WEEK 1
LAS VEGAS
2:25 p.m., Sept. 10, CBS
The Sean Payton era opens at Empower Field against former Denver coach Josh McDaniels. It’s a battle of new head coach/play-caller duos, too, pitting Payton and Russell Wilson against McDaniels and Jimmy Garoppolo. The Raiders have won six straight against the Broncos, though Denver did best Jimmy G last year when he and San Francisco visited early in the season.
WEEK 2
WASHINGTON
2:25 p.m., Sept. 17, CBS
The Commanders visit Denver for the second time in three season after the franchises matched up just twice in the decade previous. Ron Rivera has one of the more interesting teams in the NFC but a questionable picture at quarterback with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett the key figures. Denver starts with back-to-back home games for the first time since 2018.
WEEK 3
AT MIAMI
11 a.m., Sept. 24, CBS
A fun one in South Florida. On the field, Tyreek Hill against Pat Surtain II will be must-see. Off of it, former Broncos head coach and now Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will see plenty of familiar faces on the visiting sideline. He’s paired up now with Aurora native and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
WEEK 4
AT CHICAGO
11 a.m., Oct. 1, CBS
The Broncos passed on Bears quarterback Justin Fields in the 2021 draft and found an All-Pro in cornerback Pat Surtain II. In an alternate world, Wilson could have been playing in Chicago (the Bears were on a list of teams his agent once said he would approve as a trade destination from Seattle) and Fields in Denver.
WEEK 5
NEW YORK JETS
2:25 p.m., Oct. 8, CBS
The game everybody has circled as new quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett (now the offensive coordinator in New York) come to Empower Field. Hackett may be in the box rather than on the sideline, but there’s bound to be a crowd reaction anyway. Maybe Broncos fans will count down the play clock when Rodgers breaks the huddle.
WEEK 6
AT KANSAS CITY
6:15 p.m., Oct. 12 (Thursday Night Football), Amazon Prime
The Broncos’ chance to stop the Chiefs’ winning streak in this series at 15 games comes on a Thursday night at Arrowhead. Not that Denver fans need reminding, but Patrick Mahomes has never lost to the Broncos, though he came close twice in 2022.
WEEK 7
GREEN BAY
2:25 p.m., Oct. 22, CBS
The first matchup between Denver and Green Bay in the Jordan Love era comes on a day when both teams will be well-rested. The Packers have a Week 6 bye and the Broncos a mini break after the Thursday night game.
WEEK 8
KANSAS CITY
2:25 p.m., Oct. 29, CBS
The matchups between the Chiefs and Broncos will be staged over the course of 17 days in October. Mahomes has a preposterous 27-3 mark as a starter against division opponents and is 15-0 in divisional road games. When will the domination end? Or at least begin to recede?
WEEK 9
BYE
WEEK 10
AT BUFFALO
6:15 p.m., Nov. 13 (Monday Night Football), ESPN
Among Denver’s toughest road trips of the season is a Monday Night Football visit to Josh Allen and the Bills. The Broncos will see Von Miller, too, for the first time in the regular season since trading him to the Rams in 2021. The MNF treatment sets up Denver for back-to-back weeks in primetime.
WEEK 11
MINNESOTA
6:20 p.m., Nov. 19 (Sunday Night Football), NBC
A Sunday Night Football appearance against the Vikings and second-year head coach Kevin O’Connell, who was a finalist for the Broncos job in 2022. And the first regular-season matchup for general manager George Paton against the franchise he spent 14 years working for.
WEEK 12
CLEVELAND
2:05 p.m., Nov. 26, FOX
One of those matchups that doesn’t garner much attention in May but could pit two teams in the playoff hunt when it rolls around. Will quarterback Deshaun Watson’s performance improve in his first full season after that lengthy suspension and sit-out?
WEEK 13
AT HOUSTON
2:05 p.m., Dec. 3, CBS
A matchup between Payton and the only other Broncos coaching search finalist in the NFL: Texans rookie head man DeMeco Ryans. Houston’s got a young roster led by the second and third picks from last month’s draft: Quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge Will Anderson. The Broncos defense should provide a stiff test for Stroud.
WEEK 14
AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
2:25 P.M., Dec. 10, CBS
Justin Herbert has a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who had been in Dallas with Mike McCarthy. The offensive coordinator that head coach Brandon Staley fired to create that opening? Joe Lombardi, who re-united with Payton as Denver’s offensive coordinator.
WEEK 15
AT DETROIT
Dec. 16 or 17, Time/TV TBD
The first time Denver will play three straight road games since 2017. It will be fascinating to see how the year unfolds for quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions, who many see at this stage of the offseason as a potential favorite in the NFC North.
WEEK 16
NEW ENGLAND
6:15 p.m., Dec. 24, NFL Network
The fourth game in prime time for the Broncos comes on Christmas Eve. Bill Belichick, of course, leads all active NFL coaches with 298 regular-season wins and Payton checks in No. 6 with 152. What will we make of Pat quarterback Mac Jones by the the time this one rolls around?
WEEK 17
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
2:25 p.m., Dec. 31, CBS
Denver’s home slate closes, as it did last year, with the Chargers. That one was a meaningless game but a win nonetheless for interim head coach Jerry Rosburg. What will the feel around the Broncos be on the final day of 2023?
WEEK 18
AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Jan. 6 or 7, Time/TV TBA
A McDaniels and Co. bookend to the regular season and a finale in the desert. Can’t complain about the finishing kick and realistically, if the Broncos are in the playoff hunt, one or two of their final three opponents could be right there, too.
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