Titans' Cam Ward Faces Tough Road Obstacle

The National Football League isn't always the kindest to rookie quarterbacks. Each QB has to prove themselves in the NFL, despite being a top player in college. The same can be said for the Tennessee Titans No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward.

Ward showed signs of greatness during the preseason, but still has plenty of work to do. Ward is set to do battle with the Denver Broncos, a team with one of the most experienced coaches across the league.

Sean Payton may not have tons of film to watch on Ward, but he remains unphased. The Broncos third-year HC did the unthinkable last season by guiding Bo Nix to the playoffs. Things didn't look too great at the start, but he managed to turn it around.

Nix struggled in Seattle as the Broncos fell, 26-20. He managed to keep them in the game despite throwing just 138 yards on 42 pass attempts. A pair of interceptions didn't help his case as many believed the Broncos QB struggles would continue.

The Athletics' Nick Kosmider knows Week 1 isn't kind to rookie QB's, especially ones that have to play on the road, "Since 2020, first-year quarterbacks who make their NFL debuts away from home are 2-15. Those 17 passers have thrown only eight touchdown passes during that stretch. No rookie QB has won a Week 1 road start since 2018."

Kosmider notes in his article that the Titans, "have turned up the music as loud as you can" in order to prepare Ward for his debut. He was far from perfect in the preseason, but he's about to learn how large of a gap there is between preseason play and regular-season action.

The Broncos defense ranked near the top last season. DC Vance Joseph has done his part as every key member of the defense is back for 2025. The team ranked first in defensive EPA per snap and first in sacks. With an outrageous prediction that Ward will have a sack rate lower than 5% this season, things aren't looking too good in the Titans' opener.

Add in the fact that the Broncos were third in red-zone efficienty, 11th in third-down efficienty, and ninth in takeaways, Ward faces an even tougher mountain to climb. He's looking to get the Titans their first Week 1 win since 2020 along with becoming the first rookie QB to win on the road since 2018.

While it was ten years ago, Ward can try and take notes from Marcus Mariota's Week 1 performance in 2015. The former No. 2 overall pick had a perfect passer rating as he went 13/15 for 209 yards and four touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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