The Tennessee Titans have their official 2025 schedule in hand after the NFL released it on Wednesday. They have one of the easier schedules in the league this year, giving rookie quarterback Cam Ward ample opportunity to replicate what Jayden Daniels did with the Washington Commanders in 2024.
No, Ward is not Daniels, and the outcome will not be the same. No one expects that. What he can do, though, is make a clear stamp on the NFL. He can show the league that he will turn the Titans’ franchise around and win games again. It might not happen all at once like it did in Washington, but Ward has the chance to truly take over this team and make it his.
Since we know when each game will take place now, let’s examine some of the biggest storylines surrounding the Titans’ schedule in 2025.
Lack of prime-time games
The Titans, along with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, have zero primetime games in 2025. The NFL does have flex scheduling, which means that games can be moved if a team is performing well or if a matchup suddenly becomes intriguing. But as of right now, these three teams were snubbed for the primetime slots.
Mike Vrabel returns to Nashville
Mike Vrabel coached the Titans from 2018-2023, losing his job after two consecutive losing seasons. That’s when the Titans hired Brian Callahan, and the two will face off at Nissan Stadium in Week 7 when the New England Patriots come to town. It will be the first time Vrabel returns to Nashville as an opposing head coach. It’s a little early in the season, but it’s possible that if both the Patriots and Titans are playing well, this could be moved to a primetime slot.
Time between divisional games
In 2024, the Titans’ gaps between divisional home-and-away matchups were awkward. The gap between the Indianapolis Colts’ games was 11 weeks, the Houston Texans’ gap was six weeks, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ gap was three weeks. This year, it’s much more even and makes much more sense. The Colts and Jags games are each five weeks apart, and the Texans games are seven weeks apart and include the bye week. In fact, the Titans return from their bye to face the Texans in Week 11. This should ease some of the pressure on the team in between games.
San Francisco 49ers will be rested ahead of Titans’ matchup
There is only one game like this for the Titans in 2025. The San Francisco 49ers will be coming off their bye week when they host the Titans in Week 15. They’ll face the Cleveland Browns before the bye, and with a likely win under their belts, will have designs to keep winning.
This could go one of two ways. Either the Niners will come out of the bye week strong and on top of their game, or the momentum they built will have dwindled, and they’ll be complacent with the Titans coming to town. Either way, it should be fun to see what Cam Ward does with this game.
The Cam Ward effect
Maybe this isn’t a schedule storyline, but it deserves mentioning. Ward has already impressed everyone he’s come into contact with in the NFL. He’s already worked his way up from zero-star high school recruit to number-one draft pick, and he’s not done elevating his game. When comparing the Titans and Ward to the Commanders and Daniels of last year, it’s not a hope and a prayer. It’s a legitimate comparison, something that is fully realizable. Even if the Titans are losing in 2025, the games will be much more fun to watch with Ward under center.
