Jim Wyatt
NASHVILLECam Ward brought some magic to his Nissan Stadium debut.
The Titans rookie quarterback electrified the crowd with a highlight-reel throw for his first career touchdown pass.
It came near the end of the first half in what was a back-and-forth game for a while.
But the Titans couldn't sustain the momentum in an eventual 33-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
With the loss, the Titans dropped to 0-2.
Ward completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown in the game. He was also sacked five times, and lost the ball on a fumble. Running back Tony Pollard carried the ball 20 times for 92 yards in the game. Kicker Joey Slye made four field goals.
The Titans defense had trouble stopping Los Angeles on Sunday, as quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 33 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns on a day when the Rams racked up 439 yards of total offense.
The Titans were penalized 10 times for 62 yards in the contest, making things even more difficult on themselves.
The Titans got off to a tough start, and after rallying for a halftime lead, saw the Rams separate from them in the second half before an announced crowd of 59,069.
The Rams took a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the contest when receiver Puka Nacua took a handoff on 4th and 1 and raced 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Titans cut the lead to 7-3 in a 55-yard field goal by Slye, which capped an 11-play, 48-yard drive that included a 4th and 1 run for a first down by Ward.
The Titans looked like they'd seized the momentum back on a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown by rookie Chimere Dike, but the play was called back because of an illegal blindside block called against linebacker Cedric Gray, which set off loud boos at Nissan Stadium.
But those boos changed to cheers minutes later, when Ward connected with rookie Elic Ayomanor for a nine-yard touchdown pass, which made it 10-10.
Only this wasn't your average nine-yard touchdown pass.
On the play, Ward ran to his right, and then threw across the field and his body -- to Ayomanor, who'd previously made a great one-handed catch off his shoulder pads to keep the drive alive.
Nissan Stadium erupted after Ward's throw, and a big celebration followed.
Then, on the next possession for the Rams, Titans linebacker Cody Barton intercepted Stafford.
The Titans got into field goal position, and Slye kicked his second field goal of the day, to give the Titans a 13-10 lead at halftime.
The Rams got the ball to start the second half, and a 26-yard field goal by Karty early in the third quarter made it 13-13. The Titans defense, for the second time in the game, kept the Rams out of the end zone after they had a first and goal situation.
But the Titans responded with a scoring drive of their own, and capped it off with a 57-yard field goal by Slye with 3:32 left in the third quarter to reclaim the lead at 16-13.
Things went downhill from there, however.
The Rams answered Tennessee's score with a four-play, 69-yard drive they capped off with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Davis Allen, which made it 20-16 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.
Ward was then sacked early in the fourth quarter, and he lost the football at the Tennessee 21-yard line.
The Rams made the Titans pay, in a hurry, as Stafford connected with Davante Adams for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 27-16 with 9:40 left in the contest.
A few minutes later, Rams running back Blake Corum scored on a one-yard touchdown to make it 33-16 Rams with 6:45 left in the contest.
Slye's fourth field goal of the game for the Titans, this one from 35 yards, made it 33-19 with 2:40 left.
The Titans return to action next Sunday against the Colts at Nissan Stadium.
