Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward left the team’s season finale at Jacksonville early after landing heavily on his right shoulder on a touchdown run.
Ward was slow to get up following linebacker Foye Oluokun’s tackle that drove him into the ground at the start of the first quarter, before he was checked out in the Titans’ medical tent.
The 23-year-old then walked into a nearby tunnel opposite the locker room, presumably to get taken to the onsite X-ray machine at Everbank Stadium.
Tennessee initially announced that he was questionable to return with a shoulder injury, before he was later ruled out of the game.
Given the Titans have failed to make it into the playoffs, it means Ward’s rookie season has now come to an end.
Journeyman backup Brandon Allen, a sixth-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2016, replaced him on the next possession. It was the first snaps Ward has missed this season.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward left the team’s season finale at Jacksonville early
Ward was slow to get up with a shoulder injury after being tackled on a scoring touchdown run
The No. 1 overall pick has the franchise rookie record with 3,117 yards passing. He needed a season-high 271 yards to move into the top 10 for a single season in team history.
Ward had thrown two touchdown passes in four straight games. If he went a fourth straight game without being intercepted on Sunday, he would have matched Russell Wilson (2012) for the longest streak by a rookie since 1970.
It has been a miserable season for Tennessee despite their rookie quarterback’s impressive year, with a 3-13 record leaving them at the bottom of the AFC South.
Brian Callahan was fired as head coach in October after their 1-5 start to the season, leaving Mike McCoy in interim charge over the past three months.
Defeat to the Jaguars on Sunday would see the Titans finish with a disastrous 3-14 record for the second straight year.
