Fresh off recording their first win, the Tennessee Titans will try to press their luck when they head to Las Vegas for a meeting with the Raiders on Sunday.
While the Raiders (1-4) won their first game before going on a four-game losing streak, the Titans (1-4) enter the Week 6 matchup following an unlikely 22-21 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Tennessee stepped up late with 16 fourth-quarter points, earning its big break when Arizona’s Emari Demercado let the ball roll off his fingertips at the goal line early in the final frame, failing to complete a 72-yard touchdown run.
Instead of trailing 28-6, the Titans went on a momentum-building 80-yard touchdown drive and completed their comeback behind 193 passing yards from rookie Cam Ward in the fourth quarter.
“One fourth-quarter performance doesn’t guarantee another, but to see (Ward) go out and perform — be at your best when your best is required — that was really positive,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan said. “That’s a big moment for his development as a young player. Now, the key will be: How do we do that from the start of the game?”
Ward, the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, finished the game with a season-best 265 passing yards. His late effort set up a game-winning 29-yard field goal from Joey Slye as time expired.
Despite the scoring surge, the Titans remain tied with the Cleveland Browns for the fewest points scored this season at 73, but the comeback has given a glimpse of offensive hope moving forward.
“We still have a lot to prove to ourselves from an execution standpoint, offensively and defensively,” Ward said. “We still have to get a lot more wins.”
The Raiders had their feel-good victory in Week 1 with a 20-13 road win over the New England Patriots, but it failed to provide a spark moving forward. The most recent of Las Vegas’ four consecutive defeats came when they were overmatched 40-6 at Indianapolis this past weekend.
Geno Smith has yet to get on track in his first season with Las Vegas. His nine interceptions lead the NFL and he has been sacked 16 times. Smith does have six touchdown passes, while his 1,176 yards through the air are 11th most in the league.
“Things happen in this league. It’s the big-boy league. It’s the NFL,” Smith said in reference to his interceptions. “It’s not always going to be perfect. It’s an imperfect game. We have to find ways to win regardless of what happens.”
On defense, the Raiders give up 27.8 points per game, eighth most in the NFL, but the Titans give up the seventh most (28.2).
During Sunday’s lowest-scoring game of the season, when Las Vegas went 0-for- 4 in the red zone, the defense gave up three rushing touchdowns to Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor. Smith threw two interceptions and has five in the past two weeks.
Restricting the Las Vegas offense Sunday was the absence of the team’s top two tight ends in Brock Bowers (knee) and Michael Mayer (concussion), while left tackle Kolton Miller (ankle) remains on the injured reserve.
Bowers and Raiders punter AJ Cole (ankle) missed practice Wednesday, while Mayer was a full participant. The Titans had 10 players who did not participate Wednesday, including Slye (calf), cornerback Marcus Harris (calf), wide receiver Van Jefferson (ankle), linebacker Arden Key (quad) and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (ankle).