Cam Ward did not receive much help from his teammates in his regular-season debut with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and there was one moment in the game that really seemed to discourage the rookie quarterback’s father.
Ward went just 12/28 for 112 yards in the Titans’ 20-12 loss to the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. Several Tennessee pass-catchers had drops, and Ward was also sacked a whopping six times.
Titans star wide receiver Calvin Ridley had one of the drops, and it was very costly. Tennessee was trailing 20-12 with just under a minute remaining when Ward hit Ridley on the hands with a pass over the middle of the field. The play would have resulted in a first down, but Ridley could not haul the pass in.
Right after the play, Ward’s father Calvin was shown on the FOX broadcast looking extremely frustrated.
HEARTBREAKING: #Titans rookie QB Cam Ward’s father was PISSED OFF after Calvin Ridley dropped the ball and cost Tennessee a chance to win the game.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 7, 2025
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Just awful. Ward made multiple perfect throws that were dropped by his receivers.
pic.twitter.com/Yb85hCfPik
Calvin Ward is a former quarterback who played at Houston, which is probably why he felt the pain of that dropped pass even more.
In fairness to Ridley, the ball was thrown slightly too far out in front. Still, a veteran wide receiver has to make that play in a critical moment — especially when he’s playing with a rookie quarterback.
Cam Ward and Ridley showed a strong connection during the preseason, but that did not carry over into Week 1. Ridley finished with just 4 catches for 27 yards in the loss to Denver.
