The Tennessee Titans open the 2025 NFL season with a trip to the Denver Broncos on Sept. 7 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Tennessee’s disappointing 2024 season culminated in the team earning the No. 1 pick, which it used to select Cam Ward. His first career NFL start will come on Sept. 7 on the road against a 2024 playoff team.
Denver took a step forward in Year 2 of the Sean Payton era, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos now have higher expectations in Nix’s second season as they try to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC West.
The Tennessean’s reporters predict the Titans-Broncos game below:
Titans-Broncos picks: Cam Ward pulls the upset in his NFL debut?
Nick Suss, Titans beat reporter
Broncos 27, Titans 17
Expect Cam Ward to make some plays that show his promise, but Denver’s poise and polish are the difference makers here. The Titans have a ways to go to get to the point the Broncos have already reached, and getting there will be the goal for the season, not the expectation in Week 1.
Gentry Estes, columnist
Broncos 35, Titans 17
Week 1 games can be strange, but it’s irrational to look at this matchup and expect the Titans, with a debuting rookie quarterback, to be able to go on the road and beat a returning playoff team with one of the NFL’s best defenses.
Nick Gray, trending reporter
Broncos 24, Titans 13
This is a very difficult Week 1 spot for a No. 1 overall pick quarterback, and this offense will soon look a lot better. But Denver’s defense wins out in this game.
Tom Kreager, Tennessean sports editor
Broncos 31, Titans 13
Bo Nix has a better supporting cast than Cam Ward and it will show in the NFL opener against the Titans’ defense.
