The Tennessee Titans will be back on the field at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park on Monday, starting their preparations for their final preseason game on Friday when they take on the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium.

The Titans are coming off an interesting and productive 10-day road trip, that saw them have multiple intense joint practice sessions and two preseason games. This team building exercise should pay dividends for the team during the regular season.

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While there were some bumps in the road, there were noticeable improvements made during this period, but there are still many questions yet to be answered. One player who continued to shine was rookie quarterback Cam Ward. There were some uneven moments, but the young signal caller continued to flash and show why he was the first overall pick in the NFL draft.

Yes, his statistics have not been mind-blowing through two preseason games, but he has shown poise and a complete understanding of what needs to be done. Plus, he has been let down by some of his supporting cast with penalties and untimely drops. That was again the case against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, and as Jared Dubin points out in his weekly preseason rookie quarterback rankings, things outside of his control impacted his stats.

4. Cameron Ward (Tennessee Titans)

Draft status: Round 1 (No. 1 overall)

Stats: 2-7, 42 yards

Ward’s stats don’t look very good on the surface. Watching the film reveals a slightly better performance, as well as the most impressive throw that any rookie quarterback has made all preseason. (And likely one of the most impressive you’ll see any of them make all year.)

Ward had a completion taken away on a sideways pass that was ruled a lateral, and also had an incomplete pass on what was a pretty obvious pass interference penalty that went uncalled. That said he did miss a pass low over the middle on third down and overshoot a receiver high earlier in the series.

But his long completion to Elic Ayomanor on the team’s first drive came on a really nice throw on the move, and then you had this absolute beauty of a toss that unfortunately went right through the hands of Van Jefferson, robbing us all of a gorgeous highlight.

Watching the game, Ward’s statistics definitely did not encapsulate his performance, and he played much better than the numbers indicated. Ward was in total control of the offense, and even though the team was playing without multiple starters, they moved the ball. Sure, they went scoreless, but penalties and mistakes crushed any momentum that was building.

With the starters expected to return for the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday, fans should get a chance to see what Ward can do when the offense is intact.

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This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans’ Cam Ward outperforms statistics in preseason rookie QB rankings