Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward says he doesn’t regret his somber tone following the Titans’ 31-29 win against the Cleveland Browns.

The Titans (2-11) snapped a seven-game losing streak on Dec. 7 and set a season high in points on the trip to Cleveland, but Ward was less than thrilled. Coming out of a game where he completed only 50% of his passes and threw for just 117 yards (4.2 yards per attempt, his third-worst mark of the year), Ward backtracked on his season-long pledge that winning is the only thing he cares about, saying instead that he didn’t think he personally needed the win that much and there’s not a huge difference in his mind between winning and losing because winning obscures mistakes.

Given the opportunity to walk back or elaborate on some of his comments on Dec. 10, Ward said he still feels the same way after watching tape and processing the game.

“Winning, losing, they’ve both got a price,” Ward told reporters. “They’ve both got a price to pay. It just depends on which one you want to be a part of.”

Ward expanded. He said there’s a standard good teams play up to, a way to finish games so wins aren’t contested. He spoke particularly critically of the way the Titans played the fourth quarter in Cleveland. With 8:24 left in the game, their special teams blocked a punt to give the offense the ball on the Cleveland 29-yard line. The Titans ran the ball three times for 6 yards and settled for a field goal to turn a 28-17 lead into a 31-17 lead.

Roughly four game minutes later, with the Titans now leading 31-23 following a Cleveland touchdown and failed two-point conversion, the Titans took over possession again. Three more run plays, zero yards gained, punt.

Ward didn’t attempt a pass in either of the Titans’ final two offensive possessions, and neither gained a first down.

“Looking at the iPad during the game, I just see little things I’ve got to be better on,” he said. “Us as a whole offense. Especially in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t our best ability of football. Everybody, we’ve got to continue to build on it and get better at it.”

As the Titans turn their attentions to their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) on Dec. 14 (3:25 p.m. CT, FOX), Ward said the focus remains on fundamentals, not attitude.

“Just continuing to emphasize the basics,” he said. “Limiting everyone’s mistakes, my mistakes. Getting the ball out on time when I need to. Then also giving my wide receivers the chance to make plays.”

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.