Broncos Release Finalized List of 2026 Schedule Opponents

With Sunday's conclusion of the 2025 regular season, the Denver Broncos now know exactly who they will be facing next year.

It was revealed Sunday that the Broncos are officially slated to play 10 games against current playoff teams — the Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars, Bills, Patriots, Steelers, 49ers, and Panthers — in addition to twice-annual division matchups versus the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers in 2026.

Our 2026 opponents are set. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/dRfuD0L2FQ
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 5, 2026

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Below is the full list of next season's foes, sorted between locales:

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

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

The Broncos' complete 2026-27 NFL schedule, including dates and kickoff times, will be unveiled by the NFL in May.

Nix, Lance — Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance (5) after the game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Payton Pleased with Clinching Win

It wasn't the prettiest showing, but the Broncos did what they had to do in Sunday's 19-3 victory over the Chargers, securing the AFC's No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs — the first time that's happened since Denver's Super Bowl-winning 2015 campaign.

“You look around, and I started trying to think, ‘All right, how many times…’ And you lose track, maybe I think three or four, but it’s new territory for a lot of players," Payton said in his postgame press conference of securing the top seed. "So you lean on [S Talanoa] Hufanga and [LB Dre] Greenlaw, and you lean on some of these guys that have been in this, not just the playoffs. We’ve been in the playoffs. It’s significant and the reason is you can see the light. Two home wins, and that’s exciting. It’s why you do all of it. It’s why you work late hours. It’s why the players train and lift. It’s a big deal.”

Payton, in particular, made his own bit of NFL history, becoming only the fifth head coach to lead multiple franchises (one AFC, one NFC) to No. 1 seeds, joining an exclusive club that includes Marty Schottenheimer, Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin, and Mike Holmgren.

“I was unaware of that," Payton told reporters. "I know this, I know there’s never been a Super Bowl won by a coach with two different teams, but that’s not it. I mean this. The thing that was hardest about that [NFC] Championship loss, with the no-call, was that you’re so excited for those who have never been to experience it. You try to tell them whatever you think it is, it’s a million times different. Like the first five minutes of playing in that game, your feet are floating, you’re really not present. It’s hard. I got lectured about it, making sure that you run. We ran the very first play, we ran a slant belly. Then two weeks later, he said to me, ‘You have two weeks to think of that and you ran a freaking slant,’ ‘Well, you told me to.’ But I think it’s like anytime you want someone to see a movie, or go to a restaurant or experience something. That’s the thing that was so difficult getting that close. Guys like [former NFL coach] Mike Westhoff, who’ve done it, he’s 77 years old. I mean, there are so many great players in our league that’ve never even been to one. I’ve been a part of a team that lost one, and that’s traumatic. We played the Ravens and didn’t score a touchdown. We had a kick return for a touchdown. You go back to the party, and there’s my mom saying, ‘You were magnificent tonight.’ And you’re like, ‘No, I wasn’t.’ You get shooed off the field.

"But we’re in this thing. We’ve got great respect. The field will be tough. Obviously, we’ll be sharper in some areas, but we were sharp defensively. The big concern that I had was this mobile quarterback [Chargers QB Trey Lance] and a completely different offense that is hard to simulate, and how are we going to handle that? I thought we handled that well. I thought [QB] Bo [Nix] was pressured a handful of times. We’ll look at the film, and we had our opportunities, and certainly I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be. Yet the whole time you’re calling that game, you’re paying attention to what’s going on on the other side of the field. When that receiver for you all came out, throwing pregame passes with the artificial fans in the audience… Quickly, ‘How we were going to play that game?’ And change. We’re looking forward to the challenge, and we appreciate the fans. They have been fantastic. I love it. It’s loud. You saw penalties coming out of the huddle. We weren’t following the Bronco head or something like that. It was good. It was really good. I think they’re very much a part of it, and they obviously are.”