The Tennessee Titans played one of their most complete games and kept the game close into the fourth quarter. But after a failed fourth-down attempt at the goal line, and the subsequent 99-yard touchdown drive by the Los Angeles Chargers, they couldn’t do enough to come back and fell 27-20 in Week 9 action. 

Cam Ward and the offense struggled to sustain drives and keep the ball away from the high-powered Chargers’ offense. Plagued by drops, self-inflicted penalties, and miscues, it was a rough afternoon for the unit and unfortunate because they could not complement the defense or special teams, which played well.  

The Titans’ injury-riddled defense held its own, but gave up too many explosive plays to Justin Herbert and their stable of receivers. Even with those, the unit kept the Titans close, and the team had every chance to pull this one out, but could not finish. 

As is the case every week, there were both good and bad performances within the disappointing loss. Here’s a look at the players who are rising or falling in the Week 9 stock report.

Stock up: DE Jihad Ward

Ward had a day for the Titans’ defense and was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing with four total tackles (two solo) and 2.5 sacks. Tennessee’s battered defense needed a performance like this, and the veteran came through, even after missing practice all week due to a personal issue. 

Stock down: OT JC Latham

Latham has had a rough season dealing with injuries and uneven performances, and Sunday was no exception. Latham is struggling, and the right side of the offensive line is a problem. Not only against the Chargers’ edge unit, he committed multiple penalties that helped put the Titans behind the chains. The former first-round tackle was supposed to be a building block, but this season, he has not shown those abilities. 

Stock up: DE Dre’Mont Jones

Jones is surging, recording another 1.5 sacks on Sunday, and proving to be the most consistent edge presence in Nashville. Jones has now recorded sacks in four straight games and should enter the bye week on a high note. The biggest question is whether or not he will be with the Titans much longer. He is consistently mentioned in trade chatter, and the deadline is just one day away. 

Stock down: WR Chimere Dike

This is a tough one because Dike is having a strong rookie season and leads the NFL in all-purpose yards. Plus, he did return a punt for a touchdown against the Chargers. But that’s his stock on offense as a receiver, where he fell flat with one catch for five yards. Dike has been dynamic on both offense and special teams in recent weeks, and that was not the case on Sunday. He came up empty when the Titans needed a receiver to step up and make a consistent impact. 

Stock up: LB Cody Barton

Barton made a huge play with his pick-six early in the contest and was instrumental in keeping the Chargers in check. Barton has been inconsistent this season, but had one of his better performances on Sunday, bouncing back after a miserable outing in Week 8. 

Stock down: Bo Hardegree

While there have been some small signs of improvement on offense since Hardegree took over play-calling duties, there are still too many questionable calls that set the Titans back. This week, the use of the “Wildcat” on critical downs was laughable and did nothing to help the offense move forward. In fact, the decision to use the play call near the goal line may have cost the Titans the game. 

With the bye week here, this would be a great time for McCoy and Hardegree to take stock of the offensive system and develop a viable plan for Cam Ward and the offense moving forward. 

Stock up: CB Darrell Baker Jr.

Baker was strong all afternoon and again was the Titans’ top cornerback. With L’Jarius Sneed on injured reserve and Tennessee trading Roger McCreary, the young cornerback is now the leader of the room and looked the part on Sunday. 

Stock down: OT Dan Moore

Tennessee made a significant investment in Moore during the offseason, and he has not come close to earning that contract. Moore was again the target for pass rushers and struggled to protect Cam Ward all afternoon, allowing two of the four sacks he suffered. More than that, the pre-snap penalties and underwhelming surge in the run game had a lot to do with the sluggish offensive production.