The Broncos enter 2025 with stability at the top of the organization, an apparent long-term answer at quarterback in place and a surprise playoff berth last year from which to build.
When the NFL schedule’s released Wednesday night, the exact path toward returning to the postseason will be known.
That makes it time for a time-honored tradition that doubles as something of a fool’s errand. It’s time for The Post’s beat reporters to guess the Broncos’ schedule.
This year, we’re not flying entirely blind. The NFL’s annual Thursday night Week 1 opener features two Broncos 2025 opponents in Philadelphia and Dallas, so there’s a pair the Broncos will not be opening with. And on Monday night, the NFL announced one of the centerpieces of Denver’s schedule: a titanic Week 17 Christmas-night matchup in Kansas City.
So, without further ado, a couple of projections with very much non-guaranteed hit rates from beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans. To the winner goes eternal bragging rights.
Gabriel’s projection
Week 1: at Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos have nine regular-season home games, but in this projection open on the road. Two years ago, Denver opened the Sean Payton era at home and lost after a poor Russell Wilson outing and a game-winning drive from Jimmy Garoppolo. Life changes fast in the NFL.
Week 2: New York Giants
Week 3: at Houston Texans
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs
Week 5: Green Bay Packers
Back-to-back home games — albeit tough ones for quarterback Bo Nix and company — before the schedule delivers the Broncos’ first international game since 2022. Seeing C.J. Stroud, Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love in consecutive weeks would mark a good early test for Vance Joseph’s defense.
Week 6: at New York Jets (London)
The Broncos’ stated international preference was Berlin against Indianapolis, but a Germany trip does not appear to be in the cards for Denver. They could still get London against the Jets, however. After playing at Wembley previously, this one would at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Dallas Cowboys (Monday Night Football)
An extra day of rest off the bye week before a prime time game against Dak Prescott and the Cowboys? Sounds like a winner.
Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 10: Tennessee Titans
Week 11: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 12: Las Vegas Raiders
Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals (Thanksgiving night)
These teams played a banger of a game in December last year. They could be battling for postseason position again this season. So why not get it in prime time after Detroit and the Cowboys host games earlier in the day? Bo Nix vs. Joe Burrow vs. tryptophan.
Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 15: at Washington Commanders (Sunday Night)
Back-to-back games on the East Coast, you say? After the Broncos went 2-0 around a trip to the Greenbrier last year, Payton jumps at a chance to return, this time in December. White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia is only mildly more difficult to get to than London, but after figuring out the logistics last year, Round 2 would be a cake walk.
Week 16: Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 17: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 18: Los Angeles Chargers
A finisher at Empower Field, potentially with major postseason implications on the line against a divisional foe? Now that would be quite a scene and a cause to ask Mother Nature very kindly for an early January snowstorm.
Evans’ projection
Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs
Because, well, why not? The Broncos want Kansas City. They want to be Kansas City. They want to dethrone the kings of the AFC West. This would be a Week 1 matchup for the ages.
Week 2: Tennessee Titans
Let’s throw No. 1 pick Cam Ward to the wolves early against Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and crew.
Week 3: at Washington Commanders (Monday Night Football)
This is perhaps the most buzzy matchup of the season, and will be ridiculously easy for ESPN to market. Jayden Daniels chucked and sprinted his way into the hearts of the entire NFL in his 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Bo Nix is quickly becoming the prince of Denver. It’s a heck of a sophomore QB matchup, and the powers-that-be should take a long look at a primetime slot for Denver’s trip to D.C.
Week 4: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Evan Engram revenge game.
Week 5: Las Vegas Raiders
Week 6: at New York Jets (London)
Going to be super boring and copy Parker here. We know, for certain, that Sean Payton wanted Berlin, as team president Damani Leech said at the owners meetings a couple months back. But New York in London — Payton’s second choice — makes too much sense, as former Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey is now the head man in N.Y. and there’s a heap of organizational connections. To the London Eye!
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Green Bay Packers
Week 9: at Los Angeles Chargers
Quad-off between rookie RBs Omarion Hampton and RJ Harvey.
Week 10: Dallas Cowboys
Going to take a swing here — this won’t be a primetime game. Yes, the NFL loves the Cowboys. But you can throw a dart at Dallas’s 2025 schedule and hit about eight other potential matchups for a cushy TV slot, and the Broncos actually finished 26th of all 32 NFL teams in average national-TV viewership in 2024, according to Sportico.
Week 11: at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 12: Los Angeles Chargers
Week 13: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday Night Football)
Okay, maybe this doesn’t make the most sense as a primetime game on paper. But, beyond the upstarts-take-on-the-champs angle, this could be a fascinating matchup from a football sense: What happens when arguably the best offensive line in football meets arguably the best pass-rush in football?
Week 15: New York Giants
Week 16: Cincinnati Bengals
Week 17: at Kansas City Chiefs (Christmas/Thursday Night)
The cards aligned here. A rivalry could officially brew in 2025 between Broncos and Chiefs, and this matchup could have major divisional implications while letting the NFL toss Kansas City (and Taylor Swift) onto a primetime holiday slate. Time for Christmas in Kansas City.
Week 18: Las Vegas Raiders
Let’s cap off the regular season with a potential shootout against Pete Carroll’s crew, as Las Vegas is set to be a massive divisional wild-card after pairing world-beating back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
