The Denver Broncos will soon have a look at how their schedule for the 2026 NFL season shakes out. It was recently revealed that the league will have its annual schedule release this coming Thursday, May 14th.
After winning the AFC West for the first time since 2015, the Broncos will face a first-place schedule this coming season, a common reason why many critics believe the team will take a step back. However, Sean Payton and the front office believe the Broncos are a top contender to get to the Super Bowl this season and running through the gauntlet of opponents that awaits them would more than prepare them for their ultimate goal.
As a reminder, these are the teams the Broncos will face this coming season:
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Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Rams
Jacksonville Jaguars
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Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
As you can see, at least on paper, the Broncos will face an incredibly difficult road this coming season. After reaching the AFC Championship Game this past season and having what is believed to be one of the league's better teams, the league may want to see the Broncos in several marquee matchups on national television.
With that in mind, here are some predictions for the league's schedule release.
Broncos' 2026 schedule predictions
Week 1: Bills at Broncos- Sunday Night Football
The idea for this is discussed more in depth here, but it makes plenty of sense. The Broncos and Bills played in one of the most dramatic and exciting games last season, going to overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs. Throw in a controversial finish and the Broncos losing starting quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle at the end of that game and you have all the makings for an explosive start to the season.
Week 6: Broncos at Chargers- Thursday Night Football
Every team in the league gets its opportunity to play on Thursday Night Football and the league often prefers divisional matchups for those games. The Broncos and Chargers are both expected to compete for the AFC West title and the Chargers beat the Broncos at Sofi Stadium last year.
This would be a good early-season test for both squads.
Week 10: Broncos at Patriots- Monday Night Football
Another juicy matchup in primetime, this game would be a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. All of Broncos Country feels that Denver would have easily beaten the Patriots in that game and gone on to play in Super Bowl LX had Nix not been hurt, so this could be a chance to exact some revenge.
Week 16: Chiefs at Broncos- Christmas night
The NFL held a tripleheader on Christmas last season and that looks like it could become a tradition, as it has with Thanksgiving. Why not make it a tradition to have the Broncos and Chiefs meet on Christmas night? Or, at the very least, just do it again this year.
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Last year, a depleted Chiefs team without Patrick Mahomes still gave the Broncos some trouble at Arrowhead Stadium. This year, a rematch after all the presents have been opened at Empower Field sounds good.
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