Initial reactions to the Denver Broncos 2025 regular season schedule

Broncos Country,

The 2025 regular season for the Denver Broncos schedule has been released. With that in mind, I thought I’d offer up some thoughts on their upcoming 2025 campaign. Feel free to share yours in the comments section.

Tough road ahead: Five away games in Broncos’ first half of the season

If the Denver Broncos are going to start off hot, they will have to take care of business on the road to begin their 2025 campaign. That’s a tough task, but something Sean Payton and the players should be able to accomplish

Five of their first nine games are away from the Mile High City. Three of those matchups are against playoff teams from 2024. Those would be games against Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Texans. While the two others are against the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets.

Their home slate is a bit more favorable, hosting the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys. Though that Monday Night Football matchup against the Bengals will likely have significant playoff implications in the AFC. That’s probably the matchup I’m looking most forward to early on in the year. I certainly don’t expect the Bengals to struggle like they did early on in 2024. That’ll be a tough game.

I’m also intrigued by the Cowboys game which will bring Javonte Williams back to Denver. On top of that, it will feature a high-profile trio of receivers in CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jonathan Mingo. It should be a good test for Denver’s top-flight secondary as it is arguably one of the most talented receiving corps (including tight ends) they will face all season.

Overall, I’d like to see the Broncos take care of business early on in the season. Through nine weeks, a 6-3 record would help them relative to a post-season push. Anything less than that might put them in a precarious situation, especially with what is in store for their final eight games. So, let’s dive into that.

The battle for the AFC West highlights second half of Broncos’ schedule

The upside of having a tougher slate of road games to start the season means more games at home for the Broncos in the second half of the season. Five of their last eight games will provide them with some much-needed homefield advantage, including three of the last four.

But here is the kicker. With only one divisional game through the first nine weeks, the Broncos’ path to winning the AFC West will hit fever pitch the rest of the way out. It’s going to be an absolute brawl for the division title with having five rivalry games in that timeframe. This is probably the most important portion of the team’s ‘25 schedule.

A Thursday Night Football event hosting the Las Vegas Raiders in primetime on Week 10 will be the first the Broncos see of Pete Carroll’s squad. It’s a team which improved tremendously this offseason via free agency and the NFL Draft. I’m looking forward to watching Ashton Jeanty play, and hope Denver’s defense can keep him in check.

After that in Week 11, they will host the Kansas City Chiefs for another divisional game. The good thing is, they’ll get a few extra days of preparation after the TNF versus the Raiders. I guess you could say it’s a bit of a mini-BYE week. Nevertheless, those two will be critical matchups for the Broncos in pursuit of the AFC West crown.

Speaking of the Chiefs, another game I’m really looking forward to is the Broncos’ night battle against them on Christmas. The holidays are always a great time to spend with friends and family. Add a little bit of football into the mix and that makes things even better. The Week 17 primetime matchup could be one of the most important games of the year for the Broncos. That’s followed up by a home game against the Chargers to finish out the season, which will also have serious divisional and conference playoff implications.

Favorite matchup: Sunday Night Football against the Washington Commanders

After their Week 12 BYE, the Broncos will head to nation’s capital to take on the Commanders on Sunday Night Football. This is easily the game I’m looking forward to most for the upcoming season. It’s also probably one of the toughest.

In my opinion, it’s a true playoff caliber matchup that will give us a good sense of what kind of team the Broncos are before their final stretch of games in December. Under Dan Quinn’s leadership, the Commanders really improved last season, just like Denver did in year two of the Payton Era. They are certainly not a team anyone in Broncos Country should be sleeping on.

So why do I love this matchup? The quarterbacks. Both Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels had electric rookie campaigns and key cogs in their respective franchise’s turnarounds last season. Getting to see them go head-to-head in primetime will be a treat for all football fans. And to some degree, maybe some bragging rights will be in order. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Final thoughts and musings

The Broncos’ 2025 season looks like it’s going to be quite an eventful one. That being said, it’s far too early to give a realistic prediction with respect to a potential record for them. There’s a lot of offseason work to be done. Moreover, we have no idea what the final 53-man roster will be like.

Though I’ll say this, I think it’s a much tougher schedule than most might seem to think. If Denver can find a way to win 10 or 11 games, I’d consider that a quality effort. The AFC West got a lot more competitive due to draft and free agency endeavors by all teams. Additionally, Denver is also facing a good amount of playoff teams from last season.

There is no doubt Broncos have a good roster and one of the best coaching staffs in the league. They made big upgrades on the offensive side of the ball and their defense got even better. If they can stay healthy, they will have a legitimate shot to compete for the AFC West title. While starting the season off hot will be key, how they perform against division rivals in the last eight weeks will matter the most.