Titans Start Hot, Saints Finish Hotter As They Topple Tennessee 34-26

Nashville, TN — In the final home game of the regular season, the Tennessee Titans watched a promising afternoon slip away, falling 34–26 to the New Orleans Saints.

Overview

For a moment, it felt like Nissan Stadium might finally get the ending it deserved.

Tennessee burst out of the gate, jumping to a 13–0 lead behind a locked-in Cameron Ward. The rookie quarterback was dealing early, connecting on multiple deep shots and carving up the Saints’ defense in the first half.

Even as New Orleans steadied itself, the Titans carried a 10-point lead into halftime and appeared to have control of the game.

Ward’s first-half numbers backed up the eye test. He was 11-of-15 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, he became the first rookie in Titans history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a season, another milestone in what has been a promising debut campaign.

Then came the collapse.

The second half told a very different story. New Orleans flipped the script, outscoring Tennessee 24–6 after the break. The Saints leaned into a physical, downhill approach and the Titans had no answer.

Running back Audric Estime punished Tennessee’s defense for 94 yards on 14 carries, most of it coming after halftime.

Quarterback Tyler Shough put the finishing touches on the comeback. He delivered a near-flawless second half, throwing for two touchdowns and consistently finding soft spots in the Titans’ secondary.

Shough finished the day 22-of-27 for 333 yards and two touchdowns, effectively draining any momentum Tennessee had left.

Despite the loss, the afternoon wasn’t without historic moments for the Titans.

Tony Pollard surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the third consecutive season. Chimere Dike etched his name into the NFL record books by having the most all-purpose yards by a rookie, previously held by Hall of Famer Tim Brown.

Jeffery Simmons also reached a personal milestone, recording the first 10-plus sack season of his career.

Still, individual achievements couldn’t mask the familiar frustration of having another strong start undone by an inability to close.

 

Positives

• Hot Start: Tennessee scored 20 first-half points, its highest output in a single half this season.

• Record Rookies: Ward and Dike both delivered record-setting performances.

 

Negatives

• Cold Finish: A 10-point lead evaporated as Tennessee was outscored 24–6 in the second half.

• Secondary Struggles: The Titans surrendered more than 300 passing yards, struggling to contain Shough after halftime.

• Home Duds: Tennessee closed the 2025–26 season with a disappointing 1–7 home record.

The Titans will wrap up the season on the road in Florida, facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in the finale.