The Denver Broncos found a way to hang on and win in Sunday’s season opener against the Tennessee Titans, despite looking sluggish.
Denver Broncos win ugly vs. Tennessee Titans
The offseason noise and Super Bowl aspirations of this team are important to have, but the Broncos did not look remotely like a team in Week 1 that is ready to compete for a Super Bowl, and there’s a lot they’ll have to clean up in order to get there.
Bright side, it’s Week 1, but the Broncos’ overall operation on offense and special teams was a major concern in their home opening win against the Titans.
Bo Nix’s rough start a concern from Week 1
We never thought we’d hear boo birds in Week 1 after an offseason of hype and excitement surrounding this Denver Broncos team, and perhaps the noise got to them. Offensively, Bo Nix and the operation struggled, and that’s putting it kindly.
Nix threw two interceptions on the afternoon and lost a fumble after being strip-sacked by Jeffery Simmons — with the offense consistently putting the defense in a tough spot.
Despite finding Courtland Sutton for a touchdown pass late in the second quarter, Nix didn’t look like the comfortable and in-control player we saw as a rookie. We didn’t see a lot of it during his rookie season, but Nix rolled out to his left quite a bit, and it didn’t seem like he felt comfortable standing in the pocket.
He appeared to lock in to his primary receiver too often and too long, and that let the Titans’ secondary make plays
His performance on Sunday will certainly raise questions amongst the loudest pundits, but some of the concern and criticism is warranted. Development in the NFL isn’t always linear, but Sunday’s game wasn’t a great way to start the season.
Nix finished Sunday’s game 25-of-40 passing for 176 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He’ll need a bounce back game next Sunday vs. the Indianapolis Colts.
Run game can’t be established without effort
At one point during Sunday’s game, the Broncos’ offense had three rushing attempts compared to 14 passing attempts after the first quarter.
With a commitment in the offseason to add J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, Sean Payton struggled to get the run game going, and it became problematic for the Broncos offense, which had zero rhythm all afternoon, and it made it easier for the Titans defense to sit back and let things come to them.
It wasn’t until Harvey rattled off a much-needed 50-yard explosive run that anything was generated on the ground, showcasing great vision and breaking through contact to put the Broncos in striking distance in Titans’ territory. Several plays later, Dobbins broke free on a 19-yard run to give the Broncos offense a 20-12 lead with 7:37 in the fourth quarter.
Before Dobbins’ TD run and Harvey’s explosive run, the Broncos’ rushing attack was averaging 3.3 yards per carry, but it was not the focal point of Denver’s approach on Sunday and should be going forward.
Payton and the Broncos have to find a way to get the run game going earlier, and if they can establish it from the onset, it opens things up for Nix and the offense to be more efficient.
Broncos defense vs. Cam Ward
Despite being put in bad field positioning by the offense on Sunday, the Broncos’ defense came to play against Cam Ward in his NFL debut.
The Broncos’ defense sacked Ward several times, with Jonathon Cooper, Ja’Quan McMillian, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Zach Allen, and Justin Strnad all getting home, and limited the Titans’ offense on third down to an efficiency of 2-of-14.
One of the key matchups we had our eyes on coming into this game was between Patrick Surtain II and Calvin Ridley in a Bama Bowl matchup, and Surtain came out on top, limiting Ridley to four catches for 27 yards on eight targets.
After a Marvin Mims muffed punt put the Broncos’ defense back on the field near the red zone, Jonah Elliss and Zach Allen came up big, knocking Ward and the Titans out of field goal range and getting the offense the ball back.
Even though Ward had some moments in Sunday’s game where he stood firm in the pocket, Denver’s pressure was too much, hitting the rookie QB 12 times.
Ultimately, Denver’s defense kept them afloat all afternoon, holding Tennessee to 134 yards of offense.
Broncos news and notes vs. Titans
- Denver was 2-for-3 on challenges on Sunday against the Titans.
- The Broncos were penalized six times for 45 yards compared to the Titans’ 13 penalties for 131 yards.
- Denver’s defense held the Titans’ offense to 2-of-14 (14%) on third down Sunday.
- Denver’s offense was 6-of-15 (40%) on third down.
- TE Evan Engram suffered a calf injury and was questionable to return in the fourth quarter.