ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Week 1 is here, and the Broncos' journey toward their lofty goals begins in front of their home crowd.
In Sunday's matchup against No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans (Sept. 7, 2:05 p.m. MT, FOX), the Broncos will look to earn their first Week 1 win since 2021 and build momentum at Empower Field at Mile High to start the season.
"The last thing I just finished saying [to the team is], 'We're playing at home, and we've got to make this the hardest place to play,'" Head Coach Sean Payton said on Friday.
With the Broncos' first matchup of the season inching closer, here's a look at the questions that will determine if Denver earns a win over Tennessee and starts 1-0:
CAN THE BRONCOS START FAST?
As the Broncos look to improve their September fortune, they've talked often ahead of Week 1 about the importance of starting fast — both from a season standpoint and within the framework of the game.
"We hadn't done that the past two years, and it's hard to be one of those upper-echelon teams if you play yo-yo football," Payton said in late August. "You know, you lose a couple, you win three. At some point, any one of these teams that win 10 or more games, there's that three wins in a row or four wins in a row."
The Broncos believe the determining factor in that equation, though, comes before kickoff ever arrives.
"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."
As the Broncos closed their week of work on Friday, Payton again pointed to the importance of the preparation.
"The scouting of an opponent is essential," Payton said of his message to the team. "Who plays where, who has ball skills. Who's their better run player, who's their better receiver? You have to know the opponent cold. And yet, it's a faceless opponent relative to the work week. Sunday's game will have been won during the work week, long before kickoff. And they have to understand that, relative to how you prepare and what Monday's like, what Wednesday's like — what it's really like on an elite team. Many times — most of the times — those games are won before the game's ever been kicked off."
Payton said the Broncos' preparation had been good during the week, and tackle Mike McGlinchey said he believes the Broncos have the proper expectations for Sunday's game.
"It's a matter of intensity," McGlinchey said of starting fast. "It's a matter of locking in. It's a matter of reps [being] as game-like as possible at practice. I think we've done that. … I think [the last two years are] kind of out of our heads at this point, because I think it's the expectation [to start fast]. We're ready to go."
HOW DOES DENVER'S DEFENSE PERFORM VS. FIRST-OVERALL PICK CAM WARD?
A year ago, quarterback Bo Nix made his first career start on the road against a stingy defense in a raucous environment.
On Sunday, first-overall pick Cam Ward will take his turn in the same scenario.
The Broncos' third-ranked scoring defense from a season ago adds former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga and first-round pick Jahdae Barron to an already impressive secondary. In the front seven, recently re-signed Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen will continue to pace a group that set a franchise record in sacks in 2024.
Denver's 37.4 pressure percentage in 2024 also ranked third in the NFL last year, and the unit will go up against a Titans offense that allowed the 31st-ranked pressure percentage at 40.2 percent. The Titans did add Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler and tackle Dan Moore Jr. to their roster as they looked to improve upon the third-quickest time to pressure allowed in 2024. Still, Denver's pass rush will look to replicate its 2024 performance that saw the team lead the NFL in sacks and quarterback hits.
"He's got this get-off that no one else has, and that's run and pass game alike," Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday. "He's a finisher. … He's gained weight, he's gotten stronger on the edge and he's a problem. If teams don't have a plan for him, he can wreck the game."
The Broncos will try to stop Cam Ward, who led all FBS players in passing touchdowns in 2024 and holds the Division I record for career passing touchdowns, from being the first rookie quarterback since 2018 to win a Week 1 road start. They'll also try to prevent Ward from being just the third rookie quarterback selected first overall in the last four decades to win in Week 1. According to the AP, No. 1 pick rookie quarterbacks are 4-14-1 in the common draft era in Week 1, with David Carr (2002) and Caleb Williams (2024) as the only players to win since John Elway in 1983.
Denver, though, foresees Ward as a difficult challenge to stop.
"He's super talented," Joseph said. "He was the first pick in the draft for a reason. When you watch the guy play, you see a guy with special arm talent. He has this unique poise about him for a young guy. He's trying to make big plays. … Some young quarterbacks try to not mess it up. He's trying to make a big play, and that makes him dangerous. That makes him ultra dangerous, and he's trying to put a dagger in you every single down. He can really move, moving left, moving right. He can throw the ball 60, 70 yards in the air, so it only takes one play for him to make a big play. How we rush this guy, how we contain him, stopping the run and trying to make him one-dimensional is going to be key and putting some pressure on him. If he has free access, he's going to hit them. If they're open seven times, he's going to be 7-for-7, so we have to get on the bodies of these receivers and challenge the throws. Most rookies you'd think, 'Well, let's play zone and make him work through layers of coverage.' Not this guy. He's going to fit it in there. It's definitely [about] having the right plan for this guy, because he's talented."
HOW DOES BO NIX KICK OFF YEAR 2?
After settling in during the first few weeks of his rookie season, Nix was among the league's best in 2023. He ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating among quarterbacks with at least 375 attempts from Weeks 5-18, and he was in the top six in both passing touchdowns and total touchdowns in that stretch.
So, what's next for the Broncos' quarterback?
In a matchup against the Titans, Nix will look to build upon an impressive home performance from a season ago. He recorded a 6-2 record at Empower Field at Mile High as a rookie — including five consecutive home wins to end the year — and threw 19 touchdowns with a 102.0 passer rating in those games. And with an increased comfort level, he could be in store for even greater things in 2025.
"I feel much better," Nix said Wednesday. "Just a year makes a lot of a difference. I feel like I'm much more comfortable and in a better spot."
Cornerback Pat Surtain II, who has competed against Nix throughout training camp, has seen evidence of that growth in practice.
"I think with him, he has the utmost confidence in the guys around him, and when you build that with a quarterback like him, the sky's the limit, so I'm looking forward to it," Surtain said.
That doesn't necessarily mean, though, overloading Nix or the offense with more information than this time a year ago. Instead, Nix simply has the ability to better process and execute similar concepts.
"I don't think it's putting more on his plate," Payton said Monday. "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 has to be a process. It's not, 'All right, this is where we ended last year. Now we're on to …' So, I think if I used a good analogy, it would be a certain play a year ago, [it's] the same play this year, [and] 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."
HOW DOES THE BRONCOS' RUN GAME START THE SEASON?
Payton has noted his expectations for an improved run game in 2025 on several occasions ahead of Sunday's opener, and the Broncos will get their first true look at its status against the Titans.
"We have liked what we've seen from the running game and from our personnel from that perspective," Payton said Monday. "We get a chance to see it first this weekend."
A season ago, the Broncos' running backs averaged 83.7 yards per game, which ranked 23rd in the NFL. Following the offseason additions of veteran J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey, the Broncos are hopeful to see progress in that area.
"He's a pro with a lot of experience," Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday of Dobbins. "There's really a complete back, you'd say, nothing that you're concerned that you have to keep him out of. Third down, he can handle it. [He] knows who to block and is physically able to do so. Good runner, good receiver.
"I think all our guys that are going to be playing are of that mold. Historically, you've kind of had a back that filled this role, and then you had your lightning back and maybe more of a receiver and change-of-pace back. We just feel like all our guys can do everything. That makes it a lot easier to personnel all your plays. You're not worried about which running back is in there, you know they can all handle it. Makes it a lot easier."
Dobbins started the 2024 season with a flurry, recording at least 130 rushing yards in each of his first two games. Harvey, meanwhile, will aim to show off the vision and big-play ability that drew Denver to him in the draft process.
With a player like three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons up front for Tennessee, though, the Broncos will face a challenge.
"Tennessee's got a great front, they're going to do a great job," McGlinchey said. "Obviously, Simmons is a stud player, and they've got a great crew around him. We've got our hands full up front, but it's going to be a fun challenge."
