3 Titans who absolutely need to be better in Week 2

The Tennessee Titans have a difficult matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. They’ll need to be significantly better than they were versus the New York Jets. We’ve identified three Titans players in particular who need to be way more productive against the Eagles.

Titans quarterback Cam Ward finished 19-of-32 in Week 1 for 140 yards and a touchdown. A large portion of his production occurred via a garbage-time possession. Ward recorded 55 passing yards and his lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter once the Jets defense went into a late-game prevent shell.

The All-22 tape review wasn’t kind to Ward’s performance. The offensive line was better than the broadcast angles indicated and receivers were creating consistent separation. Ward was hesitant, inefficient, occasionally inaccurate, and even bailed from clean pockets. The sophomore No. 1 overall quarterback needs to get better weekly.

Calvin Ridley doesn’t necessarily need to be “better.” Ward and Brian Daboll need to do a better job getting him involved. The multi-time 1,000-yard receiver wasn’t targeted in Week 1. That’s despite Ridley running 25 routes on 26 passing-down snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Ridley’s route-participation rate was 96.2%. The aging wideout still possesses enough juice to create explosive plays. Ward and Daboll need to get Ridley involved versus the Eagles to take some pressure off Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson.

The Titans traded T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson II. The former Florida State standout had previously played for Saleh in East Rutherford. That was supposed to make Johnson an effective pass rusher in Saleh’s system, but that wasn’t the case in Week 1.

PFF credited Johnson with registering one pathetic quarterback pressure versus the Jets. The former first-round pick earned a brutal grade of 41.8 as a pass rusher, as he did not impact Geno Smith in the pocket at all. The challenge versus Jalen Hurts will be way bigger.