not disrespect.

“I just think it’s a missed opportunity for us as a team to get a first down and keep the drive moving. We weren’t down that much at that time,” Ward said. “So, we’re going to always support whatever decision is made, but at the end of the day, we shouldn’t put ourselves in that position. We should get the first down on third down.”

However, it’s been a very bad season for the Titans. Except for a narrow 22-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Titans have fallen in every other game by double digits. Now, all eyes are on how this group responds next week.