Game Of Throws: Rookie QB Ward steps into spotlight in Tennessee

On the surface, the Tennessee Titans were one of the unluckiest teams in the NFL last season.

If everything goes according to plan moving forward, we might look back on the 2024 Titans as one of the most fortunate teams in the league.

Tennessee was competitive in several losses, going 2-6 in one-score games and finished with the worst record in the NFL overall at 3-14.

The Titans also went 2-15 against the spread – the worst ATS record the TSN Betting team has ever tracked.

As painful as it was for their fans to watch as it unfolded, all those tough losses added up to Tennessee earning the opportunity to draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The bad news is that Ward will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to lead a franchise that has finished in the AFC South basement in back-to-back seasons.

The good news is that there is nowhere to go but up, especially after the quarterback Ward will replace – Will Levis – finished with the worst total QBR in the entire NFL last season.

The Titans have selected six quarterbacks in the first round in the Common Draft Era – third-most in the NFL.

The hope this time around is that they won’t have to draft another for a very long time after they handed the keys to Ward as their new franchise quarterback.

What can we expect from the 23-year-old as a rookie?

FanDuel set Ward’s regular season passing yards prop at over/under 3200.5 for his debut season.

His touchdown passes prop is over/under 18.5.

Ward to win AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honours is +300 as the second choice behind only Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty at +250.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton is +900 as the third choice to win OROY at FanDuel.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, who was the second overall pick in the NFL Draft behind Ward, is +1000 as the fourth choice to win OROY.

As for the team’s regular season win total, Tennessee over 5.5 wins is -145.

The Titans to stay under 6.5 regular season wins is -140.

I’ll roll with Tennessee under 6.5 regular season wins as a FanDuel Best Bet for this edition of Game Of Throws.

The Titans might have landed their franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, but they still hav some significant holes on both sides of the football, which is why they still have the longest odds to win the AFC South at +700.

The Titans to make the playoffs is +390.

Only four teams – the New York Jets, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the Cleveland Browns – are considered more likely to miss the postseason.

While there is optimism that Tennessee can win six or more games, there’s also a very real chance that they finish at or near the basement of the NFL standings.

If Ward demonstrates signs that he can live up to his billing as a first overall pick and potential franchise QB, Titans fan’s will still be feeling lucky regardless of whether this team must wait one more year before it’s ready to contender for a playoff spot in the loaded AFC.

There’s a lot of pressure on the 23-year-old from Miami.

Let’s see how Ward responds as a rookie QB in the NFL.

Expectations are higher than I expected them to be.