After an ugly win in Week 1 followed by two last-second losses, it felt like the Denver Broncos were primed to regress from the breakout season the year prior, in 2024. However, all Denver did after that was win 11 games in a row, eventually cementing the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs.
Suddenly, the Broncos are every bit of a Super Bowl contender and are now largely looked at as one approaching the 2026 NFL Season. Perhaps even more urgently, quarterback Bo Nix is in his third year, so he's going to be eligible for a contract extension following the 2026 campaign.
This would officially set the timer for the Broncos to continue maximizing this financial window with Nix being on a cheap rookie deal. The 2026 season could truly not be more important, but unfortunately, the Broncos may have to watch out for some potential trap games on their schedule.
Denver Broncos have some obvious (potential) trap games in the 2026 NFL Season
Week 7 @ Arizona Cardinals
It's not a mystery just how tough the Broncos first six games of the 2026 season. They'll end up playing five double-digit winning playoff teams from the prior season, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver being able to get out to a 4-2 start would feel like a massive success. The team is likely to be in six close games during this stretch, too.
If 2025 is any indication of 2026, the Broncos are going to live in those one-score contests. Well, the Broncos go from the toughest stretch they've seen in the Sean Payton era to facing, arguably, the worst team in the NFL in the following week.
It's obvious why this could be a trap game - Denver will have just exerted a ton of energy against six of the better teams in football, so it'd be unsurprising, to be honest, if they ended up in a closer game than expected against a much inferior opponent, and that's literally what a trap game is in this league.
Week 11 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Right after the Week 10 bye, the Broncos are home against the Las Vegas Raiders. What could possibly go wrong, right?
The Broncos have taken care of business at home against the Raiders over the past two seasons, but in 2024, the team was in an early hole, and in 2025, the team hosted the Raiders on what may have been the ugliest Thursday Night Football game in NFL history.
Denver can't seem to get an early grip against this team - another slugfest against the Raiders at home in 2026 could happen, simply based on the prior two seasons.
Week 14 @ New York Jets
The Broncos play the Jets every year, it seems like. Last year, the Broncos were in London to play the Jets. At the time, it was clear how much better Denver was over New York, but that didn't stop the Broncos from only winning by two points.
They needed a Jonathon Cooper sack late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal in what could have turned into one of the more embarrassing losses of the Payton era. For whatever reason, the Broncos can't get out of their own way against the Jets.
Given the team's shaky history against the franchise, another close game in disappointing fashion could be on the menu.
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