The Denver Broncos can officially wash their hands of the 2022 season. We now know not only the team's 2023 opponents but the Broncos' schedule in 2023 as a whole. We're of course circling matchups against divisional opponents, big road games, where the BYE week is placed, and what kind of road the team is facing to get back to the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 over seven years ago.
Let's take a look at the full Denver Broncos schedule in 2023:
Denver Broncos schedule for 2023 NFL season
Week 1: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2: vs. Washington Commanders
Week 3: @ Miami Dolphins
Week 4: @ Chicago Bears
Week 5: vs. New York Jets
Week 6: @ Kansas City Chiefs (TNF)
Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 8: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: @ Buffalo Bills (MNF)
Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings (SNF)
Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 13: @ Houston Texans
Week 14: @ Los Angeles Chargers
Week 15: @ Detroit Lions
Week 16: vs. New England Patriots (NFL Network prime time)
Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 18: @ Las Vegas Raiders
And now, onto our way-too-early predictions for every game
Predicting every game on the Denver Broncos 2023 schedule
Week 1: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Just like the Denver Broncos have had issues beating the Kansas City Chiefs the last handful of years, it's safe to say the Raiders also have had Denver's number. Maybe it's really just Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs that have had Denver's number, but I digress...
The Broncos look like a better team on paper than the Raiders, but these are always going to be tough matchups no matter what. This may come as a shock to some, but the matchup between the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 season was the first time the Broncos had ever faced off against Jimmy Garoppolo, now the starter in Las Vegas.
Can Garoppolo keep up the Raiders' success against Denver, or will the Broncos' defense eat him alive like they did last year when they took him on as a 49er?
Prediction: Broncos win 27-20; (1-0)
Week 2 vs. Washington Commanders
The Broncos will welcome to town a familiar foe when they get a visit from the Washington Commanders. The Commanders, of course, hired Eric Bieniemy this offseason as their new offensive coordinator. Bieniemy has been consistently discussed as one of the league's top head coach options, and is routinely passed on by NFL teams.
What can Bieniemy do with the Commanders in 2023? He's got some very interesting weapons at running back and receiver, but a total wild card at the QB position in Sam Howell. The Commanders seem to be investing pretty heavily in Howell, and whatever kind of job Bieniemy can do with him might make or break his chances of getting a head coaching gig in 2024.
I think as far as this matchup on the schedule, this is a home game you should expect the Broncos to win. Although they aren't deserving of any "gimme" types of games, I would hope this Sean Payton-coached team can best Sam Howell.
Prediction: Broncos win 31-17; (2-0)
Week 3: @ Miami Dolphins
Nobody's going to be excited to see Tyreek Hill again, I can tell you that much. Tyreek Hill has had a ton of huge games against the Denver Broncos, and Mike McDaniel has a unique connection to the Broncos as well. He was once one of the team's ball boys when Mike Shanahan was the head coach. Now, he's a branch off the Shanahan coaching tree and helped lead the Dolphins to the playoffs last year.
This matchup is going to be so interesting for a variety of reasons, not the least of which will be the Broncos and Sean Payton going up against former Denver head coach Vic Fangio, who was supposed to be a key piece of Payton's coaching staff in his return to the NFL.
Of course, Payton landing in Denver complicated things a bit, and Fangio ended up going to the Dolphins instead. Can the Broncos get the better of both Tyreek Hill and Vic Fangio -- on the road? It may come down to who is playing QB for the Dolphins at the time...
Prediction: Dolphins win 24-20; (2-1)
Week 4: @ Chicago Bears
The Denver Broncos will travel to Soldier Field to face off against the new-look Chicago Bears, led by quarterback Justin Fields who is as dynamic of an athlete as you will find at the QB position. The Broncos passed on Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft, and we've seen him go through an interesting growing process in his first two NFL seasons.
He was not good as a rookie but took a step forward in year two despite the Bears' defense being unbelievably bad. Pat Surtain II will also get a chance in this game at redemption against wide receiver DJ Moore, a player who really got the best of Surtain in 2022 in the Broncos' matchup in Carolina against the Panthers.
Ultimately, it's hard to project this as a loss for the Broncos unless you simply think Fields is going to run all over them defensively.
Prediction: Broncos win 30-17; (3-1)
Week 5: vs. New York Jets
Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers in Denver, just like everyone drew it up. The only issue is, Hackett and Rodgers will be wearing green and representing the New York Jets. It's kind of crazy how quickly life comes at you in the NFL, isn't it? On the one hand, this is a "revenge" game of sorts for Hackett, who comes back to Denver after being one of just a small handful of coaches in league history to be fired before their rookie season on the job was over.
The Broncos were fed up with the way Hackett operated things last year, and they fired him after the Christmas debacle in Los Angeles. Hackett landed on his feet, joining his former colleague in Jacksonville, Robert Saleh, with one of the NFL's hottest teams and topics in 2023: The Jets.
I think we saw how good the Jets can be last year when they came to Denver and I wouldn't expect that to change in 2023. I think maybe we see the Broncos kind of pound on Hackett a bit in this one.
Prediction: Broncos win 34-23; (4-1)
Week 6: @ Kansas City Chiefs
There may not be a tougher place to play in the NFL right now than Kansas City. Over the last 10 seasons, the Chiefs are a pretty astounding 61-20 at home, meaning they average just two losses per year on their home field. Given the fact that it's borderline impossible to beat Kansas City in this stadium, I think it's rather impressive that the Broncos came as close as they did last season.
With Jerry Rosberg leading the way as interim head coach, the Broncos came into Kansas City looking like a much more well-rounded team, and not that it would have really affected the eventual Super Bowl champs, but the Broncos actually took a lead into the 4th quarter of this game. Granted, it lasted about 10 seconds into the 4th quarter, but still...Something's got to give here, right?
I think the Broncos finally find a way to get past the Chiefs this year, but it might be at home instead of on the road...
Prediction: Chiefs win 33-27; (4-2)
Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers (2:25 PM MT, CBS)
The only other matchup with the Packers that really stands out in recent memory is the Broncos' absolute drubbing of Green Bay in the 2015 season on Sunday Night Football, which may have been Denver's most complete all-around game that season.
Of course, the Broncos lost in Green Bay in 2019 as well, but nobody remembers/cares about that game. The Packers are ushering in the Jordan Love era, and while you never discount an opponent, I feel like the Broncos are going to be able to take this one at home.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-14; (5-2)
Week 8: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are more than just the Denver Broncos' kryptonite at this point. They are the absolute bane of this team's existence. The Broncos have not beaten the Chiefs since Week 2 of the 2015 season, a streak that currently lives in infamy. But that streak has to end at some point, right?
The Broncos need to notch at least one win against their bitter rivals this year, whether it's in Denver or Kansas City. They have come close a couple of times, including twice during the 2022 season. The Broncos nearly mounted an incredible comeback against the Chiefs in Denver last year, but ultimately fell short after Russell Wilson was knocked out of the game -- literally -- by Chris Jones while scrambling for a first down.
Can the Broncos finally get a win against the Chiefs in 2023? Can they make it happen at home?
Prediction: Broncos win 34-31; (6-2)
Week 10: @ Buffalo Bills
The reunion between the Denver Broncos and Von Miller will be something to see. To see the future Hall of Famer and Denver Broncos Ring of Famer rushing the QB for the other team? That's going to be emotional, there's no question about it.
The Buffalo Bills are one of the NFL's most well-oiled machines at this point. They have such continuity across their roster and coaching staff, they have an MVP-caliber QB, and they have great balance. This is a team that the Broncos would obviously have to deal with in the postseason if they want to make it and make any sort of run, but on paper going into the 2023 season, how can you possibly call a Broncos win in this instance, even considering this is the game in which they are coming off the bye?
Sean Payton is 9-6 coming off the bye...
The Bills are 28-13 at home since the 2018 season when Josh Allen came to town.
Prediction: Bills win 27-24; (6-3)
Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum last year as it relates to their ability to win one-score games. In the 2022 season, the Broncos lost 10 games by one score or less.
The Vikings lost just one out of 12 such opportunities, but unfortunately for them, the one loss in a one-score game came at the worst possible time: the NFL playoffs. I don't know that the Vikings are truly as great of a team as we saw last season in terms of their win-loss record.
This, in all reality, is more likely a 7-9 win team, and there's nothing wrong with that. But this is the type of opponent -- at home -- the Denver Broncos should be able to take care of.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-20; (7-3)
Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Denver Broncos have historically had the Cleveland Browns' number, with a record of 24-7 against Cleveland in the regular season. That, of course, includes John Elway's playoff heroics in the 1980s, as well.
The last time these two teams played was one of the ugliest games in recent Denver Broncos memory, a Thursday Night Football matchup in 2021 with virtually no offense to speak of outside of Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson. It was that kind of game. Now, we're talking about a potential matchup between Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson with two teams who expect to be exponentially better offensively in 2023 than they were last season.
I think the Broncos can win this game at home and frankly, they have to win this game at home, even if the matchup is a bit of a toss-up on paper.
Prediction: Broncos win 31-20; (8-3)
Week 13: @ Houston Texans
The Houston Texans had one of the best offseasons of any team in the NFL, and it had very little to do with the fact that they really brought in a ton of former Denver Broncos...again. The Texans went out in the 2023 NFL Draft and landed both CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., trading up almost 10 spots to make that draft duo happen.
Nick Caserio has established a pretty strong foundation now as GM of the team, especially when you consider the mess he inherited, a mess left behind by Bill O'Brien. As much as I like the Texans' offseason and what they've done, you better believe this Sean Payton-coached team will be expected to go in and get the better of a rookie quarterback.
I think this is a road game and AFC matchup the Broncos need to make sure they don't screw up.
Prediction: Broncos win 27-17; (9-3)
Week 14: @ Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herebert has never won in Denver. Likewise, the Broncos have never gotten the best of Herbert in Los Angeles, although they came quite close last season. The Broncos slowly squandered a 10-0 lead over the Chargers on Monday Night Football last season, a game culminating in a very frustrating overtime loss for Denver.
Although the typical order of things is for the Broncos to split with the Los Angeles Chargers, and although a split with every divisional opponent is a fine prediction for the team to start the year, perhaps this will be the year in which the Broncos can sweep the Chargers again.
Then again, the safe bet is the split.
Prediction: Chargers win 24-17; (9-4)
Week 15: @ Detroit Lions
I never thought I would see the day, but here we are in 2023 and the road game against the Detroit Lions is undoubtedly one of the toughest games on the Denver Broncos' schedule. Normally, you'd just pencil in a matchup against the Lions as a win.
I'm not so sure this time around. Interestingly enough, the Lions' coaching staff is made up of quite a few former Sean Payton disciples. That includes head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who both coached for the Saints at one point in time. In this matchup, will the student get the best of the teacher?
Will Dan Campbell's team be able to live up to lofty expectations this coming year? I'll be rooting for the Lions next year in every game except this one, and I think this is a matchup you might pencil in as a loss, unfortunately.
Prediction: Lions win 31-28; (9-5)
Week 16: vs. New England Patriots
Sean Payton vs. Bill Belichick -- a matchup between two future Hall of Fame NFL coaches and two of the best coaches this era of football will ever see. Although just a handful of years ago a matchup between Payton and Belichick would mean Brees vs. Brady, it's now Russell Wilson vs. Mac Jones.
The Patriots have had some serious ups and downs with Mac Jones, who apparently had been ruffling some feathers out there over the last year or so. Jones was one of the top rookies in the class of 2021, but cooled off significantly in 2022, to the point that some people thought Bailey Zappe was legitimately the better option.
What do we know we're getting from the Patriots? We know we're getting a tough, well-coached defense. The Broncos will have to play smart to win this one, no matter how talented (or not) the Patriots are on paper.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-16; (10-5)
Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
It really doesn't make much sense that the Broncos have struggled so badly to beat division opponents like Las Vegas and Kansas City, yet you can pretty much take a split with the Chargers to the bank every single year. The Broncos have had Justin Herbert's number, kind of in a big way, actually.
In three NFL seasons, Herbert has just 35 interceptions, five of which have come against the Denver Broncos. His QB rating against the Broncos is 89.7 compared to 107.3 vs. the Chiefs and 101.6 vs. the Raiders. Herbert actually has a losing record vs. the AFC West, in total, at 8-10 in 18 career games. With that said, will history continue in 2023? Herbert has never won in Denver.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-21; (11-5)
Week X: @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos have struggled against the Raiders in recent years, especially on the road. In addition to losing eight of the last 10 matchups they've played against the Raiders -- just in general -- the Denver Broncos have not won on the road against the Raiders since the 2015 season.
I think the perception of the Raiders-Broncos rivalry has diminished a little bit because of how great the Chiefs have been, and how everyone's focus has been on them, but there's no doubt that the Broncos have been similarly struggling against the Raiders, especially on the road. Can they end an eight-year streak in 2023? Given the predictions up to this point, the Broncos may already have a playoff spot locked up.
Prediction: Raiders win 23-19; (11-6)