Russell Wilson does not guarantee playoffs for the Broncos in 2022

The schedule is difficult

Every time the schedule is released, fans look at how things are going to shake out for their team and optimism starts to brew over. But the Broncos will face a difficult schedule in 2022.

Not only will the Broncos face their AFC West opponents a total of six times, but they also play against the NFC West as part of the non-conference schedule. Outside of the Seattle Seahawks, none of those teams should be looked at as an automatic win.

The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals are teams in “win now” mode and the Los Angeles Rams, who the Broncos play on the road on Christmas Day, are the defending champs.

The Broncos will also play key games against the Colts, Titans and Ravens and all three of those games could have playoff implications at some point in the season.

The Broncos don’t have very many “easy” games on their slate. If you were to browse over the schedule with an unbiased eye, they only have about five games that you could say they will almost certainly win.

And in the NFL, where “any given Sunday” is absolutely a thing, there may not even be that many.