Mile High Report
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Broncos, led by their defense, did enough to come away with the week 1 victory and improve to a 1-0 record to start the season.
The Broncos would turn the ball over four times, but despite that, they had multiple big plays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, which led to them winning the game. Let us revisit these big plays and discuss their ultimate impact on the game’s result.
It was a 3-3 game early in the 2nd quarter, and the Titans and rookie quarterback Cam Ward were in Broncos territory and in field goal range. However, on a second down run play, Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga shot in like a missile and hit Titans running back Tony Pollard, forcing a fumble which was recovered by safety Brandon Jones.
This likely took at least three points off the board for the Titans and was one of the many big plays made by the Broncos’ defense in this one. It was also a big play by Talanoa Hufanga, who was voted a team captain, and was playing in his first game with the Broncos.
He made a good first impression.
It was a 3-3 game, the Titans were driving and had a big 3rd and goal coming up with a chance to make it a 10-3 game. However, edge rusher Nik Bonitto showed up in the big moment and sacked rookie quarterback Cam Ward and limiting the Titans to a field goal.
Like the forced fumble, this took points off the board for the Titans and limited the damage to a field goal. Instead of being down 10-3, it was a 6-3 game, and the Broncos were still very much in this game. It was one of the many big plays made by Bonitto and the Broncos’ defense during this game.
After some questionable clock management by the Titans, the Broncos had about 40 seconds and good field position to put points up on the board before half. It was a disappointing first half for the Broncos, but they had a shot to end the half on a high note. After a defensive pass interference, Nix would hit Courtland Sutton for a touchdown pass, giving the Broncos a 10-3 lead.
This was a huge momentum shift that was quickly reversed after a long kickoff return, which resulted in a field goal before halftime for the Titans. However, it was still a big play by Nix and the Broncos offense, which gave them the lead heading into halftime. This would end up being the only real highlight for the Broncos’ offense in this game.
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