QB Cam Ward's improvement offers hope for future amid Titans' struggles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are starting to see more than a glimmer of hope from an absolutely miserable season with rookie quarterback Cam Ward growing up with each passing game.

Interim coach Mike McCoy couldn't praise Ward's performance enough even as the Titans lost their 10th straight home game in a 30-24 defeat to Seattle.

“It’s taking that next step, and that’s what he’s done,” McCoy said. “We’ve been saying it from day one, the way he competes, the way he works every day. When we first came in in the offseason program, the early mornings, staying late, things like that, it’s starting to pay off.”

The No. 1 overall pick helped Tennessee score a season high in points and run a season-high 68 offensive plays and holding the ball a season-high 37 minutes, 25 seconds.

Ward also scrambled for a season high in yards with his first rushing touchdown and threw for 256 yards with one TD.

Better yet, the rookie finished his third straight game without an interception and didn't fumble despite being sacked four times.

The Titans (1-10) have been blown out at times this season and even shut out Sept. 28 before coach Brian Callahan was fired. But they've strung together three straight losses by a touchdown or less.

Tennessee is 5-6 against the spread this season according to BetMGM.com.

“The only thing that matters the win or loss,” Ward said.

The rookie class. If anyone's looking to grade first-year general manager Mike Borgonzi, the Titans started a season-high five of their nine draft picks against Seattle. That's the most for any Titans' game since at least 2005 when five or more draft picks started six times that season.

Tennessee wound up playing a season-high 10 rookies in a season where nine have played in four other games. Rookie tight end Gunnar Helm had a team-high six catches for 51 yards, a season high. Safety Kevin Winston Jr. had a team-high 10 tackles.

“That gives a lot of hope,” Ward said of the production of the rookie class.

Self-inflicted penalties continue to help the Titans be their own worst enemy for a team with 102 penalties for 599 yards this season. They cleaned those up in McCoy's first two games as interim coach. But they had 10 for 63 yards against the Seahawks with two wiping out first downs.

Worse, plenty are penalties the Titans should be able to eliminate. Unnecessary roughness, a chop block, too many men in the offensive huddle after a 25-yard pickup on third down. The last came as the Titans were trying to recover an onside kick in the final minute only to be flagged for illegal touching.

Chimere Dike. The rookie from Florida continues leading the NFL in all-purpose yards with 1,760 after having 232 combined yards. He has topped 200 all-purpose yards in three of the past four games. Dike has a chance to threaten Darren Sproles' league record of 2,696 all-purpose yards in 2011 with New Orleans.

Derrick Mason is second all time in the NFL, and Mason has the Titans' record of 2,690 in 2000.

Dike also tied the franchise record for longest punt return set by Pacman Jones on Nov. 19, 2006, at Philadelphia, with a 90-yarder for a TD. He became the seventh rookie since 2000 with at least two punt return TDs, a group that includes Devin Hester (three) and Tyreek Hill (two).

Jihad Ward. The outside linebacker has 3 1/2 sacks this season, but he was flagged for a pair of penalties against Seattle.

LT Dan Moore Jr. played only 33 snaps before a knee injury, and C Lloyd Cushenberry missed nine offensive snaps with a late ankle injury. DL Shy Tuttle is in the concussion protocol.

9 — Teams currently with a winning record the Titans have played so far this season with a combined record of 76-46.

The NFL's lone one-win team wraps up a four-game homestand Sunday by hosting the Jaguars (7-4) for the first game between the AFC South rivals this season. The Titans already have been swept by Houston and Indianapolis inside the division.

Of the final six games, the Titans face only two teams with losing records in Cleveland (3-8) and New Orleans (2-9) in a season that could net Tennessee a second consecutive No. 1 overall draft pick.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, bottom, breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm (84) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike, center, scores a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) gets a completed pass away during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans interim head coach Mike McCoy congratulates quarterback Cam Ward (1) after a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy think the same way about Muirfield Village, and what it takes to succeed at the Memorial Tournament.

This is a big golf course, but it's not all about power.

“Here it’s more about placing the ball in the right spots and taking your opportunities when you can get them,” said Scheffler, who speaks from the experience of winning the last two years.

“For being such a long golf course, I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot,” said McIlroy, who played for the 14th time without ever getting that winner's handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus off the 18th green.

The Memorial is one tournament McIlroy can't seem to win — he's had only five finishes in the top 10 and never a reasonable chance to win.

And it's the one tournament Scheffler can't seem to lose.

Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, sets out this week to try to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win three straight times at the tournament Nicklaus built.

Nicklaus was asked why he thought Scheffler played so well at Muirfield Village, beyond the obvious of having great control of his shots. Nicklaus raised his right index finger and tapped the side of his head.

“He thinks his way around the golf course,” Nicklaus said. “His golf swing is certainly not spectacular from a standpoint of looking at balance — the pathway of his club is very good. But he doesn't put himself in position to make doubles and triples.”

Scheffler and McIlroy, Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, lead another strong field at the Memorial with the U.S. Open looming two weeks away. Both went to Shinnecock Hills on Monday on their way to central Ohio — they didn't play together — to scout the U.S. Open course.

It's not like they run in the same circles or even play in the same events. This is the 12th event for Scheffler this year, the 10th for McIlroy. But they have played the same tournament only six times, two of them majors and The Players Championship.

Both have won this year, McIlroy's victory being far more meaningful. He held off Scheffler at Augusta National to become only the fourth back-to-back winner of the Masters.

Scheffler, coming off another dominant season, won his first tournament of the season at The American Express. The rest of the year has been close calls — three runner-up finishes in a row, three other finishes in the top 5.

“I felt like I haven’t been as sharp as I would have liked to have been,” Scheffler said. “When you look at the margins in this game, they’re quite small. I think statistically I’m probably not far off from where I’ve been the last couple years, it’s just a couple shots here or there, a couple of those momentum shots where it can kind of swing you in a tournament.”

McIlroy has the career Grand Slam, and it's cherry-picking what else he would like to win. Courses mean a lot to him. There's also an Olympic gold medal to chase once every four years, and Riviera and Muirfield Village — the tournaments hosts are Tiger Woods and Nicklaus — are on his list.

“I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold (Palmer) was alive,” McIlroy said. “So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand. Also, Jack and I share a nice history. I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.”

McIlroy skipped last year and played the RBC Canadian Open instead. He also missed in 2017 when he was tending to sore ribs from an injury earlier in the year. But he's played all the rest of them at Muirfield Village, just not with anything to show for it.

That's not unusual in golf. Woods never figured out how to win at Riviera, the Los Angeles masterpiece that's one of his favorites and now is tournament host for the Genesis Invitational. Nicklaus was runner-up seven times at the Canadian Open. His only win in Canada was as Presidents Cup captain in 2007.

“Obviously a great list of champions on a wonderful golf course,” McIlroy said of the Memorial. “I haven't quite figured it out yet. It's frustrated me over my career. But hopefully, this is the week that I put it all together.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

FILE - Jack Nicklaus speaks ahead of the Memorial golf tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Doug Ferguson, File)

Scottie Scheffler watches his shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)