Tennessee Titans vs Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos opened their 2025 campaign with a hard-fought 20–12 win over the Tennessee Titans at Empower Field at Mile High, relying on their defense to deliver a statement performance. Denver’s front seven dominated from the opening drive, forcing Tennessee to settle for field goals and keeping rookie quarterback Cam Ward from finding any rhythm in his NFL debut.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle defined by missed opportunities. The Titans struck first with a 50-yard Joey Slye field goal and briefly led 9–7 late in the second quarter, but a well-timed strike from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton put Denver ahead 10–9 before halftime. That touchdown would become the turning point of the afternoon, shifting momentum permanently in favor of the Broncos.

Defensively, Denver was relentless. They sacked Ward six times, hit him on nearly every dropback, and forced a game-sealing strip-sack in the final minute courtesy of Ja’Quan McMillian. Evan Williams added a key interception earlier in the game, denying Tennessee a potential scoring drive and further rattling the rookie quarterback.

Offensively, the Broncos leaned on their run game to close things out. Rookie back RJ Harvey broke off a dazzling 50-yard run to flip field position, setting up J.K. Dobbins for a 19-yard touchdown plunge that extended the lead to eight. Despite three turnovers from Bo Nix, Denver found enough offensive consistency in the fourth quarter to hold off a late Tennessee push.

The Titans’ offense never reached the end zone, going just 2-for-14 on third downs and committing costly penalties that stalled drives. Ward finished with only 112 yards passing, leaving Tennessee to wonder what could have been with better protection and cleaner execution. For Denver, the victory wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly the kind of gritty, defensive-minded win that can build confidence heading into the rest of the season.