Broncos Schedule Release Leaks: Confirmed Opponents and Dates

The NFL will announce the 2026 regular-season schedule this week, on Thursday, May 14. The Denver Broncos already know their 2026 opponents, just not the order in which they'll face them.

As the schedule leaks, we'll track it here. We found out on Tuesday which opponent the Broncos will face in the season opener, but we still don't know whether it'll be home or away.

Week 1: Broncos at Chiefs on MNF

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos will face the Chiefs in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. He stopped short of reporting whether it would be at Mile High or Arrowhead, though the Broncos later announced that the game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium.

This season’s first Monday Night Football game, Sept. 14, will be the Denver Broncos vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

The game’s site still has not been determined as the NFL still is finalizing its schedule for Thursday’s release. pic.twitter.com/IFOOkL0xze
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2026

A divisional throwdown to open the season and in front of a national audience? Sounds good. Arrowhead Stadium instead of Mile High to begin the season? Rip off the band-aid, knowing when the schedule begins to tighten later in the season, the Broncos will be at home vs. the Chiefs.

The Broncos swept the Chiefs last season. Patrick Mahomes suffered a knee injury later in the season, but signs point to him being on track for the season opener.

Because of the lack of clarity on Mahomes's injury recovery, there's an argument to be made that this is the best possible game to draw the Chiefs at Arrowhead. It'll be his first game back after suffering that grievous knee injury late last year.

This year, the Broncos get eight home games and nine away games. Here's a quick look at the Broncos' opponents

Home Opponents

Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks

Away Opponents

Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Carolina Panthers

Strength of Schedule

This year, the Broncos' strength of schedule is .512, which ranks as the 15th-hardest slate of games, and is based entirely on how their opponents fared in 2025. Last year, the Broncos also drew the 15th-hardest schedule, with the collective winning percentage of their opponents from 2024 being .505.

The Broncos are drawing a first-place schedule this year, so it's perfectly natural to see their strength of schedule climb a few points. The Broncos won 14 games last year, the AFC West, and earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC.

Although fans believe the Broncos still aren't getting the respect they deserve, with the oddsmakers setting Denver's over/under win projection at 9.5 (the same as 2024), the truth is, the NFL itself is no longer sleeping on this team. Bo Nix and company absolutely captured the NFL's attention last season, and put a stranglehold on it by beating Josh Allen and the Bills in overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs — a game Denver wasn't supposed to win, despite being at home.

The Broncos will face every AFC team that finished in first place last year, including the Patriots, Steelers, and Jaguars. The road back to the playoffs looks tougher on paper this year, but parity still reigns supreme in the NFL, and each year, we see top-finishing teams regress and others rise to take their place.

That's no guarantee that any of Denver's first-place opponents will take a step backward, but this offseason has been chaotic for the Patriots with all the Mike Vrabel noise, while the Steelers still don't have a for-sure starting quarterback, as they wait to see if Aaron Rodgers is coming back.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Mike Tomlin is no longer the head coach of the Steelers, so it'll be interesting to see how Mike McCarthy manages in what is his third NFL head-coaching gig. McCarthy did win a Super Bowl in 2010 with Rodgers, leading the Green Bay Packers, so the fit is obvious. Time will tell what Rodgers does, though the expectation is that he'll return to Pittsburgh.

Lastly, in addition to the AFC East, the Broncos have to face the NFC West this season, the toughest division in that conference, which boasts the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks, the Rams, and the 49ers. The Broncos will be put through the refiner's fire this season, but they're planning on emerging from that crucible even sharper, with the benefit of last year's experience, which included 11 one-score wins, and the carryover and return of the bulk of their 14-win roster.

Key Offseason Additions

Jaylen Waddle | WR: The Broncos acquired the veteran wideout from the Dolphins to give Nix an explosive weapon, which should free up Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram to make even more plays.

Tyler Onyedim | DL: The Broncos' first draft pick this year will be in the running to replace John Franklin-Myers in the starting lineup. Onyedim brings elite run-defending prowess to the Broncos' defensive line.

Jonah Coleman | RB: As an insurance policy for J.K. Dobbins, the Broncos drafted Coleman in Round 4. The rookie is a complete running back, who, beyond depth, gives the Broncos a between-the-tackles grinder with excellent power, vision, and burst.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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