When the Denver Broncos host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, they will face a rookie quarterback making his first (regular-season) start in the NFL.

The Broncos, of course, have film of Cam Ward from his time in college, and they saw him play in preseason this summer. But the 23-year-old quarterback will play in his first pro game that counts in Week 1.

“You have a limited exposure in the preseason with him,” Denver coach Sean Payton said of studying 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? 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.”

History is certainly on the Broncos’ side. Quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall in the common draft era are 4-14-1 in season openers, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. Denver’s defense ranked eighth in takeaways (25), seventh in yards allowed (317.1 PG), third in points allowed (18.3 PG) and first in sacks (63) last season. Tennessee, on the other hand, was the worst team in the NFL in 2024. They have made progress, though.

“A couple of things,” Payton said when asked how the Titans have changed since last year. “They’ve made a commitment in the offensive line, signing a couple of big-name free agents, drafted another player. I think on the perimeter with [Tyler] Lockett there, their skill people receiver-wise has definitely improved.

“The No. 1 thing that stood out… I’ve worked with Bill Callahan before. He is a fantastic line coach, and I’m sure they felt they had to get better in that area and they committed a lot of resources there.”

Tennessee has improved, but the Broncos are an obvious favorite. Oddsmakers have Denver listed as an 8-point favorite over the Titans, making them the NFL’s biggest favorite in Week 1. Good luck, rookie.

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