The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Tennessee Titans performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026.
Tennessee Titans 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges
The Good
- An above-average 49% of penalties generated by the Titans on opponents were via false start and offensive holding. In an otherwise bleak situation for incoming coach Robert Saleh, these numbers provide some positives to work with heading into 2026.
The Bad
- The Titans finished the 2025 season ranking second in penalty average.
- The Titans ranked No. 1 in declined penalties per game.
- Tennessee ranked second in pre-snap penalties per game. The Titans ranked No. 1 for illegal formation penalties and ranked highly for false start infractions.
- The Titans' special teams ranked No. 1 in penalties per game.
- The Titans surrendered an above-average 17.7 yards per defensive pass interference infraction.
- Tennessee ranked 30th as a beneficiary of automatic first downs via penalty, an indictment for an offense that was trailing in the majority of contests last season.
- The Titans, or more specifically Cam Ward, were the only team not to benefit from a roughing the passer penalty in 2025.
- The Titans finished the 2025 season ranked as the third-highest penalized team in the fourth quarter of games.
Grade: D
Last season was a disaster for the Titans and their No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, with the rookie quarterback receiving little support from his team while being sacked a league-high 55 times.
The Titans turn to Robert Saleh to get the organization on the right trajectory, and his defensive prowess ensures a major improvement on that side of the ball for Tennessee.
Irrespective of wins and losses, the biggest storyline around the Titans is whether Cam Ward shows enough traits to be the franchise quarterback.
The Titans need clarity on whether Ward is “the guy.”
Ideally, the answer is a resounding yes, and this season marks the beginning of a new era in Tennessee.
Expect some improvement from the three-win season in 2025, with them ultimately ending the season in the basement of the AFC South, but with a solid foundation to build on moving forward.
This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview
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Warren Sharp’s 600+ page full-color PDF, the 2026 Football Preview, is unlike anything you have read. Stunning visualizations, including new heat maps and stat pages, are built with the reader in mind. Innovative, next-level thought processes abound in every team chapter and article.
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Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2026 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct way possible for optimal reviewing and retention.
- Team Chapters previews are in-depth, data-driven & full of actionable info
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- Rankings for every positional unit on every team with analysis
- Penalty analysis for all 32 NFL teams
