Broncos Defense Ready to Welcome Cam Ward to the NFL in Titans’ Season Opener
The Tennessee Titans will travel to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos in their season opener. Cam Ward will make his competitive NFL debut Sunday afternoon against a talented, hungry, and stacked Broncos defense.
Ward played well in limited preseason reps, but the regular season and a full NFL game against one of the league’s best defenses is a whole other challenge.
In a press conference this week, Titans coach Brian Callahan said, “we are in prove-it mode."
Callahan may be the perfect coach to help Ward prove that he belongs in the NFL after his success with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.
But the task this week may be a bit too much for Callahan, Ward, and co. to handle.
Ward had a great connection with Calvin Ridley throughout camp and the preseason, but Ridley will likely be covered by the reigning defensive player of the year, Patrick Surtain II. Surtain only had two touchdowns scored on him throughout last season. The most yards he allowed in a single game were 45. Cam Ward should steer clear of Surtain if he wants any chance of victory on Sunday.
However, Surtain is not a one-man show. The Broncos have talent everywhere on defense. New signings Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga were teammates in San Francisco and caused plenty of problems for opposing offenses. They will look to do the same things wearing Broncos orange that they did wearing 49ers red.
Keys to the Game
If the Titans want to win on Sunday, they need to get Tony Pollard going and lock down Courtland Sutton.
Cam Ward is talented, but with his number one receiver likely in Surtain’s pocket, the running game becomes extremely important. Pollard has rushed for 1000 yards in three straight seasons. He had over 100 yards in three games last year; the Titans won two of them. The Titans won three games all year. Safe to say that if the Titans want to win, Pollard needs to have a good game.
If the Broncos are going to use Pat Surtain to lock down Calvin Ridley, the Titans need to respond by locking down Denver’s number one receiver, Courtland Sutton. Over his six-year career, Sutton has averaged almost 1000 yards per season. He has also scored 18 touchdowns in just the last two years. Keeping him in check won’t be easy. In fact, it won’t be a one-man job. L’Jarius Sneed, who missed all of last season with an injury, will probably draw the assignment. Still, the Titans have nickelback Roger McCreary and safety Amani Hooker, who can help with the occasional double-team.
It won’t be easy, but if the Titans are going to win this Week 1 matchup, they need to execute both of these keys as well as the keys that are true for most games: avoiding self-inflicted wounds, winning the turnover battle, etc.
Score Prediction
The Titans will have a very big mountain to climb in this Week 1 matchup. The Broncos are a more complete team that is ready to win now. Cam Ward will have a great season, but it may not get off to the best start, especially against an opponent like this.
Broncos 31 Titans 14