After a long wait, football is finally back. The Denver Broncos begin their 2025 regular season when they host the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. With that in mind, I’ll be kickstarting my annual Scouting the Enemy series for each opponent. Let’s take a deeper look at the Titans and discuss how the Broncos can achieve a win against them this weekend.
2024 Tennessee Titans Review
Last season, the Titans finished 3-14 at the bottom of the AFC South in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach. Their
offense ranked 27th in points scored and 26th in total yards. Their defense ranked 30th in points allowed but were 2nd in yards allowed. With respect to turnover ratio, they were 30th in the National Football League.
2025 Tennessee Titans Offseason Acquisitions
Being the worst team in the NFL has its perks. The Titans secured the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and used it to select Miami signal caller Cam Ward. In addition to Ward, they added several other prospects I thought highly of including edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo, safety Kevin Winston, tight end Gunnar Helm, and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. Like all draft classes. it might take some time to see great results, but overall, I feel they did a great job adding talent to be competitive down the road.
To help make an impact this season the Titans were quite active in free agency. Several notable free agent additions include guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Xavier Woods, edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr., linebacker Cody Barton, and veteran wide receivers Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson.
Offensive X-Factor: Quarterback Cam Ward
After sporting the worst record in the NFL in ‘24, a lot of change happened with the Titans this offseason. No bigger change came than at quarterback. The weight of the world will be on Ward’s shoulders as faces a Broncos’ defense that is poised to be one of the best in the league in ‘25. I expect Ward to struggle as most rookies do in their debuts. However, there is no doubting his talent and athleticism.
His arm strength is great, and he has the aptitude to make all the throws. Whether it was for Incarnate Word, Washington State, or Miami—he improved every collegiate season, set the bar high, and broke a lot of records. On top of that, he also can improvise and get out of the pocket. The Broncos’ defense will certainly have to account for his mobility and ability to extend plays—something they’ve had issues with over the years.
Like a lot of young quarterbacks, Ward certainly has a gunslinger’s mentality and trusts the strength of his arm. However, there were a lot of times during his collegiate career where he would lean on that a little too much and make some errant and ill-advised throws. With a fearsome defensive front seven and the best secondary in the NFL, I believe Denver will have the opportunity to generate some turnovers.
Defensive X-Factor: Defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons
The Broncos’ offensive line faces a big test to start the season. The Titans have some quality defenders up front. In fact, they have one of the best in the business with veteran defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, who was one of the only bright spots on a relatively lackluster defense from last season.
Entering his seventh year in the NFL, Simmons is coming off a Pro-Bowl campaign after notching 76 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks in ’24. Whether it’s getting after the passer or defending the run, he is a formidable force in the trenches that has the ability to wreck opposing offensive gameplans due to his talent and alignment versatility.
If there was any one particular player Denver needs to account for—he would be the guy. The Broncos can’t afford to let him put a halt to their offensive plans. I’m not necessarily sure how Head Coach Sean Payton and the team’s coaching staff exactly plan to do that, but I’d wager on running to the opposite side and trying to have Bo Nix get the ball out quick to halt his prowess as a pass rusher.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Titans
All offseason, the Broncos’ brass and players emphasized the importance of starting off fast—especially on the offensive side of the ball. On offense, I’d love to see the Broncos try and establish the run immediately. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are expected to play large roles for the team’s running game this season. Last season, the Titans were one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. They gave up 134 yards a game and surrendering a 4.53 yard per carry average to opposing backs.
I’m interested to see how the Broncos’ interior offensive line matches up against nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat. At 6’4 and 366 pounds, Sweat is a lot to handle in the middle of their defense and is a great complimentary player to the aforementioned Simmons. Last season as a rookie, the second-round pick from the ‘24 NFL Draft was a sixteen-game starter for them. He will present a big challenge to Luke Wattenberg and Ben Powers on the interior, who both need to improve as run blockers in order for the team to be successful on the ground this season.
On the other side of the ball, I expect Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph to throw everything including the kitchen sink at Ward in his first career start. Joseph was one of the most aggressive coordinators last year and is known for sending an extra man to blitz—and I’d expect to see a lot of that on Sunday tailored with unique coverage shells to confuse the rookie signal caller.
If the Broncos can run the ball well, that should help with crafting a passing game that should be able to take advantage of a Titans secondary that struggled immensely last season. Woods and Armani Hooker are a quality safety duo, but their cornerback room is inexperienced and doesn’t have a lot of high-profile players. Overall, this is a game I expect the Broncos to end up winning by multiple scores.
Hart’s Prediction: Broncos 27, Titans 13.
