5 Key Offensive Matchups Broncos Have to Win vs. Titans

These five matchups are critical for the Denver Broncos' success on offense.

Dec 8, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

As the Denver Broncos prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans in the season opener, they've already identified the key matchups. The Broncos could be aiming to exploit these matchups, or they could be motivated to simply hold the Titans' defense at bay. 

After reviewing the Titans' depth chart, watching their preseason action, and analyzing some of their games to close out the 2024 season, five matchups stood out for the Broncos' offense. Some of them are areas where the Broncos have a reason to be concerned, but others are areas Sean Payton can look to attack and potentially find success. 

We've already covered the Broncos' key defensive matchups. Now it's time to dive into the offensive.

C Luke Wattenberg vs. DT T’Vondre Sweat

The Broncos' center struggles to generate drive at the point of attack, and these issues are particularly evident when facing mass, which is the type of assignment Sweat is. Last year, Sweat and the Titans' defensive line as a whole were excellent against the run. They can hold up at the point of attack. 

There are questions about the Broncos' run game after a poor showing in the preseason with the starting unit, and a lot of those concerns stem from Wattenberg's inability to generate movement up front. Against Sweat, those concerns are only intensified, and the Broncos could struggle to run up the gut. 

When it comes to pass protection, Wattenberg can hold up, and Sweat wasn’t a significant threat as a pass rusher last year, but he may have spent time this offseason to be a bigger threat in that department. Either way, this matchup is crucial for the impact it could have on the Broncos' rushing attack. 

LG Ben Powers vs. DL Jeffery Simmons/Sebastian Joseph-Day

Aug 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) celebrates the tackle for loss against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Another concern with the Broncos' offensive line is Powers, who excels as a run blocker but struggles with lunging and generating movement, particularly as a pass blocker. Facing the Titans' two defensive ends in the 3-4 front, Simmons and Joseph-Day, isn't great. 

Both defenders are great against the run, and the Titans may have one of the best run-defending defensive lines in the NFL, so Powers will have to be disciplined and not lunge to avoid severe losses with the reps. It would be surprising if Powers didn’t struggle to generate movement against either of these defenders. 

But the pass rush is the bigger concern, especially when it comes to Simmons. Last year, he generated 45 pressures and a 12.7 win percentage on 450 pass rush snaps, which was among the best last season.

Now, Joseph-Day isn’t as much of a threat, but he still generated 16 pressures on 222 pass rush snaps last year, so Powers and the Broncos can’t overlook his ability to impact the passing game. 

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TE Evan Engram vs. LBs Cody Barton/Cedric Gray

Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray (51) reaches for Indianapolis Colts running back Trey Sermon (27) on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Broncos are very familiar with Barton and his issues in coverage. Sure, he can make some splash plays, but the consistency from snap to snap isn’t great and is exploitable. With the addition of Engram, the Broncos are in a position to attack the Titans' linebackers, particularly Barton. 

Even if Engram ends up matched up against Gray, the Broncos can still have the advantage there. In fact, Engram is a key player overall in this game because he has favorable matchups almost across the board against Tennessee's safeties and linebackers. If he pulls a cornerback in coverage, then the Broncos can get a favorable matchup with one of the other receivers. 

WR Courtland Sutton vs. CB L’Jarius Sneed

Oct 13, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (1) runs the ball as Tennessee Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) defends during the second half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

This is a matchup that can go either way, and it all depends on what version of Sneed the Titans get this season. Last year, he dealt with injuries and only played in five games, and he was terrible in each.

There was some success in coverage, allowing only nine catches on 22 targets for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 168 coverage snaps. The biggest issue, however, was his unreliability as a tackler, as he missed six tackle attempts, or one tackle per game played. 

Now, Sneed has never been the most reliable tackler, and his 22.2 missed tackle percentage last year was a career high, albeit on a limited sample size, but his career low was 11.6 for missed tackle percentage. Sutton has good size and strength, but breaking tackles hasn’t been a strong suit for him. 

In his career, Sutton has broken 20 tackles, with 12 of those coming in the 2019 season and only three in the last five seasons. If the Titans shadow Sutton with Sneed, the Broncos will need their top receiver to take advantage of the tackling issues; otherwise, they'll need to do what they can to force a different receiver on Sneed. 

OT Mike McGlinchey/Garett Bolles vs. Edge Dre’Mont Jones/Arden Key

Tennessee Titans linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (45) signals to teammates during the second quarter of an NFL pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We've already covered the concerns over the Broncos running the ball inside, but they do have an avenue for success, especially with Payton adding outside zone to his rushing scheme. For as good as the Titans are against the run inside, they are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to their run defense outside. 

It all starts upfront, and Bolles and McGlinchey have favorable matchups when it comes to the run game against Key and Jones, with neither of them being good run defenders. Rushing outside can also benefit the interior O-line, as the Titans' interior defensive line isn't the strongest in changing direction or flowing outside, except for Simmons. 

So, the Broncos have the advantage there, but they will need to be careful against Key and Jones as pass rushers. Jones has always been a better pass rusher than run defender, and while he failed with the Seattle Seahawks, he still put up 88 pressures and eight sacks over the last two seasons, with 45 pressures and three sacks last year. 

Key is the type of pass rusher who has given Bolles issues throughout his career. While Key had a slow start, he has become a good pass rusher over the past few years.

Last year, Key generated 39 pressures and seven sacks, and the way he wins is off his speed, burst, and bend. Practicing against the $120M man, Nik Bonitto, might put Bolles in a good position to match up with Key. 

Every game can be broken down to critical moments or key matchups on both sides of the ball. Whatever the outcome against the Titans, reviewing the game, these matchups will be key to Denver's offensive success or failure against the Titans.