The Denver Broncos were expecting a tough schedule, and the NFL outdid itself with the Broncos' early run of games.
The Denver Broncos got their full schedule last night at the NFL did it’s annual release, and in many ways the schedule is typical for a 14-3 team that went to the AFC Championship and got within a field goal of the Super Bowl.
In other words, it’s brutal, especially early on. Denver Post columnist Troy Renck described the first month-and-a-half as a “six week buzzsaw,” adding that the team would have to capitalize on a soft early December schedule to make the kind of run they did last season.
The columnist added that the Broncos haven’t faced more than two teams that have previously qualified for the playoffs in the first six weeks during coach Sean Payton’s three-year tenure, but that’s about to change. The Broncos went 2-4 in those games, and they could face a formidable battle to replicate that result or do better.
Renck’s conclusion about this makes a lot of sense. He stated that the Broncos could be better this year while winning fewer games. Denver will face a total of ten playoff teams from 2025, so there will be constant challenges.
He also attempted to add some humor to his take, starting with this evergreen punch line: “Thank goodness for the Jets.” Renck also cited the Arizona Cardinal as a winnable breather, along with the Miami Dolphins, “whose roster suggests they are not even trying.”
The details he added are both daunting and telling. The Kansas City Chiefs will be Denver’s first opponent in a Monday nighter at Arrowhead, and the Chiefs are 8-2 in their home openers. That may change given Mahomes’ current injury situation, but Renck added that the Broncos would have preferred to get this game at home.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the next challenge, and they delivered a gut punch to Denver last season, to use the columnist’s description of how the Jags snapped the Broncos’ 12-game home winning streak last year.
The Rams game that follows pits QB Matthew Stafford and coach Sean McVay against Payton and quarterback Box Nix, assuming Nix is healthy. Renck flagged this game as a pivot point where we find out if new offensive coordinator Davis Webb really is calling the plays for the Broncos.
The ongoing trend of Left Coast opponents continues in Weeks 3-6 with the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks as the opponents, and it will be interesting to see if the strength-of-schedule factor holds true as the Broncos try and take that next step and get to the Super Bowl.