The NFL released its schedule for the 2024 season on Wednesday.
The Denver Broncos are scheduled to play two primetime games. The first is Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. The second is when the Cleveland Browns travel to Denver in Week 13 for a Monday Night Football matchup.
The Broncos could add a third primetime game if the league decides to flex them into one of the primetime slots later in the season. The Week 17 and Week 18 dates and times haven’t been chosen. Other games can be flexed in and out of primetime as early as Week 5.
Here’s how the Broncos’ schedule shook out…
Week 1: @ Seattle Seahawks
Sun, Sept. 8 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | CBS
Barring a dramatic deviation from expectations, rookie quarterback Bo Nix will make his Denver Broncos debut in Seattle.
The trip to Seattle used to be one of the most daunting in the NFL, but the Seahawk defense hasn’t ranked in the league’s top 10 in the past seven years. Poaching Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to be the new head coach figures to turn the tides, I don’t expect a massive turnaround before Week 1.
The scouting report will be a challenge, and The 12th Man will be a factor, but the Broncos certainly could have faced a taller task in the season opener.
Week 2: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Sun, Sept. 15 | 2:25 p.m. MDT | CBS
The scouting report on the Steelers will be simple, and it isn’t because they’ve run a variation of the same blitzing 3-4 defense for half a century.
Russell Wilson will make his return to Mile High in Week 2… assuming he doesn’t lose the job to Justin Fields in training camp. (For what it’s worth, Fields’ only 300-yard passing performance in the NFL was a 340-yarder against the Broncos last season.)
Week 3: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sun, Sept. 22 | 11 a.m. MDT | FOX
After an emotional two-game start to the season, the Broncos are set for a two-game East Coast road trip. Don’t be surprised if head coach Sean Payton keeps the team out east for the week of practice in between.
Payton mentioned last season that part of the challenge in coaching the Broncos was a lack of familiarity with the AFC. He had spent his entire NFL career in the NFC, beginning in 1997.
Payton learned about his opponents, and that knowledge will be put to the test as he takes on his former NFC South brethren in 2024. He’ll have some ideas to throw at Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Lavonte David after playing all of them a handful of times or more.
Week 4: @ New York Jets
Sun, Sept. 29 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | CBS
In the second half of the East Coast back-to-back, the Broncos will play a third emotionally-charged game. This time they’ll take on former head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who took over as the offensive coordinator for the Jets last season.
Although unlikely, the possibility exists that new Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson will get a chance at revenge. Wilson was the second-overall pick of the Jets in 2021, but he was replaced by four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, who played for Hackett in Green Bay, will be 40 on game day.
Week 5: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Sun, Oct. 6 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | FOX
In theory, this should be one of the easiest games on the Broncos’ schedule. Only one team the Broncos play in 2024—the Carolina Panthers—have a lower win total than Las Vegas, as set by the sportsbooks. And the Broncos open the season series at home.
But the Raiders have beaten the Broncos eight consecutive times and ending that streak will be anything but easy.
Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Sun, Oct. 13 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | CBS
The Broncos interviewed Jim Harbaugh to be their head coach last offseason. Some rumors suggested he was the Broncos’ top choice for the job. But Harbaugh returned to Michigan, won a national championship and joined the Chargers in January.
Harbaugh will bring a physical brand of football to Los Angeles, where the Chargers haven’t been able to run the ball or stop the run with any amount of success in recent years. Will he be able to entrench physicality in his team by mid-October?
Week 7: @ New Orleans Saints
Thu, Oct. 17 | 2:25 p.m. MDT | Prime Video
Yet again, the story of the game is one of the Broncos’ exes. And it’s Sean Payton‘s turn.
Payton led the Saints for a decade-and-a-half. He provided New Orleans with the most successful stretch of football the city had ever seen, and it isn’t close. He found that success in the shadow of Hurricane Katrina. Someday, New Orleans will build Payton a statue.
Payton and the Saints know each other well. I’d expect the edge to be Payton’s but this will be an emotional weekend in the Bayou. Who knows what could happen?
And that’s before we factor in the chaos that comes with Thursday Night Football.
Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers
Sun, Oct. 27 | 2:25 p.m. MDT | CBS
No game in the NFL is easy… except maybe this one?
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last year. They didn’t profit from their pain, as they’d already sent the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. They’re a young team, so some internal growth should be expected, but there’s no reason to believe the Panthers will be anything but a bottomfeeder.
If Denver doesn’t win this game, it’s safe to say the Broncos’ season is not going according to plan.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and linebacker Josey Jewell will make their returns to Denver.
Week 9: @ Baltimore Ravens
Sun, Nov. 3 | 11 a.m. MDT | CBS
The Ravens’ offense bordered on unstoppable last season. Their defense might have been even better.
Beating Baltimore in Baltimore will be one of the toughest tasks in the NFL next season. The Broncos will need their A game.
And the two toughest games on Denver’s schedule come in back-to-back weeks…
Week 10: @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sun, Nov. 10 | 11 a.m. MDT | CBS
The last time the Broncos saw the Chiefs, they were limping off of Empower Field while Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” played over the speakers. The Broncos’ 24-9 win ended a 16-game losing streak to Kansas City.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs are once again Super Bowl favorites, and building the winning streak to two games will be a challenge. A big challenge.
If you can do it once, you can do it twice, though. Right?
Week 11: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sun, Nov. 17 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | FOX
The Falcons are six years removed from their last winning record. Former NFC South rival Sean Payton was 21-9 against them.
But Atlanta could be poised for a major turnaround.
The Falcons gave Kirk Cousins $180 million over four years to take over for Desmond Ridder at quarterback. If all goes well, Cousins will unlock the big-name playmakers Atlanta drafted over the past half-decade. (And if he doesn’t work out, they can turn to first-round rookie passer Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington.)
The Falcons are the biggest wild card on the Broncos’ schedule.
Week 12: @ Las Vegas Raiders
Sun, Nov. 24 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | CBS
The Las Vegas Knights immediately produced one of the rowdiest crowds in the NFL. For some reason, the Raiders haven’t been able to emulate them.
Playing in Vegas isn’t scary, but Denver’s losing streak certainly is.
Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns
Mon, Dec. 2 | 6:15 p.m. MDT | ESPN
Joe Flacco jumped into the lineup for the Browns for the final stretch of the 2023 season. The 4-1 record he posted lifted Cleveland into the playoffs, and he was a clear upgrade over Deshaun Watson.
But the Browns are tied to Watson, so he’ll get another chance to put his stamp on Cleveland. The Browns are hard-nosed and have enough top-end talent to win playoff games. If Watson doesn’t turn things around, that won’t matter. (Worst contract in NFL history?)
Similar to the Falcons, the Browns are a wild card.
Oh, and will Jerry Jeudy get his revenge? Will Cleveland get its revenge for decades of Bronco dominance?
Week 14: BYE
The Broncos’ bye week comes late in the season. You can make the case for that being a good thing. You can make a case for it being a bad thing.
All I know is I’ll be in Missoula watching the Montana Grizzlies in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Week 15: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sun, Dec. 15 | 2:25 p.m. MDT | CBS
Anthony Richardson looked like the future of the Colts last season. But he was knocked out with a shoulder injury in Week 4 and didn’t see the field again.
Even without the No. 5 pick, the Colts posted a winning record and battled for a playoff spot in the final week of the season. Don’t be surprised if they take a leap in 2024.
Week 16: @ Los Angeles Chargers
Sun, Dec. 22 | 2:05 p.m. MDT | FOX
Jim Harbaugh is built for December football.
The Chargers haven’t been built for December football for decades.
Something has to give.
Week 17: @ Cincinnati Bengals
TBD
The Bengals took a step backward in 2023 after posting back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins and trips to the AFC Championship at least. Not having star quarterback Joe Burrow for much of the season didn’t help them, but they were only 5-5 in the games he started.
This is one of the toughest games on Denver’s schedule, but the Broncos can cross their fingers and hope that the Bengals look more like their 2023 selves than the previous versions.
Week 18: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
TBD
Playing the Chiefs is never easy… but what if they have nothing to play for?
The odds are slim, but maybe Carson Wentz will take the field instead of Patrick Mahomes.
