Broncos Roundtable: Outside of the two games against the Chiefs, what’s Denver’s most difficult game in 2023?

The lone benefit of the Broncos finishing last in the AFC West for a third-straight season is they were awarded a last-place schedule for Sean Payton’s first year in town.

But despite having supposedly the easiest schedule in the division, seven of the Broncos’ 17 games in 2023 are against teams that made the playoffs last season.

Four of those seven games, however, are against the Chiefs and Chargers. The only three other playoff teams from a year ago that Denver plays this year are the Vikings at home and the Bills and Dolphins on the road.

Outside of Denver’s two games against Kansas City, which likely take the cake as the two most difficult games on the Broncos’ schedule, what is Russell Wilson and the team’s toughest task this year?

The DNVR Broncos Crew gives their take.

What is the Broncos’ most difficult game in 2023, outside of their games against the Chiefs?

Zac: At home against the Jets — The is not the answer that jumps off the schedule on an initial look. That, as Ryan and Henry argue, is in Buffalo against the Bills. And that game is, without a doubt, an incredibly tough game.

But the new-look New York Jets have a chance to be even more intimidating, even at home in front of the Mile High crowd.

How?

Well, the argument is fairly straight-forward.

Last year, the Jets had the fourth-best scoring defense in the NFL, despite having the fourth-worst offense in the NFL. While the Broncos defense was great for most of the year, we saw firsthand how difficult it is for a defense to remain elite throughout an entire season with such a bad offense on the other side.

Denver’s defense wasn’t able to remain elite down the stretch, ending the season as the 14th-best scoring defense. The Jets’ defense, on the other hand, was. And that defense has an opportunity to be better than last year thanks to their young nucleus. While the Bills’ defense was the No. 2 scoring defense last year, they lost key pieces, such as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and their defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and could easily take a step back this season.

When it comes to the Jets’ putrid offense from a year ago, no team got a bigger boost at the most important position in sports than New York, going from Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers.

Yes, Nathaniel Hackett is the Jets’ offensive coordinator and, for obvious reasons, isn’t taken seriously in Denver. But the last time Hackett and Rodgers were paired together, Aaron won back-to-back MVPs.

If Rodgers gets close to his MVP form this year, and their defense remains elite, the Jets have the offensive weapons, including the Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, to make a Super Bowl run.

That’s a very realistic formula for the Jets to be Denver’s toughest game on the schedule outside of the two against the Chiefs.

RK: Week 1 at home to the Raiders — Before you roll your eyes, hear me out.

This has nothing to do with Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders. It has everything to do with the god awful product the the Denver Broncos put on the field last season.

It feel like all of Denver is in prove-it mode with this team, especially with Russell Wilson. Hell, Russ got booed when he was showed on the screen at a Nuggets playoff game this offseason. Las Vegas at home is one of the more winnable games on the Broncos schedule, but a rivalry game in the first game of the season comes with a lot of pressure.

This is the hardest non-Chiefs game on the schedule because the stakes are so high for the energy surrounding the team. Win and it’s “Maybe Sean Payton has what it takes to turn this train around.” Lose and it’s “Here we go again.”

I truly believe if they can get over this mental hump and get a win Week 1, they can cruise out to a great start. But they have a lot of demons to overcome against the Raiders.

Hank: Going to Buffalo — For the past three seasons, the Buffalo Bills have been one of the league’s most dominant regular-season teams.

They’ve averaged more than 12 wins per season. They’ve finished in the top three in the NFL in points scored in each of those three seasons. They’ve finished in the top two in points allowed in three of the past four seasons.

A .500 postseason record in the Josh Allen Era has wiped away some of Buffalo’s luster, but the Broncos are playing the Bills in the regular season, so that doesn’t matter.

And not only are the Broncos playing the Bills in the regular season, they’re playing them in Buffalo, where the Bills were 7-1 last season. The game is set for Nov. 13, when the Buffalo weather could become a factor, especially for a Monday Night game.

Denver will be coming off a bye, a situation Sean Payton excelled in during the second half of his time in New Orleans, but the extra day of rest for the Bills—because the game will be played Monday instead of Sunday—could reduce that effect.

Outside of the Chiefs, the Bills are the best team on the Broncos’ schedule. Others, like the Chargers, Jets or Packers, could hope to reach their level this season, but the Bills are the only team that has established itself among the league’s elite. The game is on the road, which makes it clearly the toughest on the schedule.