Denver Broncos Face Tennessee Titans in Week One
Trevor Phipps
I can speak for football fans everywhere when I say: Finally, our favorite time of year has arrived.
With high school football launching last week and college pigskin kicking off over Labor Day Weekend, the famed fall pastime is here.
Get ready for arguments amongst friends, beer-spilling plays and Monday morning quarterback rants as the NFL season officially launches this Thursday. And to make things even better, Week One is packed with nail-biting matches that will keep fans on their toes from the get-go.
For starters, the opening week of football will have the most days of live pigskin action than ever before. This week the NFL has exciting games scheduled Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday nights along with their usual day-long lineup on Sundays.
This season, all eyes will be on the AFC West as many say it may be the toughest in the league for 2025. With recent off-season acquisitions, the four teams have maybe the best head coaches in the league, and they all have veteran star quarterbacks.
Broncos’ fans are probably more optimistic coming into the 2025 season than they have ever been before. With sophomore QB Bo Nix looking to show off what he learned as a rookie, the team made some improvements last spring that many hope will take them to a new level that the team hasn’t reached since the Peyton Manning days.
However, the road to win the AFC West won’t be easy, despite all the bullish Bronco boasting that is invading Colorado these days. For one, the Chiefs will be hungry for a Super Bowl again after falling to Philadelphia by a convincing margin in the big game last year.
Secondly, the Los Angeles Chargers will be back and eager to make the playoffs again with Coach Jim Harbaugh and QB Justin Herbert. Also, this season, experts say the Las Vegas Raiders shouldn’t be counted out with former Super Bowl-level Seattle Seahawks’ Head Coach Pete Carrol and QB Geno Smith taking the reins.
The truth is whoever comes out ahead in the AFC West this year will definitely have to earn it. And, one could argue that whoever takes the league’s hardest division has a great chance of winning the Super Bowl.
That brings us to my coveted Week One Predictions where I scourge the internet and diligently watch preseason games to make my best picks of how this week of football will turn out. After spending hours gazing into my crystal ball, the following are my predictions for all the AFC West Teams and other big games worth watching.
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, Sunday 2:05 p.m.
The Broncos have their first true test to see if they are actually a Super Bowl-worthy team this Sunday. Even though they went undefeated in pre-season for the last two seasons, we will all be closely watching to see if the off-season adjustments worked, or if Bo Nix will experience the fabled “Sophomore Slump.”
The Broncos did add some running backs and wide receivers to help Nix out on offense. The Broncos’ defense didn’t seem like it needed much help after the success they experienced last season. And it looked even better during preseason.
Normally I would say that if you just judge by last season, the Broncos will easily dominate the Titans. But this year it could be different.
After tying with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants as the worst team in the league, the Titans earned the number one draft pick. They used their draft advantage wisely when they snagged top quarterback prospect Cam Ward who had great success while playing for the Miami Hurricanes.
But only time will tell if Ward could emerge as a star or become a disappointing rookie QB. I think Tennessee will improve this year and Ward will eventually work out for them. But I think the Broncos’ defense will make the new QB struggle.
Trevor’s Pick: Denver Broncos 38, Tennessee Titans 10
Las Vegas Line: Broncos By 7.5.
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers, Friday 6 p.m.
This next match is a good example of the NFL knowing how to provide action-packed battles during opening week. Both of these teams made the playoffs last year, and it is always a close division brawl.
The Chargers have ramped up their team and I have confidence that Harbaugh has what it takes to keep improving. They are playing from home, and they will be looking for blood.
Although the Chiefs should never be counted out, they will have their work cut out for them. I just think that the Chiefs will have a slow start to the season like they have in the past
Trevor’s Pick: Los Angeles Chargers 31, Kansas Chiefs 27
Las Vegas Line: Chiefs by 3.
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, Sunday 11 a.m.
The Raiders had a lackluster season in 2024, but they made some drastic changes during the offseason. The team acquired a top-level head coach in Pete Carroll and I think Geno Smith is a decent QB.
Even though Vegas already doesn’t seem to agree with me, I think their team has promise this year. Besides, the Patriots haven’t really ever been able to figure things out after the Brady/Belichick days.
Trevor’s Pick: Las Vegas Raiders 24, New England Patriots 21
Las Vegas Line: Patriots by 3.5.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, Thursday 6:20 p.m.
This match is always a good lineup, and plus it is the first game of the season. Even though Cowboy fans always say, “this is our year,” I’m not seeing it.
Trevor’s Pick: Philadelphia Eagles 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
Las Vegas Line: Eagles by 7.
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, Sunday 6:20 p.m.
Besides the AFC West, you could argue that these are the other two best teams in the AFC. The first Sunday night matchup should be a big one and I think I’ll go with Buffalo just because they are at home.
Trevor’s Pick: Buffalo Bills 28, Baltimore Ravens 24
Las Vegas Line: Bills by 1.5
