Forget 9-7. Forget no playoffs.
“That’s a thing of the past,” safety T.J. Ward said. “It’s a new year.”
But it won’t be an easy one.
The Broncos’ road back to the playoffs will be bumpy — the bumpiest in the league with a .578 opponents winning percentage — and it will begin and end in Denver. It will include five prime-time matchups (including two on Monday nights against divisional rivals); a Week 2 battle with the Cowboys in Denver; a Thursday night stop in Indianapolis, a return to Miami for Vance Joseph; a meeting with another Manning and another Brandon Marshall at home; a must-see game against Tom Brady and the Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High again; and finally, a sure-to-be thriller against the Chiefs at home to close it out.
The last four Broncos season openers have been reunions of sorts, be it for the men on the sideline or the stars on the field. This year will be no different, as the Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers in the second Monday night game of Sept. 11 (8:20 p.m., ESPN), following New Orleans at Minnesota.
“My eyes go to Week 1,” Joseph said in a Broncos release. “It’s important to get off to a great start. It’s a home game and it’s in division, so that’s important.”
The game, Joseph’s first as an NFL head coach, pits Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy against his former team, for whom he was head coach for four seasons in between his stints as Denver’s coordinator and offensive play-caller.
If last year’s Broncos opener against Carolina was another battle of defenses, this one is surely one of offenses with veteran quarterback Philip Rivers on one side and McCoy’s latest offensive rendition on the other.
This year is also the seventh consecutive season in which the Broncos will open at home, perhaps a bit of a surprise given the postseason-less campaign in 2016. Denver has won its last five season openers. Its latest opening defeat just so happened to be against another California team — the Raiders — on Monday night in Denver in 2011, John Elway‘s first year in the front office and John Fox’s first season as the team’s head coach.
The Broncos take on nondivisional opponents from the AFC East and NFC East this year and will hit the road to face the Bills in Week 3 (Sept. 24), the Eagles in Week 9 (Nov. 5), the Dolphins in Week 13 (Dec. 3), the Colts in Week 15 (Dec. 14), and the Redskins in Week 16 (Sunday, Dec. 24).
Broncos HC Vance Joseph is all smiles as he reviews his first schedule as an NFL head coach. pic.twitter.com/B2lIj2PqgQ
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) April 20, 2017
Running the offense in Buffalo is former Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. But a return to Miami, where the Broncos haven’t been since 2011, is one that should be circled in red ink. Not only will Joseph face his former team, the Broncos will take on Adam Gase, their former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under McCoy.
For the third straight year, Denver is spared a trip to Gillette Stadium and will host the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots (Nov. 12) along with the Cowboys (Sept. 17), Giants (Oct. 15), Bengals (Nov. 19) and Jets (Dec. 10). The Broncos have split their last two regular-season meetings with the Patriots, winning in overtime on a C.J. Anderson touchdown run in 2015, then faltering after holding Tom Brady to a mere 188 yards passing and zero touchdowns in 2016.
Denver hasn’t faced the Cowboys since 2013 in Dallas, where recently retired edge rusher DeMarcus Ware donned blue and silver and Peyton Manning infamously scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown on a naked bootleg.
The “Brandon Marshall Bowl” in Week 6 is another to circle as Marshall the receiver, now a Giant, returns to Denver for the first time since 2011 to face Marshall the linebacker. The last time the Broncos hosted the Giants was Nov. 26, 2009, when Josh McDaniels was Denver’s coach and Kyle Orton its starting quarterback. Eli Manning has never won in Denver and has a career record of 1-2 against the Broncos.
Denver’s divisional schedule takes on a new look this year with the Chargers residing in Los Angeles. In two or three years, the AFC West will shake up yet again when the Raiders leave Oakland for their new digs in Las Vegas.
As part of its full schedule announcement, the Broncos also revealed the dates and times of their four preseason games. Denver’s preseason slate will begin in Chicago on Aug. 10, then head to the Bay Area for practices with the 49ers ahead of their Aug. 19 game. The Broncos will return home for their final two matchups, against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Aug. 26 and then the Cardinals on Aug. 31.
While the four matchups carry zero weight in the team’s push to return to the playoffs, they are significant in large part because of the impending quarterback competition between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. The two will duke it out for the start job the second consecutive offseason.
Buckle up.
BRONCOS’ 2017 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
vs. Cowboys (Week 2, Sept. 17)
The Tony Romo saga has ended (for now), but the Broncos’ defense will test its strength against young QB Dak Prescott and his sidekick, RB Ezekiel Elliott. Too bad DeMarcus Ware will be a spectator for this one.
vs. Giants (Week 6, Oct. 15)
The return of a Manning and a Brandon Marshall (WR) vs. Brandon Marshall (LB) showdown. Eli Manning has never won in Denver.
vs. Patriots (Week 10, Nov. 12)
Broncos’ defense held Tom Brady to 188 passing yards, zero TDs last time but lost. The previous meeting, they hit him 20 times. Patriots Week is a nice label for all-out battle.
at Dolphins (Week 13, Dec. 3)
Vance Joseph takes on his former team and Mike McCoy takes on his former disciple. Adam Gase, head coach of Miami, worked with McCoy in Denver and helped build offenses for Tim Tebow and then Peyton Manning.
vs. Chiefs (Week 17, Dec. 31)
The Broncos lost to the Chiefs both times last year in games that played significantly into their postseason fate. Will the final game against their division foe determine the Broncos’ playoff fate this year?
BRONCOS’ LAST 10 SEASON OPENERS
2016: vs. Panthers – Thurs., Sept. 8 (W 21-20)
2015: vs. Ravens – Sun., Sept. 13 (W 19-13)
2014: vs. Colts – Sun., Sept. 7 (W 31-24)
2013: vs. Ravens – Thurs., Sept. 5 (W 49-27)
2012: vs. Steelers – Sun., Sept. 9 (W 31-19)
2011: vs. Raiders – Mon., Sept. 12 (L 23-20)
2010: at Jaguars – Sun., Sept. 12 (L 24-17)
2009: at Bengals – Sun., Sept. 13 (W 12-7)
2008: at Raiders – Mon., Sept. 8 (W 41-14)
2007: at Bills – Sun., Sept. 9 (W 15-14)