Broncos Roundtable: What is the most important game on the schedule?

Four months and counting.

On Monday, September 14 at 8:10 p.m. MT, the Denver Broncos’ 2020 season will officially kick off on Monday Night Football.

For the first time, Drew Lock will be the starting quarterback in Orange & Blue to start the season. Jerry Jeudy will make his Broncos debut. Jurrell Casey will play in his first game against his former team.

There won’t be a shortage of storylines to start the season.

But there are 15 other games on the schedule past Denver’s Week 1 matchup against Tennessee.

The DNVR Crew breaks down which is the most important game of the season.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME ON THE SCHEDULE?

Zac

Week 17 vs. Raiders — Win and you’re in. That’s what the final game of the season will be for the Denver Broncos.

Sitting at 9-6 entering the final week of the season, all the Broncos will have to do to clinch a playoff spot is beat their archrival in Denver. Fall to the Raiders and they’ll likely need some serious help to make the postseason.

For the first time since the 2015 Super Bowl season, a playoff atmosphere will coat the thin air of the Mile High City.

That’s why no other game will be as important as Week 17 on January 3, 2021.

Last year, the Broncos took care of business in this exact game to send the Oakland Raiders into the offseason with a loss. Now, they’ll get to do the same thing to the Las Vegas Raiders. But this time the stakes will be substantially higher for Denver.

Week 7 against the Chiefs comes in at a close second for the most important game of the year for the Broncos. Denver’s first matchup of the season against the defending champs will be the best test for the Broncos to truly see what type of team they are regardless of their record entering the game.

If they get smoked by the Chiefs, well the talented Broncos are still very much a developing young team. If they hang with Kansas City, then they’re a talented team on the rise with true aspirations in a year or two. And, if they beat the Chiefs — and have a good record entering that game — then there’s no reason to believe this team can’t make noise once the playoffs come around. This year.

But nothing is more important than a win-or-go-home game.

Mase

Week 12 vs. Saints — It sounds weird to choose an inter-conference game, but this is a matchup that could have a profound impact on a tiebreaker within the division (because common opponents come before conference record) and given what looms on the schedule a week later: a December trip to Kansas City, a scenario in which the Broncos are 3-18 all-time.

This game has the opportunity to be two things for the Broncos.

1. A statement. Even if the Broncos fall to the Bucs, Chiefs or both earlier in the season, New Orleans on Thanksgiving weekend offers a chance for the Broncos to declare their intentions and viability as a contender to the rest of the NFL.

2. The prevention of a losing streak. With the Chiefs game the following week, the Broncos can minimize the potential damage and nip a potential multi-game losing streak in the bud, allowing them to not lose momentum in a potential playoff push.

This is the start of the most demanding four weeks on the Broncos’ slate, a period that includes three playoff teams from 2020 who are all division-title favorites this year: New Orleans, Kansas City and Buffalo. A winnable road trip to Carolina is also in the mix between the Chiefs and Bills, but that could be dicey if the Broncos are beaten up by the twin towers they tackle in Weeks 12 and 13.

Ryan

Week 1 vs. Titans — I think the Broncos have a chance to start 4-1, but it’s not hard to envision a much slower start if they can’t get the job done in Week 1.

Week 2 at Pittsburgh is a tough one, Week 3 against the Bucs could go wither way, Week 4 in New York on Thursday Night is a tough trip across the country, and who knows what the Brady-less Patriots (Week 5) are going to be?

What I’m saying here is that early momentum could go a long way into pushing some of these 50/50 matchups in the Broncos’ favor early. One quick look at last season will illustrate that point nicely: The Broncos got off on the wrong foot in Oakland, lost a 50/50 game to the Bears, got beat by a better team on the road, lost a 50/50 game to the Jags and the season was over.

If you think that negative momentum that began in Week 1 didn’t contribute to the unraveling, you’re wrong.

The Broncos need to start this season moving in the right direction. The good news is, they are 30-7-1 in their last 38 home openers.