The Denver Broncos have won 24 regular season games over the past two seasons, which has included an AFC West title and the playoff's No. 1 seed in the 2025 season. Head coach Sean Payton has seen an increase in win total in all three years of his career with the Broncos.
And with the way things sit now, another double-digit win season feels very likely. Fortunately, the Broncos schedule is quite manageable, as the second-half stretch is flat-out easy, but many keep looking at those first six games, given the tough opponents.
According to opponent winning percentage from the prior season, the Broncos have the 15th-hardest schedule in the league for 2026, so it's an average schedule in terms of difficulty. Not only is the schedule manageable, but there are some guaranteed wins present in the 2026 season.
4 obvious wins on the Denver Brocnos 2026 schedule
Week 7 @ Arizona Cardinals
After the Broncos first six games of the 2026 season, which features five playoff teams from 2025, and the Kansas City Chiefs, things get a lot easier in Week 7. They'll be in Arizona to face the lowly Cardinals, arguably the worst team in the league.
Arizona does have some fun talent on offense, but outside of that, nothing else is going in their favor. They were the last team to hire a head coach this cycle and don't have any sort of legitimate quarterback option. This should be a potential get-right game for the Broncos.
Week 9 @ Carolina Panthers
Two weeks after that, the Broncos face the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. It's a 1:00 PM ET kickoff on the east coast, which is typically a timeslot that the Broncos struggle in, but the Panthers went 8-9 last year and just don't overwhelm you on paper.
Denver blew out Carolina at home during the 2024 season, and not much has changed for the better with the Panthers. While they did make the playoffs last year, they did so with a losing record and with a QB in Bryce Young who just doesn't threaten you consistently. This should be another guaranteed win.
Week 11 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Despite not necessarily blowing out the Las Vegas Raiders, the team is 4-0 against them in the Bo Nix era. While Denver should win both games against the AFC West bottom-feeders, you really just never know in today's NFL. The Broncos, however, can take care of business against the Raiders in Week 11, especially if Kirk Cousins is still starting.
Cousins is a bit of a statue in the pocket, and the Raiders' offensive line isn't in a great spot right now. Pressuring Cousins and blanketing Brock Bowers would be plenty for Denver to win that game. The Raiders are also simply years away from getting to where the Broncos are right now.
Week 13 vs. Miami Dolphins
The Cardinals and Miami Dolphins may be the two worst teams in the league, and the Broncos get the Dolphins at home in Week 13, which would be the first Broncos game in December during the season. As we all know, the Dolphins beat the Broncos by 50 points back in 2023, but the two franchises could not be more different.
Denver probably won't win this game by 50 points, but it should be a thorough blowout to the point where backups should hopefully check into the game in the second half. While Denver can fall to a 'trap game' in 2026, Miami could have the worst roster in the NFL at the moment and will struggle to win just one game this year.
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