2025 NFL preseason: Titans vs. Falcons Player of the Game: TE Gunnar Helm
One of the reasons the Titans walked away with a win is because of tight end Gunnar Helm, who is this week's Player of the Game.
Helm recorded four receptions on four targets for 48 yards and a touchdown. Not only that, but he was all over the field when he was out there. He was in the mix on blocking, he was running routes as a receiver, and he was disrupting the Falcons' defense at every chance he could get.
The rookie tight end doesn't just want a spot on the roster; he wants to be the starting tight end. That role currently belongs to Chig Okonkwo, but if he isn't careful, Helm will take his place in a heartbeat.
Okonkwo is in his fourth season with the Titans, and he's been consistent in his production. Last year, though, he had two fumbles, something uncharacteristic of his usual performance. Both Okonkwo and Helm were fourth-round draft picks by the Titans, and both aim to have a role on the team in 2025.
Tonight, Helm earned Player of the Game honors with his determination, drive, and strength. Expect him to push Okonkwo or take over his position in 2025.
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New York Times
11 hours ago
- New York Times
Titans-Falcons first half views
Follow live reaction from tonight's doubleheader of preseason games as the Titans and Seahawks came away with wins Imagn Images Week 2 of the NFL preseason got underway with two games tonight before 11 games tomorrow. The Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 in tonight's first game despite the struggles of QB Cam Ward, who completed only two of his seven passing attempts for 42 yards. In the nightcap, the Seattle Seahawks were impressive in a 33-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Follow all our analysis below as we continue to get you ready for the upcoming NFL season. Imagn Images Below are some of your thoughts through the first half of Titans vs. Falcons: B: I despise Raheem Morris as a coach. Can't even hope they lose and get a high draft pick because they don't have it! I despise Raheem Morris as a coach. Can't even hope they lose and get a high draft pick because they don't have it! Steve H.: Easton Stick looks good. Imagn Images First downs Total plays Total yards Total rushing yards Total passing yards Turnovers: That score late in the first half was not the first touchdown catch that Gunnar Helm has made in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The rookie Titans tight end scored what wound up being the game-winning touchdown in overtime of Texas' instant-classic Peach Bowl win over Arizona State on New Year's Day. The victory sent the Longhorns to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to eventual national champion Ohio State. Imagn Images Halftime - Titans 13, Falcons 3 That will do it for the first half in Atlanta with the Falcons trailing by 10 points. Neither offense impressed until Brandon Allen's touchdown pass late in the first half. Cam Ward was just 2-for-7 passing for 42 yards in the first half. Easton Stick was not impressive either, completing 12-of-19 passes for just 78 yards and an interception. That's a defensive drive that Falcons coach Raheem Morris is going to be very upset at. Atlanta had only given up just six points and effectively stymied the Titans' offense for most of the first half. Credit Brandon Allen for managing the Titans' two-minute offense. But a 7-yard pass on third-and-2 gave the Titans a first down and life. Then, an 11-yard pass to James Proche. The Falcons' defense just can't give these Titans receivers that much space. It culminates in a brilliant 25-yard pass and catch from Allen to Gunnar Helm, who jumped up in between Falcons defenders in the end zone to secure the touchdown. Now, it's a 10-point game with Atlanta going to be chasing on offense. Q2 0:38 - Titans 13, Falcons 3 What a throw and catch for Tennessee! Brandon Allen fires a strike to tight end Gunnar Helm down the seam for a 25-yard score. The tight end was double covered but Allen placed the pass toward his back shoulder and Helm went up to get it over both Falcons defenders. The extra point by Slye is good. If there's a positive for the Titans offense tonight, it's wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. The 22-year-old Canadian from Medicine Hat, Alberta, has two catches for 47 yards. His longest catch of the night was 35 yards off a pass from Cam Ward in the first quarter. The Titans will hope to get more positive yardage from their receivers in the second half. Q2 1:21 - Titans 6, Falcons 3 On third-and-2, Allen checks it down to Julius Chestnut for a gain of 7 yards to move the sticks. Q2 2:30 - Titans 6, Falcons 3 Another terrible drive by the Falcons still ends in points because of the excellent field position after the interception. Younghoe Koo boots through a 42-yard field goal to cut Atlanta's deficit in half. Natrone Brooks of the Falcons went undrafted in 2023. He's trying to earn his spot on Atlanta after appearing in nine games in 2024. The 25-year-old cornerback tallied one tackle and one QB hit last season. Tonight, Brooks gets Atlanta's first takeaway, running back 33 yards. A nice job sneaking underneath the route of the Titans receiver to secure the interception. At least there's no quarterback controversy in Tennessee, either... Q2 5:32 - Titans 6, Falcons 0 Brandon Allen steps up in the pocket and unleashes a throw directly to Falcons corner Natrone Brooks. The Titans finally got a first down but immediately gave the ball away. Easton Stick and company will look to capitalize on the field position. Getty Images What's the biggest difference for Michael Penix Jr. now heading into his second NFL season compared to the awkward situation he found himself in when he was a rookie? He didn't hesitate when asked that by the Falcons' broadcast. 💬 'Honestly, a lot of confidence. Especially having an offseason with the guys, being able to have those reps that I wasn't able to have last year, it brings a lot of confidence. I'm ready to go.' Obviously, most of the quarterback focus in this game is on Cam Ward. But Easton Stick's struggles are worth monitoring, too. As the Falcons broadcast pointed out, Stick could essentially be battling to be the Falcons' backup quarterback soon — if and when an injury elsewhere opens up a potential trade avenue for Kirk Cousins. It's no secret that the battle for the fifth and sixth receivers for the Atlanta Falcons will be contested. At least four to five receivers are fighting for two spots. On this latest drive, Chris Blair had an Easton Stick pass placed perfectly within his grasp. But Blair couldn't corral the ball, resulting in an incomplete pass. The 27-year-old did make a 12-yard reception later in the drive on third-and-17. But that dropped ball is costly when you're one of the receivers fighting for playing time in the regular season. Imagn Images Q2 10:40 - Titans 6, Falcons 0 Punts are fun, right? Another ugly drive for the Falcons ends as Chris Blair is brought down 5 yards short of the sticks on third down. Cam Ward is done for the night. Brandon Allen is now in at quarterback for the Titans. To Lukas' earlier point, there's another absolutely brutal penalty for the Falcons as an explosive run by Nathan Carter past midfield is negated due to a hold. It's approaching halfway through the second quarter, and the Tennessee Titans only have one first down. Yes, this isn't a drill. One first down. Cam Ward only has two completions tonight. He's showcasing his throwing speed, but the receivers are struggling to make the catches. Only two catches tonight so far for the Titans. Not good enough! Q2 12:47 - Titans 6, Falcons 0 Cam Ward and company quickly go three-and-out. The rookie attempts to find Elic Ayomanor down the seam, but he is covered tightly by Dee Alford. The Titans' wideout wanted a flag but does not get one. Tennessee punts again. These offenses have been rather unimpressive so far.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Titans edge Falcons 23-20
ATLANTA (AP) — Kendell Brooks scored on a 53-yard interception return and rookie quarterback Cameron Ward had mixed results as the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 in a preseason game Friday night. Joey Slye's 23-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining gave Tennessee (1-1) the lead. Falcons backup quarterback Emory Jones was stopped on a fourth-down run near the Tennessee 20 with 2:57 remaining. Jones was shaken up on the hit by linebacker Amari Burney and cornerback Jemari Harris. Jones walked off the field with assistance. Ward played three series and completed 2 of 7 passes for 42 yards. Ward's highlight was a 35-yard completion to Elic Ayomanor on the Titans' opening series. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, had another long pass dropped by Van Jefferson. The teams traded third-quarter touchdowns. Jemar Jefferson's 16-yard scoring run, which capped a 13-play drive, gave the Titans a 20-13 lead. Easton Stick, who played the first three quarters for Atlanta, threw a 52-yard scoring pass to Chris Blair to tie the game. Brandon Allen, who played behind Ward, threw a 25-yard scoring pass to tight end Gunnar Helm late in the first half. Nathan Carter produced the Falcons' first touchdown with a 43-yard run in the third quarter. Younghoe Koo kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards for Atlanta (0-2). SEAHAWKS 33, CHIEFS 16 SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his first appearance at Lumen Field as Seattle beat Kansas City. Darnold, who did not appear in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, completed 4 of 4 passes for 34 yards on the opening drive. Darnold, who signed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle in the offseason, made good use of both his legs and his tight ends during his sole series. He had no issues rolling out to either his left or right, locating tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo for short passes, as well as fullback Robbie Ouzts and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for deeper completions. Backup quarterback Drew Lock impressed in relief of Darnold, throwing a couple of touchdown passes to wide receiver Jake Bobo, and completing 10 of 12 passes for 129 yards. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Damien Martinez each added touchdowns on the ground in the first and third quarters, respectively. The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and other starters from the team that fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in last season's Super Bowl. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew found tight end Robert Tonyan for a 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Key word for Cam Ward? Patience. The Titans still have a long way to go
ATLANTA – Cam Ward's best throw during his abbreviated preseason shift on Friday night came at the right time with the perfect aim. The Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback scanned the defense, set his feet and lofted a second-and-long spiral with precise arc. It hit the intended target in his hands. Textbook. One problem: Van Jefferson dropped it. But man, was that a beautiful throw. 'Really, next play, that's all you can do,' Ward reflected. 'I've got to throw the ball better.' When the rookie went on to explain that he might have put the football a tad out of reach, it sounded more like a team leader serving up some cover for his veteran receiver. In any event, it was another lesson for Ward, 23, to absorb from a second preseason lab test that was filled with adversity. Ward only played 11 snaps over three series, leading his unit to just one first down. Inside a ho-hum stat line – he completed 2-of-7 passes for 42 yards, with a scant passer rating of 52.1 – there were misfires on back-to-back third downs that would've made for difficult catches. Even more glaring were the two penalties by offensive lineman that stunted drives. 'What I learned from this game is to not shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties,' Ward said. 'I think we had a chance to score the three times I was out there, but we always had to overcome something.' Brian Callahan knows. The Titans' second-year coach is 'very encouraged' by the progress he's seen with Ward as they head into the final week of the preseason. He gave his rookie high marks for the operational elements of playing quarterback, which says something about absorbing X's and O's, calling plays in the huddle and making certain that the unit is lined up properly. And there's no question about the zip in Ward's arm. Yet Callahan also knows that it is much bigger than the progress of one man – even one as dynamic as Ward, whose college resume includes a record 158 touchdown passes. More: Michael Penix Jr. shows fight, literally, in Falcons-Titans practice scrap Callahan couldn't fully assess Ward's night without bemoaning the early penalties. 'That's not really on him,' Callahan said. 'That's one of those things where we need to do better around him.' That speaks to a big takeaway as the development of Ward commands attention. It is going to take a village. As much as Ward may make strides during his NFL transition, there's a possibility that it could be dwarfed by the growing pains of the whole unit. Of course, the snapshot from Friday night needs proper context. It was only an exhibition, with vanilla schemes and game plans. And Ward's top two receivers, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, sat out as proven veterans tend to do this time of year. Still, Ward's confident words after two days of joint practices with the Falcons – he was noticeably sharper on Wednesday after sputtering on Tuesday – bear repeating. He proclaimed that the Titans have the makings of a Top 10 NFL offense and that his wide receiver group is among the five best in the league. You can't knock a man for talking up his teammates. That's part of the appeal with Ward, who is full of can-do spirit, supported by his rise from being a zero-star recruit to the top pick in the draft. He believes. He wants to speak it into existence. Yes, it starts with the mind. Yet there was a reason the Titans had that No. 1 pick. They finished with an NFL-worst 3-14 record in 2024. They ranked 27th in the league in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game. Quarterbacks took 52 sacks last season, fourth-most in the league. In other words, there's a lot to fix around Ward. It will take time, along with a significant talent upgrade. If Ward can survive the process, then that Top 10 vision can come to life. Perhaps. Someday. In the meantime, patience. 'I'm excited for the real football to start,' Ward said. The Titans open the regular season on Sept. 7 at the Denver Broncos, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL – and the receipts to prove it. The rookie learning curve for Ward is just beginning, and promises to get even tougher. Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@ or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell; On Bluesky: This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Titans vs Falcons takeaways: Patience needed with Cam Ward
