Broncos spoil Cam Ward's debut with a 20-12 win over the Titans

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DENVER (AP) — Denver's ferocious defense has no bigger fan than Bo Nix.

“It's the best feeling when you've got a great defense,” the second-year quarterback said Sunday after the defense bailed him out and spoiled top overall draft pick Cam Ward's debut in a 20-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Nix had an off-day, throwing a pair of interceptions to go with his one touchdown toss and losing a fumble for the first time since 2021 when he was at Auburn.

Nix's defense had his back again and again, piling up a half-dozen sacks and holding the Titans to a measly 2.4 yards per play.

“I mean, just over and over they got us out of a jam,” Nix said.

Ward was held to 12-of-28 passing for 112 yards with no touchdowns. He didn’t have an interception, but fumbled the ball away in the final minute on his sixth sack.

The Titans went 2 for 14 on third down and their 133 yards of total offense was almost entirely wiped out by their 131 yards on 13 accepted penalties.

“The one that really sticks out is they get the ball down 1 and we get two sacks and get them out of field goal range," Nix said. "That'll change the game in a hurry and changes the environment ... It was awesome to see different players making big plays.”

Because of that deep defense, the Titans managed just six points on their four takeaways.

“Incredibly frustrating,” Tennessee coach Brian Callahan said. “Those are opportunities to score points and put the game away and we didn’t do it.”

Last season, teams that had four or more turnovers won just three of 18 games.

“We had a dominant performance,” said reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II. “Starting the season off like that should allow us to separate ourselves.”

The Broncos befuddled Ward, forcing five punts and a turnover on Tennessee's final six possessions after the Titans had gone ahead 12-10 on Joey Slye's fourth field goal in the third quarter.

Quarterbacks taken at No. 1 overall are now 4-15-1 in the common draft era starting a season opener. Since 2000, the last 17 quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall are 1-15-1.

“The only way," Ward said, “is up.”

Tennessee had three chances to tie it in the final five minutes but came up empty each time.

After holding Nix to no gain on fourth-and-inches at the Denver 46 with 5:07 remaining, Tennessee went three-and-out and punted for the eighth time.

The Titans stuffed Marvin Mims Jr. well short of the line to gain with under 3 minutes to go, but star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he knocked Mims to the ground after the whistle. Earlier, Simmons was responsible for Nix's first lost fumble as a pro.

That flag extended the drive, which ended on an incompletion on fourth-and-8 from the Tennessee 36 with 1:05 remaining. That gave Ward & Co. one last shot but after three incompletions, Ward was strip-sacked by Ja'Quan McMillian on fourth down and Broncos first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron recovered.

The teams combined to score 10 points in the final 16 seconds of the first half.

Nix threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton that gave Denver its first lead at 10-6, but instead of blasting the ball through the end zone for a touchback, Wil Lutz kicked off to the 5 and Chimere Dike returned it 71 yards to the Denver 24. Slye nailed a 42-yard field goal to pull Tennessee to 10-9 at the break.

Lutz restored Denver's lead with a 33-yard field goal and rookie R.J. Harvey's 50-yard scamper set up J.K. Dobbins' 19-yard TD burst.

Mims, a two-time All-Pro punt returner, muffed a punt early in the fourth quarter, giving Tennessee possession at the Denver 24. Consecutive sacks by Jonah Ellis and Zach Allen pushed the Titans out of field goal range, however.

“Can’t take a sack in those situations," Callahan said. “It’s a learning moment for him. This is a really tough test out the gate, his first start against his defense in this stadium. There’s plenty of things he’s going to learn.”

Titans: RB Kalel Mullings sustained an ankle injury in the first half. ... T JC Latham suffered a hip injury and CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. got hurt in the second half.

Broncos: TE Evan Engram suffered a calf injury in the second half, stayed in the game and then limped off in the fourth quarter and tossed his helmet.

Titans: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

Broncos: At the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.

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