Will Tennessee Titans actually get a primetime ...

Heading into his second season as a pro, Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward still hasn't been given his proper introduction to a national audience. The Titans didn't play a single primetime game in 2025, Ward's NFL rookie season. The last time the Titans played a game that wasn't buried in a Sunday slate with other games was Week 4 of the 2024 season on "Monday Night Football" against the Miami Dolphins. It's been even longer since the Titans hosted a primetime game; for that, think back to a "Thursday Night Football" game played against the Dallas Cowboys in 2022. The Titans weren't alone in being left out of the primetime fun in 2025. Neither the Cleveland Browns nor the New Orleans Saints played in an exclusive window. History shows, though, that Titans fans have reason to be frustrated by the continuing lack of exclusivity. From 2015-2025, only Cleveland, Carolina and Jacksonville played fewer exclusive-window games than the Titans, and the Titans only played nine primetime home games in that 11-year span, tied for the second-fewest in the league. The 2026 NFL schedule will be released on May 14. With the Titans coming off back-to-back 3-14 seasons, it'd hardly be a shock if the Titans are left out of primetime for a second straight year. But there are three reasons to believe the NFL could reverse its course and give the Titans a showcase. Let's take a quick look at the uphill battle to get the Titans in primetime. The Titans visit the Giants and Cowboys in 2026. With those road trips on the schedule, it's hard to rule out any primetime possibilities. The Cowboys play in primetime more than anyone, and the Giants aren't far behind. The Giants game comes with extra intrigue too; Ward and Giants QB Jaxson Dart were the top quarterbacks in their draft class, the Titans employ former Giants coach Brian Daboll and the Giants employ former Titans coach Brian Callahan. Home games against Philadelphia and Washington feel a little less likely to get the NFC East bump. Saleh, in his first year as the Titans' coach, will host his former team, the New York Jets, at some point. That's a marquee rematch to an extent. But remember: The Titans hosted Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots in 2025 and that game didn't end up in an exclusive window. The Jets have a huge following, and that game should have some intrigue, but it's hardly a guarantee of anything. Dating back to 2009, roughly 43% of the Titans' primetime games have been against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. With the Jaguars and Texans both coming off playoff runs and the Colts coming off a year where they looked poised to compete before QB Daniel Jones got hurt, these teams all look like bigger draws for the big networks than they've been in past years. In a "rising tides lift all boats" way, the Titans' rivals being more interesting helps the Titans play more potentially interesting games. Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: As Titans wait for NFL schedule release, will Cam Ward play in primetime?

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Will Tennessee Titans actually get a primetime game on 2026 NFL schedule?