Titans Frustrated After Week 1 Loss

The Tennessee Titans are shaking their heads after a 20-12 loss against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 inside Empower Field at Mile High.

The Titans had a lead for a good chunk of the game, but penalties, turnovers and missed opportunities cost them dearly against the Broncos.

"We didn't score touchdowns, that's really the biggest frustration," Titans quarterback Cam Ward said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "Shooting ourselves in the foot, getting in long (down and distance) situations. At the end of the day, we have to continue to get better. It's only game one, and we have 16 more ahead of us."

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward drops back to pass against the Denver Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ward showed flashes of potential as the No. 1 overall pick in his NFL debut, but unforced errors around him forced the former Miami signal caller to struggle.

As a team, the Titans had 13 penalties for 131 yards, putting them in a tough spot throughout the game. Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons took part of the responsibility for his contributions to the lost yardage.

"Penalties, man," Simmons said via Wyatt. "Myself, dumb (expletive) that hurts the team. There's no excuse for that, and I take full responsibility for (mine). But even with all the freakin' penalties we still had a chance, we were still in the game."

"But when you have that many penalties, that's terrible. You'll never win a game like that, especially against a good football team on the road. We have to clean that up."

Another player that expressed his disappointment in the turnovers was center Lloyd Cushenberry III, who had a chance to beat his former team for the first time since leaving the team after the 2023 season.

"It's very frustrating," Cushenberry said via Wyatt. "Week One, tough environment, no excuse."

"We have to capitalize on those chances we have. Opportunity will come again, but we have to get seven instead of settling for three, and hurting ourselves for penalties."

The Titans will have a chance to learn from their mistakes in practice this week before facing off against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 for Tennessee's home opener.

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