Rams defense commits a cardinal sin in their Week 2 effort to shut down Titans

The Los Angeles Rams' potent defense shut the Houston Texans offense out of the end zone in Week 1.

But as we know all too well, it's a long season.

A team that forces an elite performance from the defense each week is going to fall short of expectations, something that fans were growing uncomfortable with leading up to Week 2's road bout versus the Tennessee Titans.

And it was a concern that was well-placed, as the Rams surrendered their first touchdown pass of 2025.

Pre-game hype from at least one NFL site projected that the defense would shut down rookie quarterback Cam Ward's homefield debut. The challenge with lofty expectations is that all dominoes have to fall the right way.

Dominoes began to fall the wrong way in the first half, as starting cornerback Ahekello Witherspoon left the game with a shoulder injury and was declared out for the game.

After Witherspoon left the game, momentum changed quickly for the Rams in the wrong direction. With a lead of 10-3, the Rams punted to the Tennessee Titans with 3:08 remaining in the first half. Five consecutive runs that gained 24 yards moved the football to the 32-yard line with 1:09 remaining.

A 23-yard completion set the Tians up for a a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.

Rams defense allowed Cam Ward to gain confidence in Week 2

Los Angeles' defense needed plenty of help in Week 2. The Titans offense was feisty if not prolific. It combined a balanced attack that mixed the pass and run plays well. Were this the Week 1 game, the Rams would be struggling.

But L.A. seemed to regroup in the second half. After the offense tied up the score with an opening drive field goal in the second half, the Titans answered back with a field goal of their own.

This was a closer game than many expected, and the final 33-19 score in favor of Los Angeles won't necessarily indicate that. The Titans were fighting hard for their first win of the season. Had the Rams gotten their running game going earlier, perhaps this one would not have been as close as it was. But it was clear when the score was tied as time was running out in the first half that head coach Sean McVay simply was not impressed with his rushing effort, calling on quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw a completion, which led to a horrendous interception instead.

The contest, while a dog fight throughout, was another competitive game. The Rams offense was never able to claim the momentum until the start of the fourth quarter in this one. And even that needed a strip sack from Edge rusher Byron Young, and a fumble recovery from veteran ILB Nate Landman.

Meanwhile, the Titans offense continued to chip away, putting up positive plays with a deft combination of runs and passes.

As always, thanks for reading.

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