The Tennessee Titans opened their 2025 season with a frustrating 20-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. For the Titans, this was a game defined more by self-inflicted wounds than by talent gaps. Penalties, turnovers, and wasted opportunities overshadowed the team’s effort, leaving the locker room with a unified message: discipline has to improve.
Penalties Define the Outcome
Head coach Brian Callahan did not mince words when discussing his team’s sloppy performance on Sunday.
“Look, at the end of the day, didn’t make enough plays to put ourselves in position to win at the end,” Callahan said on Sunday. “Going two of fourteen on third down is going to make it hard. Thirteen penalties for 130 yards or whatever, also not going to win many games doing that. So that was disappointing.”
The Titans’ 13 penalties cost them 131 yards and directly extended six Broncos drives. Combined with two offensive turnovers, Tennessee repeatedly handed Denver chances to control the game. Despite forcing four Broncos turnovers on defense, the Titans only managed to turn those mistakes into six points.
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons took personal accountability for his role.
“Don’t hurt the team, and the penalties I had could have been avoided,” Simmons admitted on Sunday. “It’s just dumb, no excuses for that. Even with all the freaking penalties we had, we still were in this game. We have to clean that up.”
Cam Ward Shows Poise Under Pressure
The lone bright spot in the loss may have been the debut of rookie quarterback Cam Ward. While the numbers—12 completions on 28 attempts for 112 yards and a fumble—hardly sparkle, they don’t tell the full story. Ward was under constant pressure, absorbing five sacks, yet displayed composure beyond his years.
Veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry III praised his young quarterback.
“I think the same thing we’ve been seeing, poise,” Cushenberry said on Sunday. “He never got rattled, really. It’s a hostile environment, Denver is a tough place to play and a good team. And I didn’t see his demeanor change at all.”
Ward’s ability to stay level despite relentless pressure is a positive sign for a franchise eager to see stability at the quarterback position. His calm presence suggests that, with better protection and fewer self-inflicted wounds around him, his production will follow.
Wasted Opportunities on Offense
The Titans’ inability to capitalize on turnovers and red-zone opportunities left points on the field. Cushenberry summarized the frustration:
“We got to capitalize on those chances we had. But again, we gonna get our opportunity to come again, and we just got to get seven instead of settling for three and then hurting ourselves with penalties.”
The Titans moved the ball in spurts but repeatedly stalled themselves, whether through flags, negative plays, or missed third-down conversions.
Looking Forward
For Tennessee, Week 1 was less about being overmatched and more about beating themselves. The defense demonstrated its ability to create takeaways. The offense, despite its struggles, saw its rookie quarterback stay composed under fire.
The challenge now is to channel those glimpses of promise into cleaner execution. If the Titans can reduce penalties, protect Ward, and finish drives, this loss may be remembered less as a setback and more as the lesson that sharpened their 2025 campaign.
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