3 Winners, 3 Losers in Broncos' 20-12 Victory Over Titans

Here's your Week 1 Denver Broncos stock report.

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) tackles Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (5) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos got their first win of the season, holding on to beat the Tennessee Titans 20-12 at Mile High Stadium. It was an ugly performance from the offense, but a remarkable showing from a ferocious defense that made life incredibly difficult for Tennessee’s rookie quarterback Cam Ward.

The Broncos struggled to find a footing offensively, and despite a heavily vocalized desire to run the football, Bo Nix threw the ball 40 times compared to 22 handoffs between J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Denver’s offensive line did a great job in protecting Nix, who was only sacked one time on the day. 

Defensively, the Broncos had their way with the Titans, especially with their ferocious pass rush. Led by a spectacular performance from Nik Bonitto, who recently signed a lucrative contract extension, the Broncos were able to sack Ward six times and racked up 28 total pressures as a unit. The Broncos forced a pair of fumbles, recovering both, and were insanely sticky in coverage all afternoon. 

Who had the best and worst performances from a solid, if unspectacular, victory in Week 1? Here’s this week’s stock report.

Winner: Riley Moss | CB

Moss is the unsung hero of the Broncos' secondary, due to reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II, newly signed strong safety Talanoa Hufanga, and first-round pick Jahdae Barron getting all of the attention over the offseason. That didn’t matter on Sunday, as Moss was all over the field in multiple different ways against the Titans.

It’s always difficult to play on the other side of a true lockdown cornerback like Surtain, but Moss held up well in allowing three receptions on eight targets for only 21 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Moss was only credited with one pass breakup, but his tight coverage in the third quarter singlehandedly ended a Titans drive, as he forced incompletions on two of three snaps. 

Moss was also a force in the running game, racking up seven total tackles on the afternoon en route to the fourth-highest overall grade of any Bronco, according to PFF, and the second-highest, per Denver Broncos On SI's Erick Trickel. 

Loser: Sean Payton | HC

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Payton spent the majority of the offseason telling anybody who would listen that the Broncos are a true contender, Bo Nix can be a top-5 quarterback (more on this later), and that the offense was going to take off, specifically in the running game. As of Sunday, the only part of this team that looks like a true contender is the defense.

Payton’s game script was horrible, not only in play-calling, but also in personnel usage. It’s unexplainable why Harvey only got six carries when he was clearly the more effective running back over Dobbins. 

Payton’s decision not to kick the ball through the end zone following Courtland Sutton’s spectacular second-quarter touchdown catch literally allowed the Titans to put points on the board to close out the first half. Payton's inexplicable need to change personnel every play and put the offense behind the play clock is incredibly frustrating as well. 

A win is a win, but the entire process of gameday operations was horrid. Payton needs to tighten things up quickly. 

Winner: Ben Powers | LG

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos guard Ben Powers (74) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Tennessee may be a roster that is currently in rebuilding mode, but it has one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league in Jeffery Simmons. Powers and Broncos' right guard Quinn Meinerz had their hands full on Sunday, but they held up very well in pass protection and were dominant in the running game. 

Powers’s play earned him the highest overall grade of any Bronco offensive player, according to PFF, with an exceptional 80.7 run blocking grade. His ability as a pulling guard on trap concepts was incredible to watch, and one of those traps opened up the hole that Harvey exploited on his 50-yard run down the left sideline. 

Powers did allow a sack to Simmons in the first half, but nobody is going to be perfect. His performance was a treat to watch. 

Loser: Bo Nix | QB

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball past Tennessee Titans linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (7) in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Forget the hype for a minute. Nix wasn’t good on Sunday in several different aspects of playing the position. While it looked like he had a better grasp of the offense, his accuracy suffered from poor footwork, he made some rough decisions with the football, and missed several open receivers down the field as he got uneasy in the pocket at times. 

Nix finished the day 25-of-40 for 175 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. According to PFF, Nix had four turnover-worthy plays and no big-time throws. He was also stripped by Simmons, resulting in another turnover and setting the defense up in their own territory.

Nix's interceptions were inexcusable, particularly the second one. He was incredibly late with the football, trying to fit the ball to Troy Franklin on a deep crossing route into zone coverage. Xavier Watts made a great read on the play, but that’s a ball Nix knows that he shouldn’t throw. He also had Courtland Sutton wide open on the exact same play. 

It’s only Week 1, but this year’s first impression looked a lot like last year’s. Not great.

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Winner: Talanoa Hufanga | S

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga (9) reacts against the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It’s hard to raise your stock when you’re the caliber of player that Hufanga already is, but this heat-seeking missile showed far more impact than expected. He led the team with eight tackles against the Titans and had a huge forced fumble early in the game. 

Hufanga was literally all over the field on Sunday. He read the running game incredibly well and flew downhill with reckless abandon as a tackler. His 84.2 run defense grade (PFF) was the highest of any Broncos defender, and he was solid in coverage as well. 

A team captain, Hufanga showed exactly why the Broncos made him a priority in the offseason. 

Loser: J.K. Dobbins | RB

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) rushes for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Dobbins' stock is down for multiple reasons this week. First and foremost was a severe lack of explosiveness as a runner between the tackles that left yardage on the field.

Secondly, it was incredibly apparent that Dobbins’ lack of burst was hindering the running game, and he continued to get carries over Harvey. Third, Dobbins was non-existent in the passing game. 

Now, Dobbins did have a nice touchdown run that sealed the victory away in the fourth quarter, so I’ll give credit where it’s due. But that one nice run doesn’t erase 13 others that could have produced way more yardage. 

Dobbins didn’t play at all during the preseason, so this first exposure had a lot of hype surrounding it. He didn’t meet expectations, and frankly, he shouldn’t be the lead back in this offense as of this week.