Bo Nix, Broncos Get Major Endorsement After Preseason Finale

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos will open the 2025 regular season at home against the AFC rival Tennessee Titans, and the folks in Las Vegas believe the good guys will win the contest not just comfortably, but by the widest margin in the league in Week 1.

Surely, some of that is due to the Titans coming off a three-win season.

Still, it is an endorsement of the 2025 Broncos. They are being given the benefit of the doubt in ways they often were not last season.

“Last season the Broncos were a surprise playoff team while the Titans earned the first overall pick in the draft, and so it’s no surprise that when they meet in Week One, the Broncos are heavy favorites,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on August 25. “The Broncos are favored by 7.5 over the Titans, which makes Denver the biggest favorite of Week One.”

Broncos head coach Sean Payton said the “key” for the team is a fast start, and this would help.

The Broncos are coming off a 10-win season and a playoff berth with a second-year quarterback in Nix, who turned down the opportunity to be a Pro Bowler as a rookie. They are expected to at least compete for the AFC West crown this coming season.

Notably, Nix and the Broncos do share their perch with the Washington Commanders, who are also plus-7.5 in their tilt against the New York Giants entering August 25, per Vegas Insider.

Broncos’ Pass Rush Bad News for No. 1 Pick Cam Ward, Titans

Nix and the Broncos’ anticipated fortunes to kick off the upcoming campaign naturally mean the opposite for the Titans, who selected quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft.

Florio believes that the Broncos will be “dangerous” if Nix develops further.

The same cannot be said about the Titans in Florio’s estimation. That leaves Ward in a precarious spot heading into a matchup against the NFL’s reigning sack leader among teams.

“The Titans used the first overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward in the expectation that he’ll become a franchise quarterback, but there’s not a lot around him to generate optimism that he can make the playoffs as a rookie the way Nix did,” Florio wrote. “The betting odds say it’s going to be a tough first outing for Ward.”

Good teams win the games they are expected to. The Broncos’ tilt against the Titans is a prime example. Of course, such a lofty spread also sets Nix and the Broncos up to be the biggest letdown of the week if they are not sharp.

Bo Nix Gets Endorsement

Nix specifically received strong support from one of his Broncos teammates, former Indianapolis Colts QB Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger is the Broncos’ QB3 and could be a cut candidate. He still has had a front-row seat to see how Nix operates for the past four-plus months.

“Biggest takeaway is I think that we’re building something special here, and it’s a really well-run organization, and Bo Nix is a really good quarterback,” Ehlinger said after the preseason finale.

Nix set several rookie passing records in his first year under Payton.

He is the franchise rookie leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He is also the first Broncos QB to lead the team to the playoffs since Peyton Manning in 2015. Moreover, Nix has helped the Broncos move past their two-year stint with Russell Wilson as QB1.