Denver Broncos 2023 Regular Season Breakdown

With the Denver Broncos regular season officially released, it is time for first reactions. Right off the bat, I can say confidently that I like this schedule a lot for the Broncos. After a disastrous season with sky-high expectations, it is important for Denver with a new coach to get off to a hot start. So let’s get into the official Denver Broncos 2023 regular season breakdown.

2023 Denver Broncos Schedule:

Week 1: 09/10 Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos

This is about as good a week one matchup as the Broncos could have asked for. When a team has a new coach coming into the season, getting one of the league’s worst defenses a year ago with no major upgrades anywhere is a huge boost. It will also be the home fans’ first look at the new Sean Payton and Russell Wilson offense. It also gives the Broncos a chance to end a nearly four-year losing streak against a team dealing with a brand new QB in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Week2: 09/17 Washington Commanders @ Denver Broncos

Denver gets the fortune of getting back-to-back home games to open their season. They also get the fortune of playing a second-year QB in Sam Howell, who will be coming off his second career start. This does, however, give the Broncos the chance to have their secondary tested a little with back-to-back weeks of solid receiver groups before the bigger challenges start.

Weeks 3: 09/24 Denver Broncos @ Miami Dolphins

The Broncos are arguably getting their first big test in week three. They are playing probably the fastest teams in the league, with an offensive head coach that was able to make their offense one of the most dangerous in the league a year ago. The toughest task for the team will be defending the two-headed monster at the WR position, with both Hill and Waddle as 1,000-yard receivers a year ago. They also have the task of playing their former Pro Bowl EDGE Rusher Bradley Chubb for the first time.

Weeks 4: 10/01 Denver Broncos @ Chicago Bears

Facing the team with the worst record from a year ago is usually something that fans look forward to. However, the Bears are a much-improved team starting when they made the trade for WR D.J. Moore. It got better with the team adding talent at the Inside Linebacker group and offensive line. It does favor Denver on paper in a few spots. They are playing one of the worst passing offenses from a year ago, and even with an improved Linebacker group, their bottom-ranked defense still has a lot of holes that Sean Payton should be able to gameplan against. This matchup will be determined by how well the Broncos’ defense can contain Fields outside of the pocket.

Week 5: 10/08 New York Jets @ Denver Broncos

Who knew a year ago that this would possibly be Denver’s most anticipated game of the season? When you add former Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett taking over as the Offensive Coordinator for the Jets with Aaron Rodgers joining him in New York makes this matchup fascinating on many levels. With two of the best defenses from a year ago, playing two offenses that should be much improved, look for this to have the possibility of being the game of the season for both teams.

Week 6: 10/12 Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs

This may sound funny, but this could possibly be my favorite game on the schedule. The Broncos get the chance to avoid the classic December game that essentially ends the Broncos’ season in Arrow Head. While at this point it is unrealistic to say the Broncos have a great shot at winning, this game is both early enough where injuries may not have gotten to the team yet and they have time to make up for a loss, but also late enough where the offense has a chance to be caught up and moving in the right direction. Most importantly, it is just nice to get them early this year for once.

Week 7: 10/22 Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos

Usually, a Green Bay Packers game would draw in the crowd and media interest. With Jordan Love in at QB now, the excitement has kind of left this matchup on the schedule. The Broncos are not getting off the hook playing Love, though. The Packers have a very solid defense and run game still. It is potentially a nice break for the secondary, getting Love sandwiched between Patrick Mahomes’ games.

Week 8: 10/29 Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos

This might be the hardest spot on their schedule so far. Getting Mahomes two out of three weeks is tough for the defense. The fortunate part is they get both games out of the way early and get a home game heading into the bye week. The Broncos have a great chance to still be in the hunt with the hardest part of the schedule behind them.

Week 9: BYE

 

Week 10: 11/13 Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills

Getting the Bills in Buffalo is never an easy task; getting them in a stand-alone Prime Time game on ESPN will make this game even more intense. It will also be a very emotional game as this is the first time the team will be playing their former Linebacker and future Hall Of Famer Von Miller since he got traded to the Rams. It is a tough game to get right off a bye week, but Sean does have a winning record after the bye week, and this is about the time both Tim Patrick and Javonte Williams will be getting back to themselves after their injuries.

Week 11: 11/19 Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos

Patrick Surtain II is getting tested in back-to-back weeks playing against Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson. Besides that, the Broncos get the fortune of playing Kirk Cousins in Prime Time where he tends to struggle. They are also playing a team with one of the worst defenses in the NFL a year ago, who did not seem to improve much at all.

Week 12: 11/26 Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos

Cleveland is going to be a much different team than a year ago. They have improved their WR unit by getting Moore from the Jets, improved their pass rush by getting Smith from the Vikings, and Waston will be less rusty than he was a year ago. This late into the season and coming off three games against playoff teams in a row, this could be a must-win game for the Broncos.

Week 13: 12/03 Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans

Most people are going to look at this as an easy win for the Broncos. While it should be on paper, the Texans should not be a team to ignore. They are going to be young and more talented at important positions than they were a season ago, especially at the QB position with rookie C.J. Stroud.

Week 14: 12/10 Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers

This is the first matchup of the season between the Broncos and Chargers; when last we saw these two play, it almost cost Staley his job losing the game and their starting WR due to injury. At this point in the season, the injury bug may have bitten the teams like it always seems to. But who can say no to a Herbert versus Surtain II matchup in big games?

Week 15: TBD Denver Broncos @ Detroit Lions

The NFL darlings host the Broncos in a late-season matchup that, for the first time in a long time, could affect both teams’ playoff chances. This game will feature one of the most explosive offenses a year ago, with an improved secondary against one of the most consistent defenses over the last decade with a new HOF coach in Payton.

Week 16: 12/24 New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos

One of the best Head Coaching matchups in the NFL is taking place in this game. Unfortunately for one of the teams, the NFL has seemed to move away from what he does best, with Belichick really struggling to the offense right since Brady left. While it is not smart to count out the Patriots late in the season, the Broncos may have caught a break getting them this late in the season.

Week 17: 12/31 Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos

In a New Year’s Eve matchup, this game could have major playoff implications. Fortunately for Denver, they are getting this important game on their home field. Health will be a major factor in this game, as always, but it has the potential to be an all-time classic as Denver will ideally be fighting for their first playoff appearance since they won the Super Bowl in 2015.

Week 18: TBD Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders

It is always weird only playing a division rival in weeks one and 18, and usually, when that happens, neither team looks anything like they did in their first game, which can lead to crazy outcomes. Hopefully, for Denver, they will be playing for something meaningful for the first time.

At this point, I am going to save my prediction for the season until we get closer to the regular season. All I will say is I really like this schedule for Denver. They get some favorable matchups early to get the offense rolling early, avoid the late-season Chiefs games, and get some late-season games that may play well for Denver.