The Denver Broncos are going to be a phenomenal football team in 2026, as they’re surely one of the AFC’s top favorites.

With training camp underway and preseason on the horizon, their 2026 schedule tells a compelling story. The front half is loaded with playoff-caliber opponents, but the back half opens a window for Denver to build serious momentum heading into January.

The first thing I look at is the bye week which lands at Week 10. That’s perfect. Play nine games, get your rest in the middle of the season when everyone actually wants it, then play eight games to finish the regular season. The placement alone gives this team a structural advantage.

The front half is a gauntlet

In the first seven games out of nine, the Broncos play a playoff team from last season. That is a brutal stretch by any measure (one of the two-non playoff teams is the Chiefs). Based on expected win totals for 2026, a significant number of those early opponents project to win a lot of football games this year. Kansas City, Jacksonville, the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco, Seattle, and Carolina all show up before the bye.

The Week 1 trip to Kansas City is obviously tough. But there’s a real question mark there. We don’t know what to expect from Patrick Mahomes coming off a torn ACL. He’s looked good so far in camp, but everything changes in a real game when live bullets are flying and that Denver front is bearing down on you.

Another key to look at is the Broncos’ divisional matchups which shake out nicely. Everyone knows Week 18 will feature a divisional opponent, and the Broncos draw the Chargers there. That will be a tough one. But during the softer middle portion of the schedule, Denver gets the Raiders twice, which should be a welcome sight.

If Denver can navigate the front half with a winning record (5-4, 6-3, maybe even 7-2), they are set up extremely well for what comes next.

The middle stretch is where Denver takes control

The first five games after the bye week represent a massive opportunity. The toughest contest in that span is a trip to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. Beyond that, Denver draws the Raiders twice, the Dolphins, and the Jets. That is a lot of room to stack wins, build confidence, and get hot heading into the final push.

This is the point in the schedule where the Broncos can really take the reins on the season and crank things up a notch. A team with Denver’s talent shouldn’t just survive this stretch. They should dominate it.

A tough finish, but nothing to fear

Weeks 16 through 18 bring three straight playoff teams from last year: Buffalo, New England, and the Chargers. That’s no cakewalk. But if the Broncos have already banked wins during the middle of the schedule, they’ll enter that final stretch with enough cushion to absorb a loss or two without losing their playoff positioning.

Overall, I really like how the Broncos’ schedule shapes up this year. They will be tested early, 100%. But we don’t know what to expect from all these teams, just like they don’t know what to expect from Denver. I think the Broncos will make it through the front half just fine and really pick things up in the middle where things get significantly easier on paper. That momentum will propel them into the final three weeks of the regular season and into a playoff run.