Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos emerged victorious in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans. While the offense struggled and has a lot of work to do, one thing was evidently clear—the defense is as advertised. Certainly, poised be one of the best in the National Football League in 2025 after a masterclass effort yesterday afternoon.
Under the guidance of Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph, the Broncos’ defense shut down signal caller Cam Ward and the Titans offense. When the clock struck zero, it was total domination. They had allowed just 12 points and 133 total yards from scrimmage. Ward finished his NFL debut going 12-of-28 for 112 yards. He was sacked five times and lost a fumble. Overall, the Titans amassed just 62 net passing yards, averaged a dreadful 2 yards per play and completed only 14-percent of their third down attempts.
Any way you want to slice it, Denver’s efforts on defense were top-notch. From the front to the back, every position group performed at a high level. It’s a team game, but there is no doubt the Broncos’ defense was the primary factor in them being 1-o instead of 0-1. It was a masterful performance worthy of praise, but just another day at the office for defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers and his teammates.
“The standard is the standard. It’s just kind of how we play, we do things one way. We just need an opportunity, and we had an opportunity today. That’s what we expect of ourselves. Just another opportunity. Each and every week we want to do that. That’s the goal, ultimately,” remarked Franklin-Myers who lauded the team’s consistency and performance against the Titans.
Some may detract from the performance citing Ward’s status as a rookie. They may even say, “A veteran quarterback would have done a lot better.” They could even opine that the Titans were the worst team in the league last season. I’d say that’s irrelevant. When it mattered most, the defense with their backs against the wall, took care of business. Down-to-down, situation-to-situation, they executed tremendously and rose to the occasion.
Due to multiple turnovers given up by the offense, Joseph and his players were often put in tough situations defending short fields. A lot of defenses across the league would have crumbled and given up a lot more points, but you know what? Denver’s didn’t. They held their ground. Though that doesn’t come as a surprise to them, since that is the standard for the team this year—dominance.
“We take the challenge head on. I know everybody on the defense loves challenges. We embrace them. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves, we kind of embrace it and carry it on our shoulders and go get the dub,” stated edge rusher Jonathon Cooper.
All in all, the Broncos’ defense passed their first test of the season with flying colors. Defending the pass, defending the run, and getting after the quarterback—every facet of the defense was firing on all cylinders. And that’s a scary thought when...
