It's Only 1 Week — But Titans' Offensive Philosophy Seems Stubbornly Disappointing

The Tennessee Titans' essentially bet their entire offense on one formation against the New York Jets, and it may have lost them the game.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks downfield during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Since the Tennessee Titans' lost in sigh-inducing fashion to the New York Jets in Sunday's season-opener, fans have been scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong on the offensive side of the ball. OC Brian Daboll's unit looked stagnant all the way through.

Save for one touchdown when the game had basically already been decided, Tennessee punted a whopping seven times in just 10 drives. Three of those punts halted drives in the Jets' territory, although those controversial decisions belong in a different conversation entirely.

What limited the Titans' offense? One statistic from Football Insights says it all. On early down snaps in Week 1, no team in the entire NFL utilized the shotgun formation as much as Tennessee. The Titans were in the shotgun for 78.4% of their 37 qualified snaps.

Week 1 offense early down personnel usage and QB alignment (pending MNF)

Via @FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/QXNOVrYtg2

— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) September 14, 2026

What's more, no team on this list were as dedicated to any formation as the Titans were to the gun. The next closest candidate is the Las Vegas Raiders, who took 75.5% of their qualified snaps under center.

So, not only was Tennessee's offense perhaps the most one-dimensional system in the league last week, but the shotgun formation specifically set Cam Ward up for failure.

Titans' go-to formation counteracted Cam Ward

Against New York, Ward's most prominent problem was his inability to plant his feet and deliver a pass in the pocket. Pressure or not, Ward was most often on the move. This led to dead balls thrown to the sideline and short QB runs more than anything else.

On the flip side, the gun offense is specifically desgined to provide the passer with more time to survey his options downfield. Lining up further behind the line, usually alongside a running back, creates more space for a QB to read the defense and make the proper play.

Or at least, it's supposed to. Ward isn't exactly a mobile QB, but he thrives off balance. His first NFL touchdown was a cross-body, circus-play deep ball to Elic Ayomanor last season. Ward even acknowledged leaving the pocket early at times vs. the Jets.

"I think it's a little of everything," said Ward, citing the time of the game and a need to be explosive as reasons for his tendency to scramble. "I think as the game goes on I can't let it affect how I should sit in the pocket and deliver guys the football."

This isn't a problem with using this specific formation. Rather, the issue is in how Tennessee overused it. Scoring more points in Week 2 could simply come down to diversifying the offense. We'll see what Daboll has in store for Philadelphia's defense on Sunday.