Denver Broncos opponents 2026: Who’s on the schedule, how easy or hard will their schedule be

It wasn’t always pretty, but Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos defense found ways to win and win and win some more. They won the AFC West, which had been dominated by the Chiefs over the last nine seasons and are poised to go into the 2025 playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

There’s no doubt that the Broncos defense helped smooth out some of the bumpier games for the offense, giving Nix and company chances to win late in games. Sean Payton likes to spread the ball out on offense, so there were no big stat accumulators on the team, but rookie running back RJ Harvey showed flashes, while second year wide receiver Troy Franklin took a step up. But overall, the team has yet to find true star players on offense. Balance is the name of the game in Denver and they hope it can get them to the Super Bowl this season.

The Broncos will have eight home games and nine road games next season pending the announcement of the matchups for the 2026 international games. The AFC West remained strong, as even the faltering Chiefs continued to be a tough out this season. The Raiders will remain an easy out for the most part, but playing the Chargers and Chiefs twice isn’t a cake walk.

Things get tougher next season with the NFC West, which might have been the best division in football this year. The AFC East has the Dolphins and Jets to beat up on, but the Patriots and Bills are two of the toughest teams in the AFC now. Their first place schedule means they also facing two teams that have climbed back into the playoffs, the Jaguars and Panthers.

Overall, it’s looking like the Broncos will have one of the toughest schedules in the league next season.