The Titans had the ball inside the Giants’ 10-yard-line with 24 seconds left in Sunday’s game, but any hopes of a comeback win were dashed when quarterback Cam Ward’s final pass left his hand.
Ward rolled left and had room to run for at least a short gain before getting out of bounds or using one of the Titans’ two timeouts. Ward made a different choice, though, and tried to float a pass to wide receiver Elic Ayomanor in the back of the end zone. Giants safety Jevon Holland was in front of Ayomanor, however, and he made a jumping interception to seal a 12-7 Giants win.
Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s angry reaction in the booth was caught on camera and head coach Robert Saleh took issue with the decision in his postgame press conference.
“He’s out in the open field, just be smarter with the football,” Saleh said. “We’ve got two timeouts left, it’s first and goal on the 8. We’re gonna score, you don’t need to force it in that situation. Unfortunately It happened.”
Ward said he didn’t think the throw was “reckless,” but the response from the coaches showed a different analysis. Saleh said his issues with that decision and Ward’s overall play have not led him to consider to benching the first overall pick of the 2025 draft, but some clear signs of growth from the offense would be welcomed in Tennessee.