With the addition of Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos should now have several prime-time games on their 2022 schedule and perhaps for future seasons, too.
The Denver Broncos, on paper, are fun again. All it took was a franchise quarterback. Bam, things are looking up! Russell Wilson will have been the team’s best quarterback since Peyton Manning, and it’s not particularly close at all.
The team has not been very exciting since the glory days of the mid-2010s. We’ve suffered through an overall record of 39-65 in six consecutive playoff-less years.
Now, with Wilson at the helm, the NFL should be on notice. The schedule makers should be on notice. The Denver Broncos should have several prime-time games each year that Wilson is the team’s starting quarterback.
Sure, they may need to prove that they’re going to be competitive, but having the franchise quarterback in place should lock in some prime-time games, even if they happen to be flexed later in the year after the original schedule is in place.
Which games should be prime-time games for the Denver Broncos?
Let’s start off with the obvious one: The Denver Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. The Seahawks happen to be Russell Wilson’s former team. All eyes are going to be on Wilson’s return to the place he called home since being a third-round pick in 2012.
I’m going to go ahead and predict that this will end up being the Week 1 matchup.
I really doubt that there will be a quarterback trade this offseason as big as the one between the Broncos and Seahawks. The prime-time games should be between two teams with major storylines and this game obviously has that qualification.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams
Not only will Russell Wilson square off against his former division rivals in the NFC West, but there is another player that could end up facing his former team.
Von Miller, who was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Los Angeles Rams prior to the trade deadline last season, is currently scheduled to become a free agent. However, it would not surprise me if he ends up re-signing with the Rams.
Miller teased Broncos fans this offseason about a potential return to Denver. The catch? He also has suggested running it back with the Rams.
This will be Miller’s first real free agency where he can choose his team. It might not be either of these teams, but if it is, I’m calling it a prime-time matchup.
Okay, and the competition between Wilson and Matthew Stafford is also a big deal.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
This matchup has not been a competitive one for quite some time. Since the Broncos haven’t had a solid quarterback since their Super Bowl 50 victory, the Kansas City Chiefs have destroyed the Broncos in the win-loss column. The Broncos have not won against the Chiefs since 2015.
This is as good of a chance as any now with Wilson at the helm.
The Broncos are going to have to have all of their players play to the best of their abilities against the Chiefs. That part doesn’t change. The fact that they have a quarterback that will take shots down the field is a huge deal.
I would hope that this will be a very competitive game on both sides. The Broncos will need to address a couple of holes on their roster including pass rusher and cornerback to go head-to-head against Patrick Mahomes.
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They’ll also need some real competition prior to this matchup so they can get into a rhythm and potentially be on a winning streak heading to Arrowhead.