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Cam Ward's Late Sack Took Away the Titans' Winning Kick. The Fix Is a Quick Throw and a Timeout
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- Cam Ward's Late Sack Took Away the Titans' Winning Kick. The Fix Is a Quick Throw and a Timeout
Tennessee Titans fans have a bye week to stew on one snap, and it's the right one to stew on. With Sunday's game in Cincinnati tied 36-36, Cam Ward had the ball at the Bengals 45 on third-and-3 with 32 seconds left. A short gain or even a throwaway would have left room for a long Joey Slye field goal. Instead, Dexter Lawrence sacked Ward for a 13-yard loss, Tennessee punted and the Bengals won the 43-36 overtime game on their first possession.
Ward didn't dodge it. "It really just kind of happened how it happened. I can't take a sack," he said, per TitanInsider , which also reported the Titans planned to try a 63-yard field goal before the sack pushed them back.
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How the Titans lost a field goal try
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) pumps up the crowd in the first quarter of the NFL Week 8 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
The drive started at the Tennessee 35 with 1:17 left and all three timeouts. Ward hit Elic Ayomanor for 13 yards, then the Titans let the clock run to 44 seconds before using their first timeout. After an incompletion and a 7-yard Ward scramble, it was third-and-3 at the Cincinnati 45.
Cincinnati called a two-man game up front, with Boye Mafe working inside and Lawrence looping outside. "I worked it with Boye. We saw something we liked and it happened," Lawrence said, per Bengals.com . Tennessee was playing with backups at right tackle and left guard by then. JC Latham left in the second half with a hand injury, and Peter Skoronski went down with a hamstring injury on the two-point conversion before the drive.
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The Titans punted from their own 42 with two timeouts still in their pocket. Fans asking whether Ward is clutch enough pointed to that sequence first, but the breakdown went beyond the quarterback.
A quick-game call and a cleaner clock
Nov 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh reacts in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
The fix starts with the call. In field-goal range with a makeshift line, third-and-3 needs a ball that comes out on time, like a stick or out route to Gunnar Helm or Wan'Dale Robinson. Helm was Tennessee's best receiver Sunday with an 88.0 receiving grade, according to PFF, and Ward graded out at 85.1 as a passer while throwing for a career-high 304 yards . He doesn't need to hold the ball to make plays.
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The protection plan has to account for who's in the game, too. Right guard Atonio Mafi finished with a 41.5 pass-blocking grade, and Garrett Dellinger was at 42.2 in his 18 snaps at left guard. Sliding the line toward the Lawrence-Mafe side or keeping Tony Pollard in to chip would have given Ward a cleaner pocket. Pollard, who ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns, graded 69.9 in pass protection.
The clock is the other piece. Calling timeout right after the 13-yard completion instead of letting roughly half a minute run would have given the offense two or three more snaps. Robert Saleh put the closing problem plainly. "In game situations, we've got to win," the Titans coach told TitanInsider. Tennessee gets a full bye to drill it before hosting the Jaguars.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
