The Tennessee Titans have one of the worst NFL teams this season after a disastrous 1-7 start to the campaign. After the team went 2-10 with Will Levis last season, the Titans selected Cam Ward with the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft.Ward, who came in with a big reputation after winning the Manning Award and being named the ACC Player of the Year in 2024, has not been able to replicate those performances in his rookie year with the team.Ahead of the team's Week 9 clash against the Los Angeles Chargers, Ward admitted how the Titans' underwhelming season has impacted his mother."She's been quiet lately, so that's actually surprising," Ward said. "I'm sure we gotta just try to win a game for her and that'll maybe make her crack a smile this week."After Levis underwent a season-ending surgery in the offseason, Ward has been given the starting role. He is the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to start the first eight games of the season.Titans rookie Cam Ward vows to continue growing amid uptick in performancesCam Ward completed 22-of-38 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown against the Colts on Sunday. While Ward had 250+ passing yards for a third time in four games, he is still struggling to find the end zone. The rookie quarterback has five passing touchdowns this season, the fewest for a QB with 150-plus attempts.Despite throwing more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5), Ward is showing signs of improvement after racking up 1,001 yards over the last four games. The rookie quarterback acknowledged the improvement and vowed to keep growing with the team.Yeah, I think I improved every game from an operation standpoint, from a play call standpoint, to getting in and out of huddle, to knowing where guys are, to being an NFL quarterback," Ward said. "I think every game has got better.""Then for each other position, every game we've had together, we've got better chemistry, because practice is a lot different than a game. So I'll continue to work those guys, they'll continue to work with me and we're going to continue to be better."All eyes will be on the Titans' defense on Sunday as they face a surging Chargers offense led by veteran quarterback Justin Herbert.