A tale of two games here.
While the final scoreboard showed the Tennessee Titans winning the game, it was actually the moment we can all officially put the fork in the Titans for 2026—they are done. They absolutely suck.
Let me tell you how bad they suck: for the second preseason game in a row, they got totally embarrassed by an opposing team's second-team everything while they pushed their first-team unit onto the field. Seattle scored touchdowns on their first two possessions—both scores embarrassingly long touchdowns with untouched or uncovered players going for the score. Seattle also scored on their third possession, though it was just a field goal. Drew Lock was kicking the arse of the Tennessee Titans' first-team defense, with no sweat and he was doing it with all backups at the skill positions.
And then when you flipped the script to the Titans' first-team offense versus Seattle’s second-team defense, it was once again an absolute joke by Tennessee. Cam Ward looks terrible. He has no pass blocking. The receivers looked uninterested in even playing in a preseason game once again. The only thing that works for the Titans is the run game. It's so weird that they have probably one of the ten best run-blocking offensive lines in the league while simultaneously possessing arguably the single worst pass-blocking offensive line in football.
If it wasn't for the Cleveland Browns, the Tennessee Titans would be the runaway leader for the single worst-run organization in the NFL.
We also have to give credit to the Seattle Seahawks, who for the second time in a row this preseason look the 180° opposite of the Titans. Seattle has potentially been the best-executing, most well-coached team in the preseason... They look good, sharp, and competitive even with their second team or worse playing.
Player Notes...
-- Let's start off with Cam Ward (8-12 for 69 yards, 0 TD/0 INT, 0-0-0). He's definitely not getting better under Brian Daboll.
Ward looks lost and also disinterested, like he knows—as most of the Titans players do—what is happening... And what is happening is they're absolutely terrible. Terrible coaching is leading to terrible on-field performance. I think Ward is very talented, but all signs from the preseason point to a player who is getting beaten down by a horrible pass-protecting offensive line and an awful organization overall. Once again, an NFL team... a bad NFL team... has ruined a top draft-pick quarterback.
I want nothing to do with Ward for fantasy football for the foreseeable future, which is so sad because we saw him start to percolate late last season once they got rid of even worse coaching (or just as bad coaching) with Brian Callahan. The same Brian Callahan who is going to go try to ruin Jaxson Dart in New York in 2026.
Ward is floating passes that he should throw with more zip. He's constantly under pressure, so he cannot get comfortable in the passing game. 2026 is already over before it got started for the Titans' passing game.
-- Maybe the only thing that looks worse than Ward in the preseason is Carnell Tate (0-0-0, 0-0-0/2). Two games into the preseason and he has a total of 0 catches on five targets. Tate is not the problem per se—it's the overall situation—but I can see Tate has a cross to bear too--because you can already see he's checking out on this situation. He ain't at Ohio State anymore where everything is super easy and you have Jeremiah Smith drawing all the attention on the other side of the field.
Now, I'm not going to completely write off Tate because Jaxon Smith-Njigba had some similar adjusting to do. But the Seattle franchise is a completely different workplace environment than the Titans franchise.
-- Just a quick note: Will Levis (4-9 for 15 yards, 0 TD/0 INT, 4-15-0) looks worse than ever... When you see Ward collapse and the analysts all crush Ward as a bust without noting the Titans failing to support him, remember this is the exact same thing that happened to Levis. Levis was a preview of what's about to happen to Ward. It's not their fault.
Analysts will probably defend Ward by eviscerating the Titans' coaching and organization for ruining him, but when it comes to Levis, he gets all the blame. It's just hypocritical. I don't even FF-think about Levis anymore because I know he was also the forerunner to J.J. McCarthy—guys who are going to get crucified in the toxic cesspool of NFL fandom, making it nearly impossible to get up off the mat...they’ve lost all their confidence. They need to go to other teams, like Sam Darnold did, to try to rehab their careers. Only now, there are so many good quarterbacks in the universe that teams don't feel the need to take on reclamation projects. So sad. Ward and Levis should sue the Titans for workplace negligence and career destruction.
-- The only thing working for the Titans is the run game, and specifically, that means Tony Pollard (2-12-0, 1-33-0/1). Pollard was nice here, and he's getting the special treatment as the respected veteran leader at running back.
Now, they are also respecting Tyjae Spears (2-2-0, 3-14-0/3) by giving Pollard and Spears their own series to work in, but you can tell Pollard is going to be the lead punch. That doesn't discount the fact that Spears may be the better PPR producer... But I don't want us to overlook the fact that Pollard is still very good and is in a place of respect by his team—and that carries real value for a guy being disrespected in ADPs.
Enough Titans bashing, let's praise the Seahawks...
-- Drew Lock (12-14 for 103 yards, 1 TD/0 INT, 2-8-0) has been one of the best quarterbacks of the preseason. He's worked himself into becoming one of the better backups in the league. That matters for a team that has title aspirations. Somewhere along the way—whether it's for a series, a quarter, or a game or two—2026 looks like it could be the year of the backups across the board with all of the injuries happening.
-- Lock's favorite receiver here was Elijah Arroyo (0-0-0, 2-50-1/3), who looked the best I've seen him in his two NFL years so far in this game... Though part of that was a Titans defense that was virtually invisible. Arroyo scored a 36-yard touchdown catching a pass downfield where there wasn't a defender within 10 yards of him in any direction. But I also need to point out that Arroyo looked super smooth and super-fast for a tight end in this event.
-- The one thing that is not working for Seattle in the preseason is backup QB Jalen Milroe (6-11 for 52 yards, 0 TD/2 INT, 1-16-0). Wouldn't be surprised to see Seattle trade him anywhere they can because he's a fantastic athlete who can be used as a specialty-play QB or a gimmick, but he is in no way, shape, or form an NFL starting quarterback. He gets worse every game that I see him play. He's not as good as Justin Fields, and Justin Fields sucks.
-- Seattle has a little something in RB Jacardia Wright (8-81-1, 3-12-0/3). He popped a 69-yard touchdown run, blasting right through the middle of the Tennessee defense and just running through and by them for the easy score. He's not a fantasy factor yet; I don't even know if he's going to make the main roster. But the kid can play. He deserves to be in the league.
-- Sam Darnold is sitting out the preseason, but they're always interviewing him on the sidelines about the players who have impressed him on his team this preseason, and Darnold always thoughtfully answers the question. I think the team might wish he would shut up and stop talking about the sleeper players on their roster just in case they want to try to stash them on the practice squad!
But for the sake of being a good reporter, I need to report what Darnold said... I have it registered in my mind for future reference... When asked who is impressing him this preseason, Darnold singled out UDFA WR Montorie Foster Jr. (0-0-0, 1-24-0/3). And if you want to learn more about who he is, go back to my Week 1 Seahawks preseason game report.
You know what's kinda crazy about Montorie Foster Jr. from this game, a guy that looks like he has NFL potential at wide receiver? He had three tackles in this game as well.
-- One final note, a sad note: very early in this game, Seattle rookie safety Bud Clark (0 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 0 TFLs, 0 PDs, 0 INTs) got caught in a crowd on a defensive play trying to make a tackle and injured himself. He is now going on IR for the entire season. His rookie year is lost.
===========================
