Cam Ward’s Debut (Week 1)

Can Cam Ward operate on a high level in the National Football League? We will find out about that soon enough, although he’s not exactly in the best situation he can possibly be in.

On Sunday, Ward will take the Tennessee Titans into mile-high country as they take on the Denver Broncos, in a game that begins at 4:05 PM ET at Empower Field.

Ward led the nation in passing for Miami last season, but without the Titans’ 3–14 collapse and urgent QB need, he likely doesn’t go No. 1.

It was hoped that Wil Levis could develop into the quarterback of their future, but he made a lot of mistakes and head coach Brian Callahan, despite assurances to the contrary, lost faith in him (it should be noted that Levis is out for the year with an injury).

Callahan had been hailed as a quarterback whisperer, so we’ll see how he does against a stop unit that gave up the third fewest points in the NFL in the 2024 season.

NFL Week 1 odds at Pinnacle Sportsbook

The Broncos, coming off a playoff season, are laying more than a touchdown at home:

Denver Broncos -8 (-106)_
Tennessee Titans +8 (-104)

Over 42.5 Points -102
Under 42.5 Points -111

Titans have to make it harder to score

The Titans may have represented themselves relatively well on defense last season, depending on which way you look at it. They surrendered the second fewest yards in the league, but the third most points. That converts to a “yards per point” figure on defense that comes out to 11.6, which was dead last. To give you some perspective, the LA Chargers were the stingiest in that category at 17.8. And by the way, while we’re on the subject, Denver was second best at 17.1.

Callahan trying to rebuild Titans’ offensive line

In terms of weaponry surrounding Ward, they’ve got some names, like running back Tony Pollard and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, but it kind of feels like they’re a little late with those guys.

This had been one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and of course that was a big concern, but with Callahan’s father Bill, a legendary O-line coach, overseeing that part of the operation, they have been addressing that. So they haver drafted guard Peter Skoronski and tackle JC Latham, and added Kevin Zeitler, a free agent guard who was in Detroit last year.

The Denver offense – substance without much sizzle

As we speak of offensive lines, there may be only a handful in the NFL that are as good as Denver’s. And this is how Sean Payton hopes to put together a winning ground game. JK Dobbins is the lead back in this setup, and what Bo Nix did as a rookie last season (66%, 29 TD, 12 INT) is admirable, but you don’t find a lot of explosiveness here. Ward’s closest ally in the air game may be the newly-acquired tight end, Evan Engram, who caught 114 passes in Jacksonville two seasons ago.

What’s our NFL Week 1 prediction on the Titans-Broncos game?

The Broncos’ defense has come a long way from where it was in Payton’s first season as the head coach, when they allowed 70 points and over 700 yards against Miami. Now they are among the finest units in the NFL.

So we’re not convinced anything is going to go smoothly in Ward’s coming-out party for the Titans.

THE PLAY: UNDER 42.5 -111

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