The Tennessee Titans have lost their past eight games – the final six of the 2024 season and the first two of the 2025 campaign.

Since moving to Tennessee from Houston in 1997, the Titans have had only one losing streak longer than their current slide. During the 2014 season, Tennessee lost 10 games in a row.

But a benefit from losing the final six games last year is going to pay off for the Titans, Tennessee wide receiver Calvin Ridley said.

By slumping to a 3-14 record in 2024, the Titans backed into the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Tennessee took Miami (Fla.) quarterback Cam Ward with the first selection, and he has started both games this season.

“Cam’s a dog, man,” Ridley said after Sunday’s 33-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “He’s going to get better and better each game, and so is the team. And just give us a chance. We’re going to get there. We’re going to get there. We flashed. Like I said, we flashed, but we didn’t, obviously, come out with, you know, what we wanted. But we got to just keep hitting the practice field and getting better.”

Ward has started his NFL career by completing 31-of-61 passes for 287 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Ward’s scrambling 9-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor against the Rams is the Titans’ only touchdown in their first two games.

Tennessee has many more penalties, though. Twenty-three, the most in the NFL, have been marked off for 193 yards against the Titans in 2025.

“We got to keep practicing, keep getting better and figure out how to get in the end zone,” Ridley said. “… You just got to go to work and get more disciplined and just focus in a little better on the play call and just lock in.”

With seven receptions for 84 yards, Ridley is Tennessee’s leading receiver, just as he was last season when he was catching footballs thrown by Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. The former Alabama standout had 64 receptions for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns in his third 1,000-yard season.

Ward will make his third NFL start on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Five teams could already be working with their backup QB as their starter in Week 3 – the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders.

For Ridley, Sunday’s game against an AFC South rival would be a good time for the Titans to do more than “flash.”

“You got to win all the division games,” Ridley said. “And, you know, these’re just two games. We’re still in great shape. We flashed a lot out there, and we just got to finish honestly.”

The Alabama Game of the Week is the Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles contest on Sunday. The teams’ active rosters include 14 players from Alabama high schools and colleges.

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The Week 3 season schedule (with all times Central and point spreads from BetMGM):

Thursday

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-12.5), 7:15 p.m. (Prime Video)

Sunday

Atlanta Falcons (-6) at Carolina Panthers, noon (WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)Green Bay Packers (-8) at Cleveland Browns, noonHouston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-2), noonCincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings (-3), noonPittsburgh Steelers (-1.5) at New England Patriots, noon (WIAT, WTVY, WAKA)Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5), noon (WBRC)New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7), noonIndianapolis Colts (-3.5) at Tennessee Titans, noon (WHNT)Las Vegas Raiders at Washington Commanders (-3.5), noonDenver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-3), 3:05 p.m.New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks (-7.5), 3:05 p.m. (WKRG)Dallas Cowboys (-1) at Chicago Bears, 3:25 p.m. (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-2.5), 3:25 p.m.Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5) at New York Giants, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens (-5), 7:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

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