The 1 Matchup That Will Make or Break Titans' Chances Against Ravens

The Tennessee Titans travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens on Sunday. Obviously, the biggest storyline heading into the game revolves around RB Derrick Henry facing his old team for the first time. However, several other matchups will ultimately decide the game.

While the Titans undoubtedly need to prevent Henry from going crazy (easier said than done), that’s not the matchup we’re going to focus on.

Because in reality, for the Titans to pull off the upset, QB Cam Ward must find success against the Ravens’ 17th-ranked pass defense. Baltimore is currently allowing an average of 216.3 passing yards per game, per ESPN.

As for Ward, he hasn’t eclipsed the 200-yard mark in any of the team’s three games. That has to change for the Titans to win. This offense will never reach its full potential if Ward doesn’t start giving his receivers a chance to make plays, especially rookie WR Carnell Tate.

The Titans' Week 4 success comes down to Cam Ward

The Ohio State Buckeye hasn’t had the production many would like to see out of the No. 4 overall pick, but a lot of that has to do with the QB play. Tate has certainly done his part in terms of getting open. Last week against the Giants, he averaged 3.2 yards of separation, higher than the league-average mark of 2.9, per Next Gen Stats.

This week, Tennessee will face a formidable Ravens secondary that includes Nate Wiggins, Kyle Hamilton, and Marlon Humphrey, the latter of which is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. This is potentially a matchup that the Titans could exploit, but for that to happen, Ward has to give his receivers a chance. The frustrating thing about the second-year QB through three games is he’s failing to take the plays that are there to be made.

Head coach Robert Saleh said it may be due to some PTSD from last year’s sack issues, but at some point, he has to start trusting the offensive line in front of him, especially with how well they’ve played through three weeks.

Heading into Monday Night Football the #Titans OL officially ranks 2nd (90.8) in Pass Blocking Efficiency for the regular season

Yesterday, with a starter out, they scored a 95.8. They allowed 3 total pressures, 0 sacks (Slater 1, Skoronski 2)

On the season: the OL has allowed…
— Zach Lyons (@TheZachLyons) September 28, 2026

Untimely concerns on the o-line

Unfortunately, there is some major cause for concern heading into this one, as both starting right guard Fernando Carmona, and his backup Jackson Slater are now out for the foreseeable future (tag article).

That likely means either G Garrett Dellinger or rookie Pat Coogan will make their first career start on Sunday. Certainly not an ideal situation with Ravens' DL Travis Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike on deck.

This is a matchup Baltimore will certainly look to exploit, so Ward and the rest of the offense better have a plan in place, or it could be a long afternoon at the office.

But at the end of the day, for the Titans to have a chance in this game, they’ll likely have to match the Ravens’ offensive firepower. Baltimore has scored at least 34 points in two out of their three games, and if that’s the case here, Ward is gonna need to push the ball downfield.

Ward has to take risks vs. Ravens

Although he hasn’t done much of it as of late, we certainly know he's capable of it, because we saw plenty of it last year. Obviously, that could lead to some risky plays, but who wouldn't rather see Ward playing aggressively and like the QB he was drafted to be than a conservative one who is too scared to make a mistake?

If the Titans are going to win this game, they need Ward to play as he did in Miami. If a mistake comes, so be it, just go make up for it your next time out. Because it’s clear that this current approach through three games isn’t good enough, especially when preparing to face a team led by QB Lamar Jackson and the aforementioned King Henry.

Chances are, the Titans will have to score some points to win this game. The question is: Will Ward and the rest of the offense be able to deliver? Only time will tell.

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