Last season the Broncos were a surprise playoff team while the Titans earned the first overall pick in the draft, and so it’s no surprise that when they meet in Week One, the Broncos are heavy favorites.
The Broncos are favored by 7.5 over the Titans, which makes Denver the biggest favorite of Week One.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is coming off an impressive rookie season, and if he continues to develop in Sean Payton’s offense the way the Broncos are hoping, they’re going to be a dangerous team this season.
The Titans used the first overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward in the expectation that he’ll become a franchise quarterback, but there’s not a lot around him to generate optimism that he can make the playoffs as a rookie the way Nix did.
The betting odds say it’s going to be a tough first outing for Ward.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said on Thursday that 90 percent of the players his teams have traded away over the years have been moved because they weren’t “the right fit,” but this week’s deal involving wide receiver Devaughn Vele didn’t fall into that group.
Payton said three teams called the Broncos to show interest in trading for Vele and that the initial response was no because they valued what Vele brings to the offense. The Saints upped their offer to include a 2026 fourth-round pick, however, and the move became “something we would do.” The overall depth of the receiver room also helped make it possible to pull the trigger.
“The following day, it picked up,” Payton said, via the team’s website. “It became more serious. And then we’re having to look at the roster as a whole and trying to find the right and the best 53.”
Second-year wideout Troy Franklin has had a strong summer and the arrival of third-round pick Pat Bryant alongside Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims means that Vele wouldn’t be guaranteed a weekly role in the offense, so the Broncos opted for the draft assets instead of someone Payton believes will be “a real good player” in New Orleans.
Denver’s starters will be in action to end the preseason this week.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters in his Thursday press conference that starters are set for 8-to-10 plays against the Saints.
“That’s not just etched in stone — and then [we’ll] get into our second phase and third phase,” Payton said. “I’ve said this each week, there’s still some real important decisions to be made.”
That means quarterback Bo Nix will get his second stint of playing time this preseason. He was on the field for 19 snaps in the preseason opener, which worked out to 25 percent of the team’s offensive reps. Nix completed 6-of-11 passes for 31 yards in that game.
Additionally, Payton noted that while first-round rookie corner Jahdae Barron did not practice on Thursday, he’s OK and should play on Saturday. Payton noted Barron just had a soft-tissue issue.
The Saints have not announced their starting quarterback for the first week of the regular season, but they have made their choice for the final week of the preseason.
Head coach Kellen Moore said on Thursday that Spencer Rattler will get the start against the Broncos on Saturday afternoon. Rattler also started the first preseason game while second-round pick Tyler Shough got the start last weekend.
Shough will follow Rattler and the Saints plan to play Jake Haener as well. Haener did not play in the second preseason game as the Saints put Rattler back out to run a two-minute drill following a late interception.
Moore described the competition between the two quarterbacks as very close earlier this week and said on Thursday that Rattler getting the nod this week is not a signal about his thoughts for Week 1, but it would seem to be an opportunity for Rattler to put the competition to bed with a good performance.
With Pete Carroll joining the Raiders this offseason, the AFC West has the most accomplished division of head coaches in history.
Between Carroll with the Raiders, Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Sean Payton with the Broncos, and Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers, the division has earned a combined five Lombardi Trophies, nine Super Bowl appearances, 20 conference championship appearances, and two national championships at the college level (plus one more from Carroll that was vacated).
The AFC West also has an average head coach age of 65.5 years old.
Carroll was asked about competing against his fellow AFC West head coaches in his Wednesday press conference.
“Isn’t that something? Yeah, I think it’s great,” Carroll said, via transcript from the team. “If you’re going to be any good, you got to beat the best teams. You have to beat them, and so if this division is loaded with that, then that’s what’s going to make us what we are. And going against Andy, and Sean, and Jimmy down there, it couldn’t be any more challenging because these guys are terrific football coaches, and they’re going to have a complete team. They’re going to bring their kicking game, they’re going to bring their run game, they’re going to bring their defense, and then they’re going to know how to highlight their special players.
“I mean, that’s what this league, really, I think dictates. I got to get my act together. I got to play up to those guys.”
Last year, the Raiders were the weak link in the division, finishing 4-13 as the only AFC West club to miss the postseason. Carroll won at least seven games in every season he served as Seattle’s head coach from 2010-2023. We’ll see if he can bring that kind of performance to the Las Vegas desert in 2025.
