The Denver Broncos have some tough QB matchups on their schedule for 2025. Let's rank the best they see. While the team does not have an overly-tough schedule in the 2025 NFL Season, there are still some tough opposing QBs the team will likely face, and that's just how it works.
Fortunately, the Broncos have recently become one of the better teams in the NFL and could truly take another huge leap forward in 2025. If Bo Nix progresses and the defense manages to get a hair better, this Broncos team won't have a single hole and could be a contender for the Super Bowl.
Let's dive into the five toughest QB matchups this team will see in 2025.
Ranking the toughest QBs Denver Broncos will face in the 2025 NFL Season
5. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
The Denver Broncos play at the Houston Texans in Week 9, seeing QB CJ Stroud for the second time in three seasons, as Denver was at Houston in the 2023 NFL Season. While Stroud and the Texans offense did regress in 2024, this unit is actually quite loaded, and the third-year QB is exceptionally accurate and has already won two playoff games and two division titles.
CJ Stroud won't be an easy task for the Broncos defense.
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers face the Denver Broncos in Weeks 3 and 18 of the 2025 NFL Season. Denver has beaten LA multiple times in the Herbert era, and while the QB is big, mobile, and has a giant arm, he has never seemed to ascend to the elite status that many people hold him in.
If Justin Herbert was 6'3" and 215 pounds, we'd be looking at him as if he's this generation's Kirk Cousins. However, Herbert has been quite efficient and just took insane care of the football in 2024.
3. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Following their Week 12 bye, the Denver Broncos travel to play the Washington Commanders. Both Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix were the top rookie QBs during the 2024 NFL Season, leading both of their squads to double-digit win seasons and playoff berths.
Daniels could be the closest thing to Lamar Jackson the NFL currently has... besides Lamar Jackson. I'm not exaggerating when I saw that he may already be the best QB in the NFC and could be a legitimate contender for the NFL MVP award in 2025.
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Denver faces Kansas City in Weeks 11 and 17 during the 2025 NFL Season, and they'll have to win at least one of these games if they hope to compete for the AFC West title in 2025. In the Patrick Mahnomes era, when he is actually starting, the Broncos have beaten the Mahomes-led Chiefs just one time, which was back in 2023.
The Broncos win over the Chiefs in Week 18 of 2024 was with the primary backups on the field for KC. Anyway, Patrick Mahomes is a future Hall of Famer and already an all-time great at the position. However, his statistical production has kind of taken a hit over the last two seasons, but his intangibles and overall greatness is still obvious.
1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Denver hosts Cincinnati in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL Season, and they'll have to go up against Joe Burrow, who picked-apart the Broncos defense in 2024. Fortunately, this game is at home for Denver, which should make it easier, but Joe Burrow has been among the most efficient and elite passers in the NFL for years now.
He's completed 68.6% of his passes and has a career passer rating of 101.2. No matter how you slice it, this game is going to be another massive task for the Broncos defense.