The 2025 season left the Denver Broncos with the feeling of what might have been after quarterback Bo Nix fractured his ankle in a 33-30 divisional win over the Buffalo Bills, ending his season.

Denver's upcoming schedule features the usual home-and-away games against their AFC West rivals, plus notable matchups against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (home), the New England Patriots (away), the Buffalo Bills (home) and the Los Angeles Rams (home).

KOA Radio reports the Broncos will play on Christmas and Black Friday this season.

You always understand the next challenge,” Payton said at NFL league meetings. “We have a tough schedule. We don’t know when we’re playing these teams.” They know now, as then NFL’s Thursday-night schedule release revealed both good news and significantly worse news on Denver’s 2026 outlook.

The Broncos are finding out that winning cuts into the holidays. Coming off a 14-3 season in which they advanced to the AFC Championship Game, the Broncos have become a hot item for television. That was reinforced when the NFL regular-season schedule was finalized Thursday.

The Denver Broncos have Super Bowl expectations going into the 2026 NFL season. After handing out shoes to students at Kaiser Elementary School in partnership with UnitedHealthcare of Colorado last week, Broncos wide receiver and star returner Marvin Mims spoke to media members about the team's big aspirations.