Broncos Have Two Dangerous Trap Games Flying Under the Radar

Since the NFL schedule release, there's been a lot of hand-wringing over the Denver Broncos' schedule, especially the first six weeks. There's no doubt that it's perhaps the toughest first six-to-eight-week schedule I've seen since I've covered the Broncos, dating back to Peyton Manning years.

But we know the Broncos will have their dander up for these top opponents. An additional big concern? The trap games on the schedule, two of which require a deeper dive.

Let's talk about these two trap games on the Broncos' schedule.

Week 9: at Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) prepares to pass the ball in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's tough to sell a trap game against an opponent, like the Panthers, that made the playoffs last year. But Carolina managed to sneak into the postseason party as an 8-9 division champion.

It's possible the Panthers could be better in 2026. Relative to the NFC South, though, Atlanta will be looking to come back strong under its new coaching regime, while Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be out to prove that last year's step backward was an anomaly. New Orleans might still be a year or two away.

Let's call the Panthers a playoff-caliber opponent, even if they failed to win double-digit games last season. If quarterback Bryce Young continues to take steps forward in his development in Year 4, Carolina could be a dangerous opponent.

The Panthers invested to improve their defense, signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd, a free agent many denizens of Broncos Country coveted. Carolina also drafted nose tackle behemoth Lee Hunter, and invested in Young's protection by taking Monroe Freeling in Round 1.

The additional danger that Carolina presents is the fact that this game will be played in their house, which puts the Broncos on a long East Coast trip, which has traditionally been a bit of an Achilles heel for Denver. However, under Sean Payton, the Broncos have flipped the script on that tradition, especially last year, but it's still a concern.

The Broncos will be on the road on the East Coast, playing a team that is feeling its strength on the heels of that playoff berth and features a potentially dangerous young quarterback. I've got this game circled as a Broncos win, but do not look past this opponent.

Week 14: at New York Jets

Bo Nix and Jermaine Johnson II — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is pressured by New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson II (11). | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Once again, the Broncos drew the Jets on the schedule, and for the second time in three years, it'll be at MetLife Stadium. The Broncos faced the Jets last year, too, across the pond in London in a game that was hard-fought all the way down to the wire.

Denver prevailed, but the Jets played them exceedingly tough. Some of that may have been due to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn's familiarity with Payton. Glenn was a former Payton player in New Orleans who also went on to coach under him as an assistant for five years.

The Jets have arguably upgraded their quarterback position, with Geno Smith coming in to take over for Justin Fields, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. New York also had a solid draft, landing tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., along with first-round edge rusher David Bailey.

Smith should be able to get some production out of Sadiq and Cooper, and certainly mine a lot more out of veteran wideout Garrett Wilson, who was largely wasted under Fields as as the quarterback last year. The Jets definitely got better this offseason, and with it also being an East Coast road game, and the Glenn/Payton factor, this matchup has 'trap game' written all over it.

In my way-too-early schedule prediction, I picked the Broncos to win this one. But the Jets are another opponent the Broncos can't afford to sleep on.

Encouraging Stat

Bo Nix is 3-0 against these two opponents for his career. He beat the Jets as a rookie at MetLife Stadium in a torrential downpour (another not-so-pretty game), and again last year in London. The Broncos destroyed the Panthers in Denver in Nix's rookie year.

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