The Tennessee Titans were beaten soundly by the New England Patriots on Sunday to fall to 1-6 on the 2025 NFL season. A costly turnover from the starting quarterback aided the opposition.
Cam Ward cartoonishly fumbled an attempted pass resulting in a quick scoop and score to put the game on ice. It reignited a previous debate over the signal caller’s small hands.
Ward threw for 255 yards in his latest outing, which was 10 yards off his career mark. He totaled one touchdown and a pair of turnovers in the 31-13 setback.
New England, led by former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, made light work of the Titans. They scored the final 21 points of the contest to blow the game open.
The Titans had no answers from an offensive perspective. The team ran for just 39 yards. Ward was sacked five times. The unit was completely one-dimensional.
Concerns about the new face of the franchise arose after the fact.
They were measured at nine inches at the NFL Combine, well below the league average. Will Levis, for example, measured more than an inch and a half larger before being drafted in 2023.
Cam Ward measures in with 9″ hands. That’s the 8th percentile per Mockdraftable.
But does it matter? Not usually. But Ward has 34 fumbles in the last four seasons..https://t.co/4vxav68GDa
— Owain Jones (@OwainJonesCFB) March 1, 2025
While not the end-all-be-all in terms of NFL outlook, the data does carry some weight. There is a correlation to velocity and accuracy. Many also link hand size to ball security.
The smaller the hands, the more susceptible a passer is to fumbles.
Patriots score on defense!
NEvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/4G231fTicp
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
A cartoonish fumble leads some to believe so! Cam Ward gifted the Patriots an easy touchdown despite not being hit by a defender.
The ball simply slipped from his grasp.
Hand size was a legitimate concern for Ward upon entering the NFL Draft. Ward was credited with having nearly 20 fumbles across two seasons at Washington State. While the issues were cleaned up a bit in his final season at Miami, it remained a talking point.
So, are Ward’s hands too small?
One play won’t give us that answer. This unfortunate fumble may or may not have been impacted by Cam Ward’s hand size.
And while his hands are on the smaller end for NFL quarterbacks, he measures closely to passers like Joe Burrow and Jared Goff.
Ward has shown glimpses of greatness, confirming the Titans’ decision to take him with the No. 1 overall pick. He has struggled with turnovers, however, in his debut season.
He’s thrown five picks to go along with five fumbles. Those numbers will only fuel the small hands debate.
Does Cam Ward have small hands!?!? Confused to how the ball keeps slipping out of his...