Cardinals Look to Redeem Themselves by Taking on Winless Titans
After coming off back-to-back walkoff losses, let alone to their division rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, 2-2, will look to redeem themselves by hosting the winless, 0-4, Tennessee Titans at 4:05 p.m. EST Sunday. The Week Five matchup is the perfect opportunity for Arizona to regain some confidence by taking on one of the few teams that remain winless thus far in the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals have already showcased the ability to carry over momentum from their Week One win in New Orleans to their eventual Week Two win at home against Carolina, but were unable to do so when playing their division rivals in San Francisco and at home against Seattle. Now, Arizona will look to get back to above .500 with a potential win over Tennessee on Sunday.
Perhaps the biggest problem that faces the Cardinals is their running back room, as not only did they lose their starting tailback in James Conner for the season in Week Three, but they also announced that backup running back Trey Benson will be out at least four games after he was placed on injured reserve for an injury he sustained in Week Four. When Conner was ruled out for the season, the question arose of who could be the replacement at running back for the rest of Arizona’s 2025 season. At first, it was supposed to be Benson, but for now, he will not be the answer as he nurses his injury on the injured reserve list. The remaining running back options for the Cardinals are Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Zonovan “Bam” Knight. Demercado looks to be the lead back, but Carter might end up taking some more snaps, as he has had prior success with Arizona in previous years. While Knight might be the odd man out, he still can flash his skills that got him onto the initial 53-man roster after a strong preseason. This room should still be able to find success, as they take on a Titans defense that has given up the fifth-most rushing yards this season, 566. Along with the running game, the Cardinals' passing game looks to shake off a lackluster performance in Week Four by looking to start hot right out of the gate despite having multiple slow starts this season.
As for Tennessee, it’ll once again be looking to earn its first win of the season, as this season has been one to forget so far. The struggles for the Titans mainly revolve around their offense, as 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward has not had an easy time running an NFL-level offense. Granted, not all of the blame is on Ward, but accountability falls upon everyone’s shoulders at the end of the day. Through four games, Ward has completed a league-worst 51.2% of his passes for only 614 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Along with that, Ward has been sacked a league-high 17 times, as his offensive line has not helped him in any way. Ward’s struggles are only the tip of the spear when it comes to Tennessee’s struggles, as the running game has also struggled mightily thus far. The Titans' run game averages 87 yards per game, which is fifth-worst in the league. Tennessee’s offensive struggles also put a strain on its defense, as it repeatedly has to come out onto the field, leaving the defense gassed and prone to big plays and lots of scoring opportunities. The Titans will look to scrape away a win for the first time this season by taking on Arizona at 4:05 p.m. EST from State Farm Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS.
