There wasn’t much scoring between the Broncos and Titans for most of the first half. But late in the second quarter, Tennessee’s offensive play-calling gave Denver an opportunity, and now the Broncos have a 10-9 lead at halftime.
The Titans got the ball on their own 7-yard line with 47 seconds left in the half with the Broncos having a pair of timeouts. But instead of conservatively running the ball to run down the clock, Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan called three passes. Making his debut, quarterback Cam Ward was incomplete on first and second down before being sacked for a near safety on third down.
Denver called its second timeout with 39 seconds on the clock to give itself the opportunity to get the ball back.
They took full advantage of that opportunity, as Bo Nix connected with Courtland Sutton for a 22-yard touchdown to give the team a 10-6 lead.
But a 71-yard kickoff return by rookie Chimere Dike set the Titans up for a 42-yard field goal, cutting Denver’s lead to just one at halftime.
Nix ended the first half 13-of-22 for 106 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Ward is 7-of-12 for 64 yards.
Before the late-half scoring barrage, the two teams traded field goals on their respective opening possessions. But one of Bo Nix’s two turnovers allowed Tennessee to take the lead.
Nix’s first giveaway was an interception, with his pass to the left side intended for Courtland Sutton intercepted by cornerback Roger McCreary. But Tony Pollard’s fumble in Denver territory kept the Titans from scoring.
Later in the second quarter, Nix was strip-sacked by defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons with Sebastian Joseph-Day recovering the loose ball for an extra possession. The Titans were able to cash in on that with a 33-yard field goal.
The start to the second half will not come as scheduled, as the game has entered into a lightning delay. Fans have been told to seek shelter in the concourse area.
After missing much of last season, L’Jarius Sneed is officially back for the Titans.
Sneed is active for the season opener against the Broncos after he was questionable with a knee injury. The cornerback was limited for all three practices this week.
Running back Kalel Mullings (ankle) is also active for Tennessee after he was listed as questionable.
For Tennessee, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, safety Kevin Winston, cornerback Samuel Womack, offensive lineman Jackson Slater, offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, defensive lineman Shy Tuttle, and defensive lineman CJ Ravenell are inactive.
There were no surprise inactives for Denver, as quarterback Sam Ehlinger, running back Jaleel McLaughlin, outside linebacker Que Robinson, defensive end Sai’vion Jones, offensive tackle Frank Crum, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and tight end Nate Adkins are out. Ehlinger is the emergency third QB.
The Cowboys made a bad situation worse by trading linebacker Micah Parsons to a conference rival in Green Bay. The Cowboys ultimately didn’t have many choices.
It came down to Green Bay or Philadelphia.
Via Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Cowboys began trying to trade Parsons roughly a week before the trade happened. Dallas, however, could find no traction with any AFC teams.
It’s kind of amazing that no AFC team would try to get Parsons. The Chiefs have made it to five of the last six Super Bowls, and other elite teams are trying to close the window on the Kingdom’s reign.
The Bills, the Ravens, the Chargers, the Broncos. All of them should have been interested.
The Eagles absolutely were. They offered, per Glazer, two first-round picks, a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick and more. But the Cowboys weren’t going to trade Parsons to a division rival that is already more stacked than most if not all other NFL teams.
The Broncos spent the 2025 offseason signing plenty of key players to new deals. The most recent was edge rusher Nik Bonitto.
Here’s the full breakdown of the Bonitto deal, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $22 million (with $17.6 million paid out in 30 days and the balance by March 31, 2026).
2. 2025 base salary: $1.1 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 option bonus: $14.031 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2026 base salary: $1.215 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2027 base salary: $24.49 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and becomes fully guaranteed in March 2026.
6. 2027 per-game active roster bonus: $510,000 total.
7. 2028 base salary: $20.99 million, $7.164 million of which is guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed in March 2027.
8. 2028 per-game active roster bonus: $510,000 total.
9. 2029 base salary: $25.99 million.
10. 2029 per-game active roster bonus: $510,000 total.
The deal also includes escalators for 2026 through 2029. If he’s the NFL’s defensive player of the year in any year from 2025 through 2028, his salary for the next year increases by $375,000. For 2027, his salary can increase by another $2 million. For 2028, his salary can increase by another $6.4 million. For 2028, his salary can increase by another $4.1 million.
The triggers for the 2027 to 2029 escalators are somewhat complicated. The formula is based on sacks, All-Pro recognition, playoffs, and leading the league in sacks.
The base new-money APY on the four-year extension is $26.5 million. The total value of the five-year deal from signing (taking into account the $4.5346 million he was due to make in 2025) is $22.269 million per year.
He has $38.346 million in full guarantees at signing. The full guarantees increase to $62.836 million by 2026. The full guarantees max out at $70 million in full guarantees by 2027.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw will not make his Broncos debut in Sunday’s season opener. The team ruled out Greenlaw with a quad injury.
Greenlaw missed all of the offseason program after hurting his quad while working out in April. The initial report was a tear, but the team clarified a strain would keep Greenlaw out eight weeks.
Greenlaw returned in time for training camp but then left practice early on July 31.
Coach Sean Payton said during camp that Greenlaw was dealing with scar tissue buildup.
Greenlaw did not practice this week, and Payton would not talk about his status or a timeline for his return.
The Broncos added defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to the injury report Friday after he injured his calf in Thursday’s practice. Roach will not play against the Titans.
Tight end Nate Adkins (ankle) won’t play after sitting out practice all week.
Outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman, who was limited in Thursday’s practice with a hamstring issue, returned to full participation Friday and is cleared to play. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (foot), linebacker Alex Singleton (thumb) and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (thigh) also are good to go.
