Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward (Washington State) led a fourth-quarter comeback and claimed his first NFL win.
Ward directed three scoring possessions in the fourth quarter, including an impressive 2-minute drive that ended with a walk-off field goal to seal the Titans' 22-21 win over Arizona on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Ward struggled in the first half (5 of 18, 58 yards) as the Titans (1-4) fell into a 21-6 hole, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft came through in the clutch. He tossed a perfectly placed pass down the right sideline to Calvin Ridley for a 38-yard gain with 30 seconds left, setting up Joey Slye's game-winning, 29-yard field goal. Ward completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards during the 11-play, 71-yard drive, and totaled 193 yards in the fourth quarter alone.
The former WSU (2022-23) and Miami (2024) star finished 21 of 39 for a career-high 265 yards and one interception.
Ward threw a highlight-reel 47-yard pass to Ridley deep down the middle early in the fourth to set up Tony Pollard's short TD run, cutting the Arizona lead to 21-12. Ward made a mistake on the ensuing possession, but fortune was with him Sunday. He had a pass tipped and intercepted with Tennessee in scoring position, but Arizona defensive back Dadrion Taylor-Demerson fumbled the ball after picking it and Titans receiver Tyler Lockett recovered for a touchdown to make the score 21-19 with 4:39 to play.
It's mostly been a struggle for Ward to start his NFL career, but he's shown flashes of the arm talent, strength and improvisational skill that made him a national notable during his time at WSU. So far, Ward has passed for 879 yards and two TDs with three interceptions on a 51.8% completion rate. He's taken a league-high 19 sacks (two Sunday).
Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington) had a few nice plays, but wasn't overly productive during the Seahawks' 38-35 loss to Tampa Bay.
The veteran receiver, in his first year with Seattle, recorded 59 yards on six catches. He had a long reception of 24 yards on the Seahawks' first play of the game and picked up a first down on a third-and-6 during a second-quarter drive that ended with a touchdown.
Kupp also potentially prevented disaster with about 6 minutes left in the game, catching a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage near the Seattle goal line and picking up a first down with a 9-yard gain. That play jump-started a drive that ended with a TD, putting Seattle ahead 35-28 with 3:18 remaining.
Seattle QB Sam Darnold tried to force a pass over the middle to Kupp with under a minute left in the game and had it intercepted, setting up the Buccaneers' game-winning field goal.
Kupp finished the game as the No. 2 graded player on Seattle's offense, per Pro Football Focus.
Abraham Lucas (WSU) played all 60 snaps at right tackle for the Seattle Seahawks during the loss.
He didn't surrender a sack or any QB pressures. Lucas also threw a strong block on the edge to clear a path for tailback Zach Charbonnet's 6-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, which gave Seattle a 14-13 lead.
Lucas, now in his fourth year with Seattle, is ranked 25th out of 72 offensive tackles in the NFL this season, per PFF's metrics.
Frankie Luvu (WSU), a captain at linebacker for Washington, totaled four tackles during the Commanders' 27-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Luvu had a tough start, missing a few tackles as the Commanders fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter. But the 2024 All-Pro was more effective as the game wore on. Lining up often as a pass-rusher, he put pressure on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on a couple of downs and made an open-field stop on a checkdown pass to prevent a big gain early in the fourth quarter.
Daiyan Henley (WSU), the breakout star and team captain for the Chargers at inside linebacker, finished second on the team with eight tackles and added a QB pressure during the loss to Washington.
Henley surrendered two receptions and received criticism online for his dip in pass-coverage efficiency - he is PFF's lowest-rated LB in pass coverage over the past three weeks, per Chargers fan page Powder Blue Blood. But Henley fared well as the spy for dynamic Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was held to 39 rushing yards. Three of Henley's tackles came on QB runs.
Jalen Thompson (WSU), the longtime strong safety for Arizona, tied for second on the team with five tackles during the Cardinals' loss to Tennessee.
Thompson played all but three defensive snaps. He left the lineup briefly due to an injury late in the fourth quarter but reentered shortly after.
It was the 77th career start for Thompson, who began his NFL career with Arizona in 2019.
Christian Elliss (Idaho), a starting inside linebacker for New England, tied for the team lead with eight tackles during the Patriots' 23-20 upset of the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills.
It was arguably the best game of the year for the fifth-year pro, who made three stops near the line of scrimmage and sacked Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen early in the first quarter - the Patriots accepted a Buffalo penalty on the play, nullifying the sack.
Samson Ebukam (EWU), the veteran defensive end, posted five tackles and a sack for the Indianapolis Colts during their 40-6 rout of Las Vegas.
Ebukam bull-rushed through his blocker on a first-and-10 late in the fourth quarter and wrapped up Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. It was Ebukam's second sack of the year - his first since Week 1 - and the 35th sack of his eight years in the NFL.
Ryan Rehkow (Central Valley), the punter and holder for the Cincinnati Bengals, averaged 55 yards on four punts in a 37-24 loss to Detroit.
Rehkow, a BYU grad, also received kudos from the announcers for controlling a high snap and getting the ball placed just in time for kicker Evan McPherson's 50-yard field goal to close out the first half, cutting the Lions' lead to 14-3.