John Elway's Reflections on Broncos' 2020 Schedule Reveals a Renewed Confidence for Primetime
With the release of the Denver Broncos' 2020 schedule for the coming season, we all start to circle potential wins and losses. The Broncos will play on Monday Night Football for a 29th consecutive year, thereby setting a new NFL record.
When the Tennessee Titans visit Mile High for the closing nightcap of the NFL’s opening weekend, it will also be the first of a hat trick of primetime games the Broncos will be featured in this coming season.
Most pundits guessed Denver would appear in only two nationally televised games this season, so getting three might be a positive indicator of how the Broncos are being perceived outside the Rockies. GM John Elway welcomed the news but took it all in his stride when he checked in for a video chat with Phil Milano on the team website on Thursday.
"Any time you're in the NFL, it's not going to be an easy schedule," Elway said. "It's always going to be a bit more difficult but I think we have to national games in the first four weeks, so we're going to get to show off what we have. Hopefully, we'll be ready to go and play well in those games."
Indeed, relishing the chance to "show off" implies that Elway has a renewed confidence in the Broncos' competitive wherewithal. It might be a young roster, but with a dynamic quarterback like Drew Lock under center, combined with all the holdovers and offseason additions Elway hand-picked, the front-office czar sounds like he's champing at the bit to square off against an NFL opponent in primetime.
Last season, the Broncos stumbled out of the gate to an 0-4 start which ultimately doomed their postseason chances. Elway stressed the importance of this young Broncos team not falling into the same trap and putting themselves out of contention early as a result.
"We're a young football team, so we're going to have to get out of the shoot fast this year," Elway said.
What’s crucial for the youthful Broncos is not to buy into all the hype and razzmatazz of the schedule announcement and keep focused on their offseason preparations.
The Week 4 trip to the Big Apple will see the Broncos back in the national spotlight on a short week as they will feature on Thursday Night Football. It will provide a different set of challenges from the 11-day wait they have to cope with between their last preseason game and their Monday Night opener in Week 1.
The Broncos finish out their primetime commitments in Week 13 with a challenging late-season trip to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. It’s the first time Denver will have appeared on Sunday Night Football since 2017, but at the very least, it will serve as a litmus test of how far this young squad has improved.
Additional scrutiny will also come with another high-profile Divisional grudge match when in Week 9 the Broncos play the Las Vegas Raiders. However, this time it will be in the new location in the desert — not Oakland. Elway told Milano he is looking forward to the occasion and the new surroundings.
“You got the Raiders in Las Vegas, that’s going to be very interesting," Elway said. "So, difficult but thrilled that we are out of Oakland not playing in the Oakland Coliseum. And we get to go to Vegas and it’s a beautiful new Stadium, so we will be looking forward to that."
Out with the inherent difficulties of playing primetime and divisional games, the Broncos' schedule also throws the QB-heavy NFC South at them this season.
“The NFC South with [ Saints' QB Drew] Brees, [Bucs' QB Tom] Brady and you know [Panthers' QB Teddy] Bridgewater being in Carolina right now—also with [Falcons' QB] Matt Ryan in Atlanta, a lot of good QBs we’re playing so we got to figure out a way to win those football games and play consistently," Elway said.
Denver’s itinerary got a whole lot easier with their Transatlantic voyage to London being cancelled. Instead, the Broncos will take on the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 9 after enjoying a refreshing week off to recharge their batteries in Week 8.
While the talk and bold predictions will rage on about the Broncos' slate of fixtures, the focus of the coaches and players is likely to remain firmly rooted in the somewhat boring process of taking it one game at a time.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
