Titans Opponent Unphased by Cam Ward

It's hard to look at Sean Payton and compare him to Tennessee Titans HC Brian Callahan. The 61-year-old took a brief break after his second stint as New Orleans Saints head coach before joining the Denver Broncos.

Now, his second-year QB is matched up against the Titans No. 1 pick, Cam Ward. Ward has avoided major media buzz like players such as Travis Hunter and Sheduer Sanders endured. Instead, Ward was able to focus on himself and ball out in the preseason.

On paper, Bo Nix vs. Cam Ward isn't exactly the most exciting Week 1 battle. In fact, offense doesn't come easy when these two teams play each other. Looking back at their last four meetings, no team has scored more than 20 points. Heading into Denver, Tennessee is looking for their third straight win against the Broncos.

In order to do so, they'll need Ward to step up. The rookie QB had limited time during the preseason and is still on the hunt for his first NFL touchdown. Veteran receivers such as Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett are only going to make his job easier. Things start to get interesting when you look at the Titans key rookie additions (Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Gunnar Helm)

"You have a limited exposure in the preseason with him," Payton said when it comes to scouting Ward. "Then, you would go back and look at his college tape at Miami just to get a feel for not only arm strength, but how does he handle pressure? How does he handle his own?"

Payton continued, "We do a pretty in-depth study. It’s pretty normal when you play teams early in the season, maybe, to not have all the information you might have when you play a team Week 8 or 9.”

At the end of the day, there are a ton of factors working against the Miami graduate. Ward is making his NFL debut on the road against a team that just made the playoffs. Two preseason games away from home certainly helped, but there's nothing like the Week 1 atmosphere. It's also worth noting the Titans have started 0-1 for the last four seasons.

Many began to worry about Bo Nix's abilities as the rookie went 26/42 for just 138 yards and 2 interceptions in his NFL debut. Nix had to make his NFL debut in Seattle, a place many would argue is a much more difficult atmosphere to navigate than Denver.

Ultimately, it doesn't seem like HC Sean Peyton is phased. Having seen it all already in his illustrious career, the Super Bowl Champion is looking to cement his name at the top once more. In order to do that, he'll look to embarrass the Titans and spoil Cam Ward's NFL debut.

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