Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton will have to guide his team through a brutal schedule during the 2026 season.
That’s what happens when you finish in first place the previous season, plus Denver must battle the strong NFC West as well as the AFC East this year.
After the Broncos wrapped the first week of OTAs on Thursday, Payton was asked about facing the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Week 1. He didn’t take the bait, instead discussing the whole schedule.
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“It’s really just more about the unique travel. When I look at the schedule, you just look at short weeks, it’s the nuance games,” Payton said. “I think we have a couple of Friday, a Thursday, a Sunday, Monday, all good.”
Essentially, Sean Payton is saying he’s not worried about normal Sunday kickoffs. He’s focused on the other games that will throw off Denver’s practice routine.
They do play on Friday twice, one Thursday and one Monday, so Payton nailed it.
It’s hard to ignore how tough the first six games are for the Broncos. They start in Arrowhead, followed by games with the Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks. Getting out of that stretch at 3-3 against six contenders would be great.
Then there’s a lull in the middle followed by a brutal race to the finish taking on the Bills, Patriots and Chargers.
Payton was asked if he thought he “pissed somebody off” at the NFL with the tough slate for Denver.
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“No, that happened a long time ago,” Sean Payton said with a big smile and chuckle.
Of course, Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his alleged role in a “bounty” program with the New Orleans Saints. He was reinstated in January of 2013.
That should all be water under the bridge, but Roger Goodell is still the NFL’s commissioner. More than a few in Broncos Country wondered if the league intentionally handed Denver two very hard sequences on their 2026 schedule.
But Sean Payton seems relaxed about it. His team has to play who they play, the order just happens to be noticeably tough from the outside looking in.