Titans vs. Broncos weather forecast could hand a massive edge to Denver
The Denver Broncos play the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season. What does the weather look like? The weather is definitely something to keep an eye on, and while the forecast might not impact the game much at all, there is a chance that the weather does play a huge part.
The Broncos are looking to win their first Week 1 game since the 2021 NFL Season, as they have been Week 1 losers in the last three campaigns. Sean Payton's teams have started out 0-3 and 0-2 in his two years as head coach.
A win here is extremely important, and the forecast for gametime could end up being a huge advantage for the team.
Potential for rain in the first half could allow the Broncos to establish the run, big-time
The first half of the game could bring some notable weather for the Denver Broncos, as there is a 33% of rain in the first two quarters. In fact, thunderstorms are in the forecast, so let's hope that there is no sort of delay due to lightning.
Anyway, the game bringing some rain could really benefit the Denver Broncos, as they'd be forced to lean into their run game more, and Sean Payton would have no choice but to run the ball a ton with JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey, the Broncos' new-look backfield.
The Tennessee Titans ranked just 20th in the NFL in rushing yards in 2024, and they are again projected to trot out RB Tony Pollard, so their backfield didn't really see much change. The Titans simply weren't all that efficient running the rock, and with this game being at home, Denver's home crowd could surely help juice the offense up a bit.
The Broncos would still be forced to throw the ball in the rain, as no NFL team can simply run the ball every single play, but the rain forcing them to establish the run even more could make life much easier when Bo Nix has to drop back and pass. While the rain might not play this much of a factor, it absolutely could force the Broncos to change things up.
Red Sox's Starting Pitching Uncertainty Becoming Major Red Flag
If you don't have a strong starting rotation, you don't have much. And the Boston Red Sox's rotation, which was their greatest strength for much of the summer, is starting to show cracks.
There's a solid top three of Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito that won't change unless an injury occurs. But Dustin May has been anything but reliable as the No. 4 starter, and promising rookie Payton Tolle is proving tough to work around.
Tolle's second career start on Friday was a flop, with five earned runs, two home runs, and four walks allowed in just three innings. And for the second straight trip through the rotation, Tolle probably won't be able to pitch the fifth game after his last start.
Red Sox don't have a set plan for Wednesday's game
Boston travels to West Sacramento next to take on the fifth-place Athletics. It's a series the Red Sox need to win if they want any chance at the division, and a series it would behoove them to win to ensure they don't lose their grip on a playoff spot.
Crochet will pitch Monday and May will go Tuesday. But there's once again no plan for Wednesday's game, as manager Alex Cora explained to the media on Saturday.
“We’re talking about that one,” Cora said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “It’s Crochet, May, then we’ll determine what we do on Wednesday.”
Cotillo reported that Boston's options are a bullpen game, which worked out poorly this past Wenesday, Kyle Harrison, who is starting Sunday for Triple-A Worcester, and Tolle, who would be pitching on four days' rest for the first time in his professional career (seems unlikely).
Fortunately, Boston is off the Monday the 15th, so Tolle should be able to start this coming Friday and the Thursday after. But bullpen games are far from ideal at this point in the season, especially when there isn't a bulk option to come in behind an opener.
The Red Sox need their starters to be at their strongest now that Roman Anthony is out of the picture. Instead, they're met with more uncertainty than they've experienced all season.
