With the city behind him, with his quarterback of the future rooted to Denver soil and a haul of free-agent weapons, Sean Payton stood at the podium after Saturday’s rookie minicamp and called his shot.
“We embrace them,” Payton said when asked about increased expectations. “The schedule comes out here in a few days. There will be a few more (primetime) TV games. It’s part of the deal, and you get comfortable doing it.”
The NFL’s annual schedule release bonanza revealed four Broncos games slotted for primetime, up from just two entering a 2024 season in which few pegged them for any massive success. They overachieved, across a 10-7 slate. In Year Two of Bo Nix, though, they’ll be under pressure to simply achieve.
With the exact run of the Broncos’ 2025 schedule finally known, let’s break down some matchups to circle.
Must-watch game: vs. New York Giants (Week 7)
Okay, Broncos Country. Let’s run it back.
It seemed Russell Wilson was primed for a revenge game in 2024 with his Pittsburgh Steelers coming to Empower Field in Week 2. Never happened, courtesy of a calf injury. This, at last, could be the year after the Giants signed him to a one-year prove-it deal in March.
Now, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether Wilson will still be the starter at this point. New York drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round. They also re-signed Tommy DeVito. They also signed Jameis Winston (side note: what exactly are the Giants doing?). But Wilson should easily be the favorite in this room, and Denver will be rocking at his return, after they flushed $85 million just to be rid of him.
Most boring matchup: vs. Tennessee Titans (Week 1)
There actually isn’t a great answer to this question. The Jaguars (Week 16) are bad, but it’ll be a fun revenge matchup for newly signed Broncos tight end Evan Engram and a Colorado reunion for No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter. A road trip to Indianapolis (Week 2) seems kinda ho-hum, but the Colts are teeming with offensive talent, from Jonathan Taylor to newly-drafted tight end Tyler Warren.
Let’s just go with Tennessee, which comes to Denver in Week 1 after tying for the league’s worst record in 2024 (3-14). Even this, though, is worth a watch for Broncos fans — a test of No. 1 pick Cam Ward’s ability to stay cool in the pocket against Vance Joseph’s defensive line.
Broncos schedule release: Uptick in prime time slots highlights 2025 slate for Sean Payton’s team
Best team: Philadelphia Eagles
What happens, exactly, when you mash one of the league’s best defensive lines against one of the league’s best offensive fronts?
Oct. 5 will bring brutal trench warfare, one that’ll no doubt perk up the men of Vance Joseph’s defense after the Eagles just rode a battering ram to a Lombardi Trophy in 2024. There could be some slight attrition for Philadelphia’s attack this year after losing key offensive lineman Mekhi Becton in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers. But the championship squad is mostly running it back, and this’ll be as good a test as any game on the schedule for new high-impact Broncos defensive signings Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw.
Worst team: Jets
Yeesh. Forget the London setting. Aaron Rodgers is gone, ridding the Jets of a massive ayahuasca-induced headache, but signing Justin Fields isn’t an upgrade on paper. New York didn’t bring in any massive lifts to the roster elsewhere in free agency, either, after a 5-12 season.
It’ll be fun to watch Darren Mougey’s squad take on George Paton’s, though, after Paton’s assistant GM took the head job in New York this offseason.
Best matchup: Hunter vs. Pat Surtain II (Week 16)
Hunter’s return to Colorado will be tremendous, likely feature a fair amount of pregame Coach Prime content, and pit the two-way star against a Defensive Player of the Year in Surtain.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has said Hunter will play primarily on offense, meaning the one-on-one matchup with Surtain is inevitable. The Broncos’ ace came to a game last year wearing a shirt repping Hunter’s Heisman campaign, and watching two elite and instinctual athletes in their own chess match on the outside will be a treat.
Toughest stretch: Weeks 2-6
The NFL didn’t do the Broncos any favors with their early-season schedule. Opening the year at home against the Titans is nice, but Denver then hits a gauntlet: on the road against the Colts, on the road against the Chargers, at home against the Bengals, and then on the road at Philadelphia. And to top it all off, after taking on the Super Bowl champs, they’ll pop over to London the next week. That’s over 8,000 miles to fly in the span of five weeks. The upshot: seven home games in their final 11 contests.
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Originally Published: May 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM MDT
