The Tennessee Titans kicked off their 2026 preseason against the San Francisco 49ers with a performance that flipped the script on some high-riding expectations.

Cam Ward and the Titans starting offense managed just 5 of 12 passing for 57 yards across three drives, while the offensive line and run game provided the majority of the brightest spots on the evening. The Tennessee defense, particularly the starting secondary, will leave the Bay Area with more questions than answers after a week that included a shaky joint practice and opening preseason contest.

Ward finished with a 56.6 passer rating. He found a couple of completions to wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, one each to Calvin Ridley, Gunnar Helm, and running back Tajae Spears. But the downfield passing game never got off the ground. Three attempts to rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate came up empty, the timing with his receivers looked off, and an intentional grounding penalty from up against his own end zone put the offense in a brutal second-and-27 hole on the second drive.

There’s no question about it, this was a crappy showing from Ward. Is it the end of the world? No. But is it a bit discouraging for Titans fans? I would say that’s an unavoidable reality, yes. It was a pretty gross, clunky outing for the Titans passing offense outside of some nice YAC from Ridley and Helm.

If you want a positive spin on it, it’s that Robert Saleh was willing to put his first-team offense out here in the first preseason game at all, because this is the opportunity they have to work out kinks. And it showed tonight that they obviously need it.

The run game and offensive line were the surprise winners

The Titans ground attack was the sole offensive bright spot. Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard rotated in a healthy mix throughout the first three series, combining for 57 yards on 8 carries. Spears ripped off a 25-yard run between the tackles, the kind of play people don’t usually associate with him. Pollard punched in a touchdown to cap a 95-yard opening drive that started from the Titans’ own 5-yard line.

The offensive line didn’t implode! There’s a positive to takeaway, though it was a starting unit against the Niners’ second team. But we’ve had serious questions about them, and tonight they showed up.

Rookie right guard Fernando Carmona got the surprise start, continuing a trend from the past couple of practices where he received a majority of first-team reps. Whether that signals he’s the starter or the coaching staff is stress-testing him remains to be seen next week. Offensive tackle JC Latham and Austin Schlottmann worked downfield to lay key blocks on the Helm screen that moved the chains. On the whole, the group looked better than expected. The unit everyone was worried about outperformed the units everyone was excited about, in an ironic twist.

Two clear instances of the Titans running hurry-up offense stood out as well. That tempo is going to be a staple under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll this season, who called plays from the booth instead of on the field (as did defensive coordinator Gus Bradley). Both coordinators operating from the press box is a notable departure from what the Titans have done the past few years.

Titans secondary comes out of San Francisco with real concerns

The starting defense was disruptive up front. Rookie edge rusher Keldrik Faulk flashed his ability to get into the backfield on a quarterback scramble and later made a nice run-stopping tackle. Jermaine Johnson and linebacker Cody Barton teamed up to blow up a run play for a loss early. Johnson got into the backfield again a moment later, forcing a throwaway. The Titans’ run defense was suffocating, and that should translate to the regular season.

But the secondary is a different story. Cornerback Alontae Taylor was targeted early on a completion and then called for holding to convert a fourth down. Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott was beaten on a route to the sticks, then flagged for pass interference in the end zone on a play that set up a 49ers touchdown. All of this came against quarterback Curtis Rourke and the 49ers’ second-team offense.

I think it is fair after this week to officially put the Titans secondary on the hot seat a little bit. It’s very early in the preseason, but I’m officially concerned about the defensive backs. Between the joint practice and this game, they have some real questions to answer. We already worried about their depth, and now the starters are at least in question. The only positive spin possible here is that Saleh’s defense is extremely front-dependent and they won’t unleash their true disruptive ability until the regular season. But that feels like a foolish thing to lean too hard on.

49ers wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was the player making the most waves on the other side, converting multiple third downs and looking every bit the part of a player who deserved to be drafted as shockingly high as the Niners took him last spring.

A wake-up call before homefield tests arrive

The Titans are about to face more serious stress testing. The Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, come to Nashville for a joint practice and preseason game this upcoming week. The Chicago Bears, one of the NFL’s darling teams this year, follow the week after with the same setup.

There’s plenty of time to work out these kinks. But this entire trip to San Francisco should serve as a wake-up call. Changing your coaching staff is great. Adding free agents is great. Drafting cool players is great. But just swapping out a coaching staff and blaming everything on the one you fired doesn’t mean squat unless you get better players, find some continuity, and give a group time to gel. The Titans clearly need that. They need their players to play better, and they need more time to work together and build continuity. Because right now, it’s all very new and clunky for them.