ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos look to begin their 2025 campaign with a win, the details are key.

Ahead of a season-opening matchup with the Titans, Head Coach Sean Payton has consistently spoken about the need to start faster than the previous two seasons. After an 0-3 start in 2023 and an 0-2 start in 2024, Payton and Co. know they must stack wins early to reach their goals.

For the Broncos to make their goal of starting fast a reality, they must begin with the moments throughout the week of preparation.

"It's the schedule," Payton said Monday. "It's the sense of urgency. Ultimately, it's the preparation, the details in this game plan and the team we're playing. Everything from hydration to recovery during the week, so that they're at their best peak performance on Sunday, sleep included, all of that. That really isn't even discussing the football scheme."

The football-related elements will involve preparing for the first-overall pick, Cam Ward, who is poised to make his first NFL start. After throwing for 39 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards in his lone season at Miami, Ward will arrive in Denver looking to become the second rookie quarterback chosen No. 1 overall to win a season opener in the last 20 years.

"You have a limited exposure in the preseason with him," Payton said of Ward. "Then you would go back and look at his college tape at Miami just to get a feel for not only arm strength, but how does he handle pressure, how does he handle zone? We do a pretty in-depth study. It's pretty normal when you play teams early in the season maybe to not have all the information you might have when you play a team [in] Week 8 or 9."

Payton also highlighted Tennessee's commitment to the position groups around Ward, particularly along the offensive line.

"They've made a commitment in the offensive line, signing a couple of big-name free agents, drafted another player," Payton said. "I think on the perimeter with [WR Tyler] Lockett there, their skill people, receiver-wise, has definitely improved. … I've worked with [Titans offensive line coach] Bill Callahan before. He is a fantastic line coach, and I'm sure they felt they had to get better in that area, and they committed a lot of resources there."

Before the Broncos face Ward and the Titans on Sunday, the focus is on the preparation.

NIX MORE COMFORTABLE IN YEAR 2

With Bo Nix heading into his second season, his increased comfort level has been a frequent topic of discussion.

But as Payton explained Monday, that doesn't necessarily mean there will be more complex plays in Denver's Week 1 game plan. Instead, Nix's experience means he'll be able to better process and execute the same plays he ran a year ago.

"I don't think it's putting more on his plate," Payton said. "I hear that referenced a lot. I think it's a little bit more of what he's used to and how he operates within it — more efficiently, more quickly, more decisively. I've told the coaches, early in the season it's got to be a process. It's not, 'All right, this is where we ended last year. Now we're on to [more].' So I think if I used a good analogy, it would be a certain play a year ago, [for] the same play this year, he's out of the huddle a little quicker with the call, maybe he understands the nuances of the play, and has seen the cut-ups of it all year and is a little bit more comfortable with the same play from a year ago."